Chernobyl Disaster

Chernobyl Disaster

            In 1986, Chernobyl nuclear power station, in the former Soviet Union, experienced the worstdisaster in history. The power station, which was located in the city of Pripyat, in the north of the Chernobyl town, comprised of four reactors with capabilities of producing 1,000 megawatts of electric power. In April 1986, several workers attempted to conduct a risky experiment, which resulted in massive explosions, releasing radioactive gases in the atmosphere, leading to deaths and long-lasting bodily malformations.

In the process of experimenting, technicians had decided to test whether the reactors would be cooled in the absence of power. As they conducted the high-risk experiment, they shut down the power regulators and emergency safety systems, violating the safety procedures in place for workers in such reactors (Aitsi-Selmi& Murray, 2016). Excess electrical power surged in the plant, where chain reactions followed and reached the nuclear core. Explosions then occurred in the core, and radioactive gases were released in the atmosphere. Attempts by the firefighters to extinguish the blazes were not successful, and helicopters were called upon to dump sand to control the explosions.

Furthermore, the incident led to the spread of radiation over the atmosphere to Sweden, where officials in a different plant detected the harmful gases. On inquiry, the  Soviet Union denied the incident due to fears of political ties breakdown, however, official reports of the Chernobyl disaster were made on April 28(Aitsi-Selmi& Murray, 2016). As a result of the chain reactions in the plant, two technicians were reported dead. Evacuation of the people around the plant was delayed over 36 hours, and victims, among them workers and firefighters were hospitalized..

Moreover, long term effects of Uranium radiation exposure from the nuclear explosion were present for generations. According to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, Chernobyl nuclear disaster led to the development of thyroid cancer to more than 6,000 children and adolescents(United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 2017). Exposure to harmful radiation causes cancer and mental illness, which can last over generations. The city of Pripyat has been abandoned since the disaster, and only laboratories, which study fallout patterns, are present around the area.

In conclusion, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 was caused by an experiment by the technicians that went wrong. Chain reactions in the plant caused secondary explosions, leading to the immediate death of two workers. Radiation was exposed to the atmosphere as far as Sweden, which made the Soviet Union make official reports about the incident. Exposure to the radiation resulted in death and cancer illnesses over several generations.

References

Aitsi-Selmi, A., & Murray, V. (2016). The Chernobyl disaster and beyond: implications of the      Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. PLoS medicine, 13(4),           e1002017.

United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. (2017). Sources,          Effects and Risks of Ionizing Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the         Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2016 Report: Report to the General Assembly,        with Scientific Annexes. United Nations.