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Post by Admin on Jun 22, 2019 22:28:48 GMT
On April 26, 1986, in the early hours of the morning reactor four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, spilling masses of radiation into the air. The explosion was the result of a failed safety test, human error and a design flaw with the reactor itself. Today eerie decaying buildings stand in Pripyat, the city built specifically for the Chernobyl Power Plant. Those who died in the days and months that followed the explosion did so from acute radiation syndrome. Also known as radiation sickness, it is a series of health effects which follow after exposure to high levels of ionising radiation over a short period of time. Workers and firefighters were exposed to radiation levels as high as 8,000 to 16,000 mSv, or the equivalent of 80,000 to 160,000 chest X-rays, according to the World Health Organization. Symptoms within the first few days include vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite. Lyudmilla said the doctor told her as she visited her husband: “’If you start crying, I’ll kick you out right away. No hugging or kissing. Don’t even get near him. You have half an hour.’” She described the deterioration of acute radiation sickness: “He was producing stools 25 to 30 times a day, with blood and mucus.
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2019 4:48:02 GMT
Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster which resulted in thousands of deaths, is to become an official tourist attraction, Ukraine's president has announced.
Once at the centre of a 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone, Chernobyl has seen a sharp rise in visitors since an HBO mini-series about the tragedy aired earlier this year. And according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, it is now time for a different narrative surrounding the site.
"We must give this territory of Ukraine a new life," Zelensky said as he signed a decree on Wednesday. "Until now, Chernobyl was a negative part of Ukraine's brand. It's time to change it."
On April 26 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, forcing a region-wide evacuation and sending radioactive fallout billowing across Europe. While the explosion itself caused around 31 deaths, millions of people were exposed to dangerous radiation levels.
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Post by Admin on Jul 14, 2019 18:08:04 GMT
The £2bn dome, which is big enough to cover Notre Dame Cathedral, is 354 feet high, weighs in at 39,600 tons and is strong enough to withstand a tornado. It was unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as interest in the site continues to surge after a hit HBO TV series. Mr Zelensky told guests at a special ceremony: “Today we get the keys to the construction that was created by joint efforts of dozens of countries to protect the entire planet and humanity from radioactive contamination.” He said the unveiling of the dome marked a new era for Chernobyl with the Ukrainian government investing considerable amounts to make its surroundings attractive to tourists. Mr Zelensky said: “We will create a green corridor for tourists, Chernobyl is a unique place on the planet where nature has been reborn after a huge man-made disaster. “We have to show this place to the world: to scientists, ecologists, historians and tourists.”
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Post by Admin on Sept 30, 2019 18:16:46 GMT
The control room is at unit four where the nuclear reactor exploded and the radiation is currently 40,000 times the norm. The tourists will be given face masks, anti-radiation suits and large industrial boots before being allowed to visit the room. They will be able to observe the room only for five minutes because of the deadly radiation. According to Chernobyl staff, the place is blood-chilling and even five minutes are enough to remember it for the rest of one's life. Vitaly Petruk, the head of the state agency said: “The HBO series boosted the interest to Chernobyl. Everybody now wants to see more and we are going to satisfy the demand.” The apocalyptic images show the decaying control room where in 1986 the plant's staff made a series of fatal errors then lost the battle trying to prevent the disaster.
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Post by Admin on Apr 7, 2022 20:07:29 GMT
The Russian troops who occupied Ukraine's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from the first week of their invasion until late last week dug pits and trenches in the site's highly radioactive exclusion zone, according to drone footage from Ukraine's military released Wednesday by Energoatom, the state-owned operator of Ukraine's nuclear power plans, CNN reports. "The exclusion zone was established because of high radiation levels in the area after a nuclear reactor exploded at the plant in April 1986," Reuters notes. The drone video "shows vacant pits and trenches of abandoned military fortifications in an area known as the Red Forest," CNN reports, named for the pine trees that turned red after absorbing radiation and "considered the most polluted area in the entire Chernobyl exclusion zone — and off limits to anyone who does not work there or have special permission." Energoatom suggested last Thursday that the Russians abandoned the site due to radiation concerns, though in the days since Russia pulled out of northern Ukraine entirely. Ukraine is now back in control of Chernobyl, and plant workers said the Russians weren't wearing anti-radiation protective equipment when they kicked up the radioactive dust.
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