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Chernobyl disaster

Updated: Wikipedia source

Chernobyl disaster

On 26 April 1986, reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (later Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties and thousands of health complications stemming from the disaster, it is one of only two nuclear accidents rated at the maximum severity on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The response involved more than 500,000 personnel and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles (about US$84.5 billion in 2025). It remains the worst nuclear disaster and the most expensive disaster in history, with an estimated cost of US$700 billion. The disaster occurred during a test to simulate cooling the reactor during a serious accident in blackout conditions. The operators carried out the test following an accidental drop in reactor power. Upon shutting down the reactor in those conditions, design flaws led to a dramatic power surge. The reactor components ruptured and lost coolant, and the resulting steam explosions and meltdown destroyed the reactor building. This was followed by a reactor core fire that spread radioactive contaminants across the Soviet Union and Europe. The Soviet government established a 10 km exclusion zone 36 hours after the accident, initially evacuating around 49,000 people. This was later expanded to 30 km, resulting in the evacuation of approximately 68,000 more people. The government did not publicly acknowledge the disaster until two days after the explosion, when elevated radiation levels were detected in Sweden. Following the explosion, which killed two engineers and severely burned two others, an emergency operation began to put out the fires and stabilize the reactor. Of the 237 workers hospitalized, 134 showed symptoms of acute radiation syndrome (ARS); 28 of them died within three months. Over the next decade, 14 more workers (nine of whom had ARS) died of various causes mostly unrelated to radiation exposure. It is the only instance in commercial nuclear power history where radiation-related fatalities occurred. As of 2005, 6000 cases of childhood thyroid cancer occurred within the affected populations (15 of them fatal), "a large fraction" being attributed to the disaster. Long-term death estimates range from up to 4,000 in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia (per the United Nations) to 16,000 in total across Europe. Pripyat was abandoned and replaced by the purpose-built city of Slavutych. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sarcophagus, completed in December 1986, reduced the spread of radioactive contamination and provided radiological protection for the crews of the undamaged reactors. In 2016–2018, the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement was constructed around the old sarcophagus to enable the removal of the reactor debris, with clean-up scheduled for completion by 2065.

Infobox

Date
26 April 1986; 40 years ago (1986-04-26)
Time
01:23 MSD (UTC 04:00)
Location
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Vyshhorod Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine)
Type
Nuclear and radiation accident
Cause
Reactor design and operator error
Outcome
INES Level 7 (major accident)
Deaths
mw- 2 killed by debris (including 1 missing) and 28 killed by acute radiation sickness. 15 terminal cases of thyroid cancer, with varying estimates of increased cancer mortality over subsequent decades 4,000-16,000 deaths from long-term effects (For more details, see Deaths due to the disaster)
Coordinates
mw- 51°23′23″N 30°05′57″E / 51.38972°N 30.09917°E / 51.38972; 30.09917 (Chernobyl disaster)

Tables

Areas of Europe contaminated with 137Cs[158] · Long-term effects › Release and spread of radioactive materials
km2
km2
Country
km2
37–185 kBq/m2
% of country
37–185 kBq/m2
km2
185–555 kBq/m2
% of country
185–555 kBq/m2
km2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
% of country
555–1,480 kBq/m2
km2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
% of country
Belarus
Belarus
Country
Belarus
37–185 kBq/m2
29,900
37–185 kBq/m2
14.4
185–555 kBq/m2
10,200
185–555 kBq/m2
4.9
555–1,480 kBq/m2
4,200
555–1,480 kBq/m2
2.0
> 1,480 kBq/m2
2,200
> 1,480 kBq/m2
1.1
Ukraine
Ukraine
Country
Ukraine
37–185 kBq/m2
37,200
37–185 kBq/m2
6.2
185–555 kBq/m2
3,200
185–555 kBq/m2
0.53
555–1,480 kBq/m2
900
555–1,480 kBq/m2
0.15
> 1,480 kBq/m2
600
> 1,480 kBq/m2
0.1
Russia
Russia
Country
Russia
37–185 kBq/m2
49,800
37–185 kBq/m2
0.3
185–555 kBq/m2
5,700
185–555 kBq/m2
0.03
555–1,480 kBq/m2
2,100
555–1,480 kBq/m2
0.01
> 1,480 kBq/m2
300
> 1,480 kBq/m2
0.002
Sweden
Sweden
Country
Sweden
37–185 kBq/m2
12,000
37–185 kBq/m2
2.7
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Finland
Finland
Country
Finland
37–185 kBq/m2
11,500
37–185 kBq/m2
3.4
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Austria
Austria
Country
Austria
37–185 kBq/m2
8,600
37–185 kBq/m2
10.3
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Norway
Norway
Country
Norway
37–185 kBq/m2
5,200
37–185 kBq/m2
1.3
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Country
Bulgaria
37–185 kBq/m2
4,800
37–185 kBq/m2
4.3
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Switzerland
Switzerland
Country
Switzerland
37–185 kBq/m2
1,300
37–185 kBq/m2
3.1
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Greece
Greece
Country
Greece
37–185 kBq/m2
1,200
37–185 kBq/m2
0.9
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Slovenia
Slovenia
Country
Slovenia
37–185 kBq/m2
300
37–185 kBq/m2
1.5
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Italy
Italy
Country
Italy
37–185 kBq/m2
300
37–185 kBq/m2
0.1
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Moldova
Moldova
Country
Moldova
37–185 kBq/m2
60
37–185 kBq/m2
0.2
185–555 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
Totals
Totals
Country
Totals
37–185 kBq/m2
162,160 km2
37–185 kBq/m2
19,100 km2
185–555 kBq/m2
7,200 km2
185–555 kBq/m2
3,100 km2
Country
37–185 kBq/m2
185–555 kBq/m2
555–1,480 kBq/m2
> 1,480 kBq/m2
km2
% of country
km2
% of country
km2
% of country
km2
% of country
Belarus
29,900
14.4
10,200
4.9
4,200
2.0
2,200
1.1
Ukraine
37,200
6.2
3,200
0.53
900
0.15
600
0.1
Russia
49,800
0.3
5,700
0.03
2,100
0.01
300
0.002
Sweden
12,000
2.7
Finland
11,500
3.4
Austria
8,600
10.3
Norway
5,200
1.3
Bulgaria
4,800
4.3
Switzerland
1,300
3.1
Greece
1,200
0.9
Slovenia
300
1.5
Italy
300
0.1
Moldova
60
0.2
Totals
162,160 km2
19,100 km2
7,200 km2
3,100 km2

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