In 2015, scientists estimated there were seven times more wolves in the exclusion zone than in nearby comparable reserves, thanks to humans’ absence. Yet, due to the exclusion of human activity around the shuttered power plant, the numbers of some wildlife, from lynxes to elk, have increased. Though many trees have regrown, scientists have found evidence of elevated levels of cataracts and albinism, and lower rates of beneficial bacteria, among some wildlife species in the area in recent years. Today, the exclusion zone is eerily quiet, yet full of life. Containment efforts and monitoring continue and cleanup is expected to last until at least 2065.
What remains of the reactor is now inside a massive steel containment structure deployed in late 2016. Yet the full consequences of the accident, including impacts on mental health and even subsequent generations, remain highly debated and under study. International researchers have predicted that ultimately, around 4,000 people exposed to high levels of radiation could succumb to radiation-related cancer, while about 5,000 people exposed to lower levels of radiation may suffer the same fate. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation has reported that more than 6,000 children and adolescents developed thyroid cancer after being exposed to radiation from the incident, although some experts have challenged that claim. Up to 30 percent of Chernobyl’s 190 metric tons of uranium was now in the atmosphere, and the Soviet Union eventually evacuated 335,000 people, establishing a 19-mile-wide “exclusion zone” around the reactor.Īt least 28 people initially died as a result of the accident, while more than 100 were injured. Soon, the world realised that it was witnessing a historic event. Despite the death of two people in the explosions, the hospitalisation of workers and firefighters, and the danger from fallout and fire, no one in the surrounding areas-including the nearby city of Pripyat, which was built in the 1970s to house workers at the plant-was evacuated until about 36 hours after the disaster began.
Finally, the nuclear core itself was exposed, spewing radioactive material into the atmosphere.įirefighters attempted to put out a series of blazes at the plant, and eventually helicopters dumped sand and other materials in an attempt to squelch the fires and contain the contamination. Despite attempts to shut down the reactor entirely, another power surge caused a chain reaction of explosions inside. During the test, however, workers violated safety protocols and power surged inside the plant. Lenin Nuclear Power Station’s fourth reactor, and workers planned to use the downtime to test whether the reactor could still be cooled if the plant lost power. On April 25, 1986, routine maintenance was scheduled at V.I.
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