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The
nuclear power plant at Chernobyl is located 80 miles north of Kiev. The
plant had four nuclear reactors and the accident occurred while reactor
number four was being tested. The accident that occurred at 1.23
AM manifested
itself in the form of a fireball so forceful that it blew off the
reactor’s steel and concrete lid. The
immediate toll on human lives was 30. But the resultant radiation caused
permanent health problems to several thousands. Besides this, the
environmental damage due to the high levels of radiation was also very high.
The
causes
Several safety
regulations had been flouted at the nuclear power plant and several
weaknesses of the plant had been disregarded despite the shortcomings being
common knowledge. The reactor that blew up had certain design faults like
being unstable when the power supply was low. The accident occurred during a
test of the reactor and several safety violations occurred. For example,
although it was known and stipulated that a minimum of 30 control rods were
required only 6-8 of them were used. The cooling system of the reactor had
been disabled. The purpose of the test, during which the explosion took
place, was to see how the reactor would function in the event of a power
shutdown. Several operational
errors added to the instability created by low power supply and there
occurred disastrous results.
The
resultant health damages
According
to estimates, the ill-effects of resultant radiation from the explosion will
be felt for 60 years after the incident. Thyroid cancer is one of the main
risks that the radiation has exposed the victims to. As per estimates of the
WHO, children born to people exposed to the radiation are also prone to
thyroid cancer. The incidence of cancer of all types has had a 200-fold
increase in the areas exposed to radiation. The people who were called in
for the clean up process were not spared either and their health too was
adversely affected.
Many
psychological health disorders have also been seen among those exposed to
the disaster. People began to experience anxiety, depression, fear,
helplessness, despair, social withdrawal and severe mental stress. So the
rehabilitation measures that were taken had to take all these factors into
account.
The
resultant environmental damages
The
land around Chernobyl was rendered useless for farming. Attempts have been
made to scrape off topsoil and make the land reusable. The ill-effects of
radiation have been felt practically all over the Northern Hemisphere.
Animal and plant life in the immediate vicinity suffered severe damage.
However the natural process of recovery had restored them to an almost
normal state by 1989. Several animals exposed to the radiation have showed
harmful gene mutations and these may have long term effects.
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