Chernobyl
Chernobyl Disaster
What is it… The Chernobyl disaster is considered to be the most nuclear accident in the world. It occurred on the 26th of April 1986 at 1:23 am in Ukraine at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The fourth reactor in the plant exploded causing further explosions in the plant and a fire, which sent highly radioactive plumes into the air. The accident occurred during a test that was being performed, to experiment a safety core cooling system, which used cold water to cool the reactors in case of a power failure. The accident was caused by a combination of inexperienced workers and an unclear procedure. The event was an made and detrimental to the people and the environment surrounding the power plant.
The Accident itself… The test was run in the middle of the night so that the city of Kiev wouldn’t run on low power during the day. At Midnight, the reactor gradually began to slow because it was starting the shutdown process, but Anatoly Dyatlov wanted the process to go faster, so he ordered for the control rods to be lifted. What he didn’t realize, was that the water around the reactor began to drain, and without the water cooling the reactor, it began to overhear. The high temperature caused tremors, power surges and the rods jammed, creating an explosion. Firefighters were brought on site to stop the fires surrounding the plant, however no one was aware of the radioactive dangers at that point, so all of them were exposed and many died at the scene or later on from cancer.
Impact on the Environment… The Pripyat River feeds into one of the largest water systems in Europe, the Dnieper River. Radioactivity in the drinking water became a major concern after the accident, however the radioactivity proved to be below the guideline limits. 4 square kilometers around the power plant were completely cleared of trees and plants, as well as most animals dying or severely affected. Animals, plant species and soil were mutated
What is it… The Chernobyl disaster is considered to be the most nuclear accident in the world. It occurred on the 26th of April 1986 at 1:23 am in Ukraine at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The fourth reactor in the plant exploded causing further explosions in the plant and a fire, which sent highly radioactive plumes into the air. The accident occurred during a test that was being performed, to experiment a safety core cooling system, which used cold water to cool the reactors in case of a power failure. The accident was caused by a combination of inexperienced workers and an unclear procedure. The event was an made and detrimental to the people and the environment surrounding the power plant.
The Accident itself… The test was run in the middle of the night so that the city of Kiev wouldn’t run on low power during the day. At Midnight, the reactor gradually began to slow because it was starting the shutdown process, but Anatoly Dyatlov wanted the process to go faster, so he ordered for the control rods to be lifted. What he didn’t realize, was that the water around the reactor began to drain, and without the water cooling the reactor, it began to overhear. The high temperature caused tremors, power surges and the rods jammed, creating an explosion. Firefighters were brought on site to stop the fires surrounding the plant, however no one was aware of the radioactive dangers at that point, so all of them were exposed and many died at the scene or later on from cancer.
Impact on the Environment… The Pripyat River feeds into one of the largest water systems in Europe, the Dnieper River. Radioactivity in the drinking water became a major concern after the accident, however the radioactivity proved to be below the guideline limits. 4 square kilometers around the power plant were completely cleared of trees and plants, as well as most animals dying or severely affected. Animals, plant species and soil were mutated
Bibliography: "Chernobyl disaster." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 12 Oct. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. . "Chernobyl." World Nuclear Association. Apr. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. . "The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster — The world 's worst nuclear disaster." Ben(jamin) Tan / Web designer. 2008. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. . Pictures: http://resosol.org/InfoNuc/Chernobyl/images/Chernobyl_Disaster.jpg http://members.greenpeace.org/gpblog/media/104097/chernobyl.jpg http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/L_o_L/chernobyl1_gif.jpg http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/rert/chernobyltour/images/environmental_07.jpg