Aerial view of Reactor #4 after the accident.
In order to contain the affected areas, engineers built a solid wall-like sarcophagus around the reactor.
Full detail of the disaster at Chernobyl, featuring a view of the ill-fated reactor four.
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Life in the 20th Century, is dependent on electrical energy. The two main sources of energy have come from hydro-turbine dams, and fossil fuel burning power plants. As the century has progressed, scientists have realized that our main supply of energy- fossil fuels, is being depleted. These energy experts have also discovered an alternative source, nuclear energy, which now comprises 20% of the world's energy output. Until April 25, 1986, when the horrific nuclear accident occurred in Chernobyl, Ukraine (USSR), experts thought Nuclear energy was the answer to curing the energy crisis. Since that date, energy specialists have had to rethink their position on the use of Nuclear energy. On April 25,1986, ironically, while trying to install a new safety system to help reduce the threat of an accident, the core of nuclear reactor #4 overloaded and exploded. A shutdown of the reactor's emergency systems was necessary in order to install the new safety system. To contradict the abandonment of the safety measures, the reactor's power level was dropped to 7%. However, the reactor's cooling system was also dependent on the level of that power. The new power level was not sufficient to cool down the reactor and it eventually overheated. First, it shot a fireball into the air which blew off the steel and concrete roof. The reactor exploded several more times before ending with a large fire. These eruptions carried large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere and eventually around the globe. Chernobyl was a disaster that had a strong effect on the surrounding inhabitants. The accident killed 30 people immediately and at least 200 people contracted radiation sickness, of which most died of, soon after. The USSR eventually evacuated 135,000 people from an area 19 sq. miles in radius of the reactor. The evacuation included the city of Pripyat. (The Chernobyl plant was the main source of employment for the 45,000 people who lived in Pripyat.) This area remains mostly uninhabited by humans. In addition, the effects on animals in the area, have also been terrible. Some livestock have been born deformed with disjointed limbs, skulls, and even blindness. On the other hand, U.S. News and World Reports has determined that some animals, like Chernobyl field mice, have been able to adapt through undergoing a rapid rate of evolution. This amazing change is a result of the radiation causing their genes to mutate in a way which can tolerate their changed environment. The Chernobyl disaster was predicted to have harmful future effects on all of the people that came into contact with its radiation. According to leading researchers from the World Health Organization, several thousand radiation related cancer deaths will occur. In reality, due to the limited amount of knowledge on the effects of high amounts of radiation exposure on human beings, scientists are unable to give accurate predictions on the future health problems. Scientists have predicted many will suffer a variety of physical problems. The degree to which a person develops health problems will probably be directly related to amounts of radiation received. The global environment has been greatly affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The Chernobyl area's high amount of radiation has caused at least 4,000 sq. miles of the best farm land on earth to be left fallow. This abandonment did not help a country that already had a hard time feeding its people. Of the Nordic countries, the worst afeected was Sweden, in which 700 sq. miles of land had to be harvested and then burned. The Swedes were also forced to throw out thousands of gallons of milk each day because much of it was unfit for consumption. In Northern Sweden, the Lapland area, 170,000 of the 500,000 reindeer had to be killed due to their high levels of contamination. The reindeer represents the main source of food, shelter, and economy of the Laplanders. A similar relationship like the one between the American Plains Indians and the buffalo before the latter's demise in the late 19th century. Of the Central European countries, Hungary was the most devastated. In some parts of Hungary radiation reached such a high level that authorities strongly considered halting milk and meat production. This discontinuation would have definitely gone into effect if the government had decided to use western safety standards. The impact on the Eastern European countries was uncertain. This uncertainty was due to the different policies on radiation standards compared to the West. Nonetheless, the Eastern European countries received similar amounts of radiation as compared to that of Central Europe, if not worse. In Western Europe, West Germany, Italy, France, and East Germany were impacted the most. Even though these countries did not receive much fallout as Central and Eastern Europe, they were still forced to destroy large amounts of vegetables and milk. Sales of animals for butchering were also postponed. If one was to estimate the cost of the Chernobyl accident in Europe, the astronomical amount would be somewhere between 1 and 1.5 billion dollars. Unfortunately, the cost for the USSR is unknown at this time. In conclusion, the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster caused many problems, both economically and physically, throughout Europe and West Asia. This accident is one lesson that could never be afforded to learn, but now the future of the environment as well as the development of nuclear energy for the future may be changed for the better. Unfortunately, this horrible event did have far reaching effects, some which leading experts have not yet come across. I understand the need to find another power source to replace our depleting ones, but at what cost are we willing to sacrifice to do this? Are humans meant to deal with atomic particles or are they something to be left alone? History has proven that people have always been scared of the unknown, and in this case Chernobyl proves that there are still ghosts under the world's bed. |
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