Chernobyl Remembrance Day

 

On this day in 1986, an experiment on Reactor Number 4 led to a power surge, causing core explosions and radiation leakage at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine.

32 people died and dozens more suffered radiation burns.  Many more died from the attempted cleanup, and approximately 5,000 people developed cancer from the airborne radiation exposure.

Being under Soviet rule at the time, the incident wasn't reported until Swedish authorities detected the fallout at the Forsmark plant on April 28.

Of course, Chernobyl was of concern again recently as Russia waged war on Ukraine, capturing the plant and digging trenches.  Ukrainian authorities say soldiers were very likely exposed to radiation, especially since levels were reported to be heightened following the activity.

The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency released a statement today condemning Putin's reckless actions, but the good news is that radiation levels have returned to normal, or at least expected levels.

The Red Forest was the most heavily affected by the initial explosion.  Trees that didn't die became red with radiation, and many particulates remain buried under the topsoil.  When Russian soldiers disturbed the ground, they released irradiated dust that had been trapped for decades.

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