CHERNOBYL Flashcards
CASR STUDY LIKHO
Before the explosion, power to the plant was cut to simulate a failure. Backup generators turned on, but a delay and a power surge caused overheating, leading to explosions in Reactor 4.
The explosion released radioactive material into the air. Some areas inside the reactor had extreme radiation levels, giving workers lethal doses within minutes.
Fires outside the plant were put out in five hours, but the reactor fire burned until May 10, 1986. Helicopters dropped sand, clay, and lead to contain it. Firefighters, unaware of the radiation danger, later died from exposure.
The nearby town of Pripyat, with 50,000 people, was not evacuated for over 24 hours. Residents were told to leave temporarily, but a 30km exclusion zone still exists. Some older people have returned.
The explosion also sent a radioactive cloud into the air, spreading across Europe. It contained 400 times more radiation than the Hiroshima bomb. The USSR kept it secret, but a power plant in Sweden detected it first. Most fallout landed in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
The disaster caused many health problems. Directly, workers and firefighters suffered from acute radiation sickness, which caused burns, organ failure, and death. Indirectly, radiation exposure led to increased cancer rates, especially thyroid cancer, birth defects, and immune system disorders in affected areas. Many people still suffer from long-term illnesses caused by the radiation.
