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INTRODUCTION

The Chernobyl disaster[a] was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the
No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of
the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. The initial emergency response, together with
later decontamination of the environment, involved more than 500,000 personnel and cost an
estimated us $68 billion.

cause of the accident

The accident occurred during a safety test meant to measure the ability of the steam turbine to
power the emergency feedwater pumps of an RBMK-type nuclear reactor in the event of a
simultaneous loss of external power and major coolant leak. During a planned decrease of
reactor power in preparation for the test, the operators accidentally dropped power output to
near-zero, due partially to xenon poisoning. While recovering from the power drop and stabilizing
the reactor, the operators removed a number of control rods which exceeded limits set by the
operating procedures. Upon test completion, the operators triggered a reactor shutdown. Due to
a design flaw, this action resulted in localized increases in reactivity within the reactor (. This
brought about the rupture of fuel channels and a rapid drop in pressure, thereby prompting the
coolant to flash to steam. Neutron absorption thus dropped, leading to an increase in reactor
activity, which further increased coolant temperatures . This process led to steam explosions and
the melting of the reactor core.

emergency operation

Following the reactor explosion, which killed two engineers and severely burned two more, a
secret emergency operation to put out the fire, stabilize the reactor, and clean up the ejected
radioactive material began. During the immediate emergency response, 237 workers were
hospitalized, of which 134 exhibited symptoms of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Among those
hospitalized, 28 died within the following three months, all of whom were hospitalized for ARS. In
the following 10 years, 14 more workers (9 who had been hospitalized with ARS) died of various
causes mostly unrelated to radiation exposure

effects of the accident

The meltdown and explosions ruptured the reactor core and destroyed the reactor building. This
was immediately followed by an open-air reactor core fire which lasted until 4 May 1986, during
which airborne radioactive contaminants were released and deposited onto other parts of the
USSR and Europe. Approximately 70% landed in Belarus, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) away.[7] The fire
released about the same amount of radioactive material as the initial explosion

response from government

In response to the initial accident, a 10-kilometre radius exclusion zone was created 36 hours
after the accident, from which approximately 49,000 people were evacuated, primarily
from Pripyat. The exclusion zone was later increased to a radius of 30 kilometres , from which an
additional ~68,000 people were evacuate
effect of disaster on Pripyat
Following the disaster, Pripyat was abandoned and eventually replaced by the new purpose-built
city of Slavutych.

ACTION TAKEN TO REDUCE RADIATION

CONTAMINATION
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sarcophagus was built by December 1986. It reduced the
spread of radioactive contamination from the wreckage and protected it from weathering. The
confinement shelter also provided radiological protection for the crews of the undamaged
reactors at the site, which were restarted in late 1986 and 1987. Soon after the accident, the
reactor building was quickly encased by a mammoth concrete sarcophagus in a notable feat of
construction under severe conditions. Crane operators worked blindly from inside lead-lined
cabins taking instructions from distant radio observers, while gargantuan-sized pieces of
concrete were moved to the site on custom-made vehicles. The purpose of the sarcophagus was
to stop any further release of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, isolate the exposed core
from the weather and provide safety for the continued operations of adjacent reactors one
through three.

AREA CLEANUP
The official contaminated zones saw a massive clean-up effort lasting seven months. [60]: 177–183 The
official reason for such early (and dangerous) decontamination efforts, rather than allowing time
for natural decay, was that the land must be repopulated and brought back into cultivation. Within
fifteen months 75% of the land was under cultivation, even though only a third of the evacuated
villages were resettled.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON:-

WATER BODIES
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located next to the Pripyat River, which feeds into the
Dnieper reservoir system, one of the largest surface water systems in Europe, which at the time
supplied water to Kiev's 2.4 million residents, and was still in spring flood when the accident
occurred.[60]: 60 The radioactive contamination of aquatic systems therefore became a major
problem in the immediate aftermath of the accident. After this, two months after the disaster the
Kiev water supply was switched from the Dnieper to the Desna River.[

FLORA,FAUNA AND FUNGI

After the disaster, four square kilometres of pine forest directly downwind of the reactor turned
reddish-brown and died, earning the name of the "Red Forest".[136] Some animals in the worst-hit
areas also died or stopped reproducing. Most domestic animals were removed from the
exclusion zone, but horses left on an island in the Pripyat River 6 km from the power plant died
when their thyroid glands were destroyed by radiation .[137] Some cattle on the same island died
and those that survived were stunted because of thyroid damage. The next generation appeared
to be normal
On farms in Narodychi Raion of Ukraine it is claimed that from 1986 to 1990 nearly 350 animals
were born with gross deformities such as missing or extra limbs, missing eyes, heads or ribs, or
deformed skulls; in comparison, only three abnormal births had been registered in the five years
prior

Subsequent research on microorganisms, suggests that in the aftermath of the disaster,

bacterial and viral specimens exposed to the radiation UNDERWENT rapid changes.

human impact

The only known, causal deaths from the accident involved workers in the plant and firefighters.
The reactor explosion killed two engineers and severely burned two others who were among the
237 workers hospitalized in the immediate aftermath. Of the hospitalized workers, 134 exhibited
symptoms of acute radiation syndrome, including one disputed case. 28 of the hospitalized
workers died within the following three months, all of whom were hospitalized for ARS and 26
were among the 56 patients hospitalized for burns. Among the fatalities in the acute phase
(approximately three months), all but one patient (with grade 2 ARS) were hospitalized for grade
3 or 4 ARS. Seven out of 22 patients with grade 3 ARS survived. Only one patient out of 21 with
grade 4 ARS survived.[9]

VIEW OF PUBLIC ON CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER

The Chernobyl accident attracted a great deal of interest. Because of the distrust that many
people[who?] had in the Soviet authorities, which engaged in a major cover-up of the disaster, a
great deal of debate about the situation at the site occurred in the First World during the early
days of the event. Because of defective intelligence based on satellite imagery, it was thought
that unit number three had also had a dire accident.[citation needed] Journalists mistrusted many
professionals, and they in turn encouraged the public to mistrust them.

INDIVIDUAL CONCLUSION
International Atomic Energy Agency

1. The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the most severe nuclear accident in the history of the world
nuclear industry. Due to the vast release of radionuclides it also became the first rate radiological
accident. However, after a number of years, along with reduction of radiation levels and
accumulation of humanitarian consequences, severe social and economic depression of the affected
Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian regions and associated serious psychological problems of the
general public and emergency workers became the most significant problem.
2. The majority of the more than 700 000 emergency and recovery operation workers and five
million residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine received relatively minor
radiation doses which are comparable with the natural background levels; this level of exposure did
not result in any observable radiation-induced health effects.

3. Radiation levels in the environment have reduced by a factor of several hundred since 1986 due to
natural processes and countermeasures. Therefore, the majority of the land that was previously
contaminated with radionuclides is now safe for life and economic activities. However, in the
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and in some limited areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine some restrictions
on land-use should be retained for decades to come

4. Countermeasures implemented by the Governments in coping with the consequences of the

Chernobyl accident were mainly timely and adequate. However, modern research shows that the
direction of these efforts must be changed. Social and economic restoration of the affected
Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian regions, as well as the elimination of the psychological burden of
the general public and emergency workers, must be a priority. Another priority for Ukraine should
be the decommissioning of the destroyed Chernobyl Unit 4 and the safe management of radioactive
waste in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, as well as its gradual remediation.

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