Chernobyl 28th Anniversary

Today 26th of April, we want to remember the tragedy and victims of the biggest echo-catastrophe of the XX Century. We put together an essay

Chernobyl. Ghost town, mystery-city. City which appeared first time in a chronicle in 1193. During its long history Chernobyl has survived many events. But the world wide fame this Ukrainian city acquired only 8 centuries later, having become the cradle of the death for the tens of people

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For an elimination of the accident consequences there were mobilized more than 600 000 of persons. Liquidators worked in a dangerous zone in shifts: those who had collected the most admissible dose of the radiation – departed, and on their place came new crew of liquidators. The main part of the operations was made during 1986-1987. -

Before an accident in the city lived about 12,5 thousands people. Now there live only the employees of the institutions and enterprises of the Exclusion zone (they work on the watch-standing basis) and  self-settlers – “samosely” – illegal residents of Chernobyl who lived in the city before an accident and who turned back there some time later after catastrophe. -

The cloud formed by the burning reactor diffused different radioactive materials, and first of all iodine and caesium radionuclides, mostly to the territory of Europe. The greatest emission was marked in the territory of the present Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus. -

After the explosion on the 4th power-generating unit of the Chernobyl NPP, around the explosion epicenter there was created  the Exclusion zone. Exclusion zone is an area which is in radius of 30-kilometers around of Chernobyl NPP. -

28 years after Chernobyl accident a constant influence of light doses of radiation continues to influence negatively the nature in a 30-kilometer zone around NPP — there are less birds and insects there (the higher is radiation level  – the lower is the quantity of insects). -

The woods underwent the considerable pollution. In a forest ecosystem the caesium permanently recirculates, instead of that to come out of it, the pollution level of forest products, such as mushrooms, berries and a wild fowl, still remains dangerous. The pollution level of the rivers and of majority of lakes now is low. However in some “closed” lakes from which there is no drain, concentration of caesium in water and fish within decades can constitute danger. -

After an accident on the 4th power-generating unit the work of the NPP was paused because of a dangerous radiation situation. However already in October, 1986, after extensive operations on deactivation of the territory and construction of the “sarcophagus”, the 1st and 2nd power-generating units were again put into operation; in December, 1987 operation of the 3rd is resumed. -

In 1991 on the 2nd power-generating unit the fire sparked, and in October of the same year the reactor was completely taken out of service. In December, 1995 was signed the memorandum of understanding between the Government of Ukraine and governments of the countries of the “Big Seven” and the Commission of the European Union according to which was started a development of the program of full closing of station by 2000. On December 15, 2000 the reactor of the last, 3rd power-generating unit was stopped forever. -

The main reason of Pripyat foundation was the Chernobyl NPP construction – the biggest european NPP, which became the city-forming enterprise . Pripyat became a city of the nuclear scientists, 9th such city in USSR.The population of the city of Pripyat before the Chernobyl accident was about 49,4 thousand human. Now there live only the employees of the institutions of the Exclusion zone. -

According to some scientists, the wild nature in a special zone prospers as influence of radiation was surpassed by absence of damage from human activities. The radiation level in a zone was life-threatening only in the 1-2 first years, and in ten years it decreased in 1000 — 10000 times. -

Directly during explosion on the 4th power-generating  unit one person perished. 134 employees of the Chernobyl NPP and the members of the rescue teams which were at station during explosion, were affected by radiation sickness, 28 among them died. -

Many years passed from the moment of catastrophe, but problems which it generated, doesn’t become less. To economic and ecological consequences of accident the also social and psychological were added. The most painful heritage of accident is a state of health of the people who have been at the time of explosion in Chernobyl. The genetic changes caused by radiation, were the cause of the considerable part of misbirth, cases of the birth of dead children or children with a development violation. Those who was born before accident, they have got mutations in body cells, and those who after – the mutations which became  hereditary. -

Initially the population wasn’t informed on accident. During the first hours it probably was related to misunderstanding of scale of danger. However it became clear soon that evacuation of Pripyat, which was carried out on April 27, is required. Despite this, 26th and 27th  of April, inhabitants weren`t warned about existing danger and didn’t receive any recommendations about how properly to behave to reduce influence of radioactive pollution. -

The first official statement about accident was made on television only on April 28. By this time increase of a radiation level was already registered in Sweden, and the experts have understood, by the isotopic composition of a radioactive cloud, that there was an NPP accident. This first message contained very few information about what occurred, and the population still wasn’t notified about danger. -

Radioactive pollution from the Chernobyl NPP was shown and in other countries – Belarus (500 thousand hectares of the earth are dirty, 215 thousand hectares became an Exclusion zone), Russia, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Germany, England, radionuclides are found even in Brazil. Annually expenditures of Ukraine on elimination of consequences from the Chernobyl NPP accident are about 1 billion dollars. -

Palace of Culture “Energetik” was built according to the standard plan 20-06-9/70. It was a part of the whole complex of the city central  buildings, where were also  department store, hotel, restaurant, kitchen for children, movie theater, a drugstore, a hall for sports activities, recreation center and other. -

The amusement park is one of the dirtiest places of Pripyat, because the helicopters, flying over the burning reactor,sat down exactly here for a refueling by sand. Indexes of the dosimeter reach here very high level – more than 1000 μR/h. -

According to the project, on the last floor of hotel it was planned to make cafe with a summer verandah and the panoramic view — the view of the city neighborhoods from here opens, but these plans weren’t fated to come true. -

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Accident consequences on the Chernobyl NPP  became very serious not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world as a whole. The Chernobyl accident was the largest in the history of nuclear power. Objective understanding of its ecological, social, medical and psychological consequences – a subject of long-term study of experts of many countries. -

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