Writer: Brain Guo

On April 26, 1986, one of the most devastating technological disasters in human history took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The explosion of Reactor 4 released enormous amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere, contaminating many countries throughout Europe and exposing numerous individuals to potentially dangerous levels of radiation. Beyond the flaws in the construction of the reactor, as well as the Soviet government communication, the disaster was also the results of human error. Three decades after the incident, Chernobyl remains one of the most prominent disasters associated with nuclear energy and its dangers.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was located near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine, approximately 100 kilometers from the nation’s capital, Kyiv. At the time of the disaster, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The power station used RBMK reactors, a type of nuclear reactor constructed by the Soviet Union that had known weaknesses within its construction. On the night of April 25th and 26th, 1986, the plant prepared to perform a test to determine whether the power station’s turbines could continue to produce power in the case of a power outage. Due to human and technical errors, the test in Reactor 4 developed into an explosion (World Nuclear Association).

Power station workers disabled key safety systems on the reactor to perform the test, forcing the reactor to be operated at a level that was not stable. On the morning of April 26th, 1986, at around 1:23am, an explosion occurred within Reactor 4. As a result of the explosion, another explosion occurred within the power station approximately one minute later. The explosion resulted in the destruction of the power station, as well as the death of the workers within the facility. Radioactive material from the power station began to spread into the atmosphere. The radioactive material spread to countries including but not limited to Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and most of the European continent (NRC).

One of the first efforts to manage the disaster was to extinguish the fires that were burning within the power station. Firefighters arrived at the power station after the explosion. However, they were not aware of the high levels of radiation that were being released from the power station. The firefighters began to extinguish the fires within and around the power station. However, due to the lack of protective gear for such high levels of radiation, many firefighters died of radiation poisoning within the following several weeks (IAEA).

Following the explosion, hundreds of thousands of workers began to clean up the power station. These individuals were referred to as the “liquidators.” Many of these workers had a variety of jobs, from soldiers to scientists. One of the most dangerous of these jobs was to clean up the radioactive material that accumulated on the roofs surrounding the power station. Because of the high levels of radiation at the site, many robots that were constructed to perform such jobs failed to function properly. As a result, workers had to repeatedly run onto the roofs to remove the debris, spend a few minutes performing the task, and then return to safety to allow the workers to recover from radiation exposure.

In addition to the efforts to contain the disaster immediately after it occurred, the power station engineers also attempted to contain the destroyed reactor. Helicopters were sent to drop thousands of tons of sand, lead, clay, and other materials onto the reactor core to contain the spread of the radioactive material. Later that year, workers constructed a large structure of concrete and steel around Reactor 4. This structure was known as the “Sarcophagus.” The Sarcophagus was constructed as a way to contain the remaining radioactive material from the power station. The structure was constructed as a temporary solution, however, and began to degrade over time after the disaster (World Nuclear Association).

The consequences of the disaster for the environment surrounding the power station were significant. The radioactive material that spread from the power station contaminated the land and water in the surrounding areas. Many of the forests in the area began to absorb the radiation, leading to the death of the trees in those forests. These forests were later referred to as the “Red Forest.” Over 100,000 individuals were forced to evacuate their homes in the areas around Pripyat. These entire communities were abandoned. Some of those areas remain unsafe for human inhabitation to this day (United Nations).

Various studies have been performed into the health of individuals affected by the Chernobyl disaster. While there is no exact number for the number of long-term deaths that resulted from the Chernobyl disaster, numerous researchers agree that there were significant effects on the health of those individuals. Many children in the area were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The reason for the development of the cancer in these children was due to the consumption of milk and food products that contained the radioactive material from the Chernobyl power station. The survival of these patients after improved treatment is one of the primary effects of the Chernobyl disaster (World Health Organization).

Beyond its impact on the physical world around Chernobyl, the disaster also contributed to a variety of political consequences for the Soviet Union. One of the actions that the Soviet Union took following the disaster was to initially conceal the information to the people of the country regarding the true nature of the disaster and the radiation that was being released. However, due to the detection of the radiation levels in Sweden, the Soviet government was forced to disclose the information to the public and the international community. The political consequences of these disclosures contributed to the growth of the Soviet Union’s negative reputation. Many believe the Chernobyl disaster was one of the reasons for the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Following the disaster, there were a variety of efforts to improve the safety of the rest of the world’s nuclear power stations. Many countries began to improve the safety measures within their power plants. Additionally, various nuclear policies were established throughout the world following the Chernobyl disaster. The Chernobyl disaster had major impacts on the policies that were established within the Soviet Union and its government.

As a result of the deterioration of the Sarcophagus, another structure was constructed to contain the power station. The structure that was constructed is known as the “New Safe Confinement.” This enormous arch structure was constructed near the power station, and in 2016, the structure was slid into place over the Sarcophagus. The New Safe Confinement is intended to contain the remaining radioactive material at the power station for approximately one hundred years. During this time, workers will be able to remove the unstable portions of the original reactor (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

Today, the area in and around the power station is used for a variety of scientific research purposes. Additionally, many of the species of wildlife that had moved into the area following the abandonment of the facility are often studied by scientists. Finally, the facility remains a location that many tourists travel to see, visit, and read about the disaster and its impacts on the region. While the levels of radiation in the area have decreased over the decades, the disaster continues to have an impact on the policies that relate to the environmental safety of the area.

In the end, the Chernobyl disaster was a tragic disaster for the environment, the people, and the power station itself. The detonation of Reactor 4 resulted in the release of the radioactive material, the movement of many individuals from their homes, and the radiation exposure of numerous individuals. The efforts of firefighters, the liquidators, engineers, and scientists contained the disaster. However, the environmental, health, and the political world still continue to feel the impact of the Chernobyl disaster. The construction of the Sarcophagus and the New Safe Confinement are both examples of humanity’s efforts to contain the disaster. Yet, overall, the Chernobyl disaster continues to serve as one of the best examples of the damage that can result from the development of technologies without the consideration of safety in their construction.

Works Cited

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. “Chernobyl New Safe Confinement.” EBRD, www.ebrd.com.

International Atomic Energy Agency. Chernobyl Accident 1986. IAEA, www.iaea.org.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Backgrounder on Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident. U.S. NRC, www.nrc.gov.

United Nations. The Human Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. United Nations, www.un.org.

World Health Organization. Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident. WHO, www.who.int.

World Nuclear Association. Chernobyl Accident 1986. World Nuclear Association, www.world-nuclear.org.