Why Chernobyl is a threat to the world, even 34 years later

Even those who were born after the Chernobyl accident, probably have heard about it. Not surprising, because this is one of the greatest manmade disasters in human history. At least, it is one of the most famous and widely publicized in the popular culture of disasters. About it movies and TV shows, wrote books and scientific papers. Now this area became a place of pilgrimage for tourists and a headache for the Ukrainian authorities and environmentalists from around the world. It would seem that the area is in the side, it doesn't bother anyone and ”cooked in its own juice”, but it's not. She periodically reminds about themselves and makes people nervous. What is the reason and whether serious to worry about?

What happened to nature after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Many say that the accident, which occurred for more than thirty years ago, claimed about 50 lives. That may be so, but that's a conservative estimate after the accident died about 4 000 liquidators. And how many people suffered serious illness after exposure? Very much. Someone who lives with them still, and someone even handed them over to their children.

Extensive damage was caused and nature. Many have seen pictures of the famous Red forest (it even became the so called officially). So it was just a few tens of minutes after the accident. All due to the fact that the woods were mostly pine, and their needles very quickly absorb all the pollutants. This is especially true of radioactive elements, tons of which are thrown into the air after the blast, painted the forest in the characteristic yellow-rusty color.

Later on, about 15 kilometers quadrant of the forest was demolished and buried, but the rest of the trees left and the needle was cleared only a few years. This is due to the fact that coniferous trees gradually shed their needles, updating them completely in 3-5 years.

so literally for half an hour the woods changed the color to red.

After the accident near Chernobyl killed nearly all the animals, and those who survived were shot, so they couldn't run outside and post pollution on much larger areas.

The whole incident made the forest around the plant uninhabitable for years to come not only for humans but also for animals. However, if people said that in Pripyat will not be able to live for 24,000 years, then animals to explain it, forgotten. In the end, they returned much faster and started to populate the site. What threatens us now?

how dangerous is the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

It Is understood that the risks lie not only in returning the animals, but also in many other ways. Such serious accidents don't go unnoticed and if you directly on this area people do not die, it does not mean that the echo of the accident does not bother the neighboring territories.

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Fires in Chernobyl

Last few weeks the fires in the Chernobyl area did not descend from the front pages of many media. The problem is that burning — it is a process in which release smoke and the ash. All this wind is posted in large areas. If just burns dry grass, then nothing bad will happen and the neighborhood will only smoke and a slight increase in the CO2 level.

That's how strong the fire was in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

It is Quite another thing when burning grass and trees in the area of radiation contamination. This leads to the fact that in the air, as thirty years ago, they begin to float particles of radioactive elements. Their half life is very long and to say that the ”dissipated”, not worth it. This is not so.

As a result of such exposure, people start breathing again, ”stuff”, and on the streets of the deposited layer of contaminated dust, which a few weeks after the elimination of fires lies on the sidewalks and in apartments of people.

Night wspolicy flame was visible for many miles from the fire.

There are the ratings of the pollution capitals of the world. Because nearest to the place of accident the capital is Kiev, last week he came in three cities heading this rating. Now the source is eliminated and the situation, fortunately, began to improve.

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Danger of animals from the infected zone

Imagine that in the area of infection run cows that can start from the eye laser beams, or dog as in the showChernobyl, filmed by channel TNT, not worth it. Really serious physical abnormalities are rare. Although, you can find photos of two-headed fish and the like. But the fact that such mutations occur in other places of our planet. From a little serious deviations can be called a higher percentage of birds with albinism, the reduction in the offspring of rodents and small the life of insects.

these are wild horses go in the Chernobyl forests.

Generally, the population of animals lately greatly increased. In this respect irony is that human presence and waste his life cause the animal much more discomfort than the constant radiation. To him they adapted much better.
In the end, on an abandoned site was a true sanctuary with bears, bison, lynx, wolves, otters and others . On the one hand, you can be happy for them, since they are so good, but not everything is so rosy.

For animals has no boundaries. They can leave their territory and move not only within a single forest, but also to go to other countries. There they can become prey to hunters, or to give sick offspring, which again will go for dinner person or a predator. So the contaminated meat will spread all around the world and poison it.

Chernobyl animals look Outwardly healthy.

Birds can also carry the decay products over a wide area. In order to monitor the population and as needed to take action, the researchers found in about 50 cameras, which give them quite a clear picture of what is happening in the ”dead forest”.

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Water in contaminated area

On your site there is a small river and groundwater. Of course, contamination gets in them. In the end, the particles are spread on large areas and even a fall in the world's oceans. However, it lacks waste of the atomic power station Fukushima-1, which collapsed after .

if it Works now Chernobyl nuclear power plant

For many will be a surprise, but after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, in one way or another worked until 2000. All due to the fact that you can't just stop the reactors and, roughly speaking, to turn off the station.

Even now Chernobyl nuclear power plant can be considered valid. For technical reasons, it is still not to late to be conserved and work in this direction continues to be.

About life in this town not to say another 24,000 years.

Still over the fourth power, where the explosion occurred, construction of the second sarcophagus, as it was built immediately after the accident, began to disintegrate. In addition, preserved the reactors and the most contaminated equipment. For disposal built special pools. All this work is conducted with international funds.

Due to the fact that the use of territories by direct appointment (work and life) impossible, it would be logical to think about how to use them. In the end it was decided to deploy in Chernobyl solar power. Even in 2016 just a few hundred metres from the sarcophagus on an area of about 1.6 hectares was 3800 installed photovoltaic panels with a total capacity of 1 megawatt. This is comparable to a small hydroelectric plant and is able to provide energy for a small village or about 2 000 flats.

So produce solar energy in Chernobyl.

The construction of the panels ends and the capacity will be increased. So Ukraine should become the number one country in Europe for energy generated by solar power plants.

How to get to Chernobyl

If the above did not convince you and you are willing to risk your health, you can join approximately 70 000 people who annually visit Chornobyl as tourists.

There really is something to see, but you'll have to sign a paper that they have no claims against the tour organizer, if with you something happens, and strictly follow the guide.

tourist Arriving in Pripyat you can meet those wild animals.

They know all the roads that you can go without significantly exposure. After the step left or step right can literally cost lives. The level of contamination of the territories are very heterogeneous.

But only there you can realize just how fragile that people build over the years, what to expect and what stuck soul. Was a big city in which people lived, and now it's gone. That is, the city was left but to live there any longer. People dropped everything and left. And all because of the fact that atoms for peace is out of control.

the Humans are gone and nature is left. What is happening in the outskirts of Chernobyl?