Chernobyl Disaster
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster is one of the worst ever catastrophe to strike the world. On April 26, 1986 the unit 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was totally destroyed by the explosion that was triggered by the sudden surge in the power output. Radioactive material got scattered all over the place leading to severe radiation hazard which was not restricted to Ukraine and the places in the immediate vicinity but affected most of the nations in the European continent. The severity of the problem can be ascertained by the grave environmental implications and the serious damage it caused to the ecosystem. Let us study the disaster with respect to the impact on the environment and its effect on the health of people.
The Accident (A brief outlook)
The Chernobyl accident occurred when the operators pushed the parameters beyond the safety limit as an experiment. For days after the accident the fire continued nonstop even though heaps of boron carbide lead (to absorb radiation) and sand were dropped over the explosion site. During this period around 70% of the radioactive material lay exposed without any protective shield and radiation continued unabated. The strength of the radioactivity that resulted due to the explosion is said to be more than 200 times that of the atom bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki giving us a fair idea of the seriousness of the accident and the potential danger to animal and plant life. [Roberta Crowell Barabalace]
Health Consequences
The health consequences of the accident are difficult to ascertain. The half-life period of some of the radioactive material is greater indicating sustained radiation often continuing over decades. To be more exact twenty different types of nucleotides were scattered after the explosion, each with varying half-life periods that ranged from 8 days to 24,400 years. This is precisely the reason why the health consequences are difficult to ascertain. Leaving asides the huge toll that resulted from direct exposure scientists are more worried that the genetic mutations that radiation triggers would be a grave problem. Mutations are not obvious immediately and it would take decades so the consequences of radiation exposure are far reaching. [Roberta Crowell Barabalace]
The death...
Regions of overlapped accountability and authority wanted to be obviously recognized previous to any disaster. A lasting infrastructure needed also to be in place and upheld for any proficient completion of defensive actions. Such an infrastructure had to comprise quick communications systems, involvement teams and observation networks. Mobile ground observation teams were needed, as was airborne observation and tracking of the plume. Many countries reacted to this need by
Chernobyl Disaster In its attempt to be a leader in the nuclear power industry, the Soviet Union took risks that proved to be disastrous. Soviet nuclear power reactors were built with a major design flaw, and on the 26th of April 1986 this design flaw caused the greatest nuclear energy disaster in history of the human race. Nuclear power reactors are extremely complicated pieces of machinery with a variety of safety
In contrast, nuclear systems today are planned to respond to disasters. Even the Japanese power plants had extensive fail-safe mechanisms. The problem was, that while the Japanese had prepared for the possibility of an earthquake, they had not prepared for the danger of a tsunami following shortly afterward: "all the affected reactors initially managed to shut down automatically as planned, and begin emergency cooling operations. None of the reactors,
It is quite clear that their attitudes toward the event are expressed in their words and photos, and that their hearts linger with the children of Chernobyl, the children with brain tumors, hydrocephalus, birth defects, cancer, and numerous other ailments that have been tied to the radiation that permeates the area. These children are the unsung victims of the disaster, and people no longer think of them, or their
" Some experts say that limits of 500 picocuries are harmful, especially to developing fetuses. When we have conflicting information at this level, then it becomes hard to know what information is the best information. To ere on the side of caution, however, when one is facing harmful radiation levels, would logically be the course of action to follow. Except for cleanup at Chernobyl, there was nothing to be done about
Chernobyl Nuclear disaster took place in 1986 in Ukraine which is a former Soviet State. This plant was built back in 1970 and consisted of 4 reactors. The plant was scheduled to undergo a scheduled and controlled shut down so as to test the generator's ability to produce electricity using the plant's safety system. Reactor 4 of this plant exploded after interior energy increased beyond control discharging radioactive debris and
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