Everything You’re Not Supposed To Know About The Chernobyl Disaster
33 years later, the Chernobyl Disaster remains one of the worst nuclear accidents in world history – if not the worst. In the early morning hours of April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. Within the first 24 hours, many plant workers and first responders lost their lives. Unfortunately, the toll would continue to rise over the next decades. In fact, it continues to increase today.
More than thirty years have passed; however, we still have plenty of unanswered questions. What do we really know about the day that changed our vision of nuclear power? For years, the Russian government tried to keep the details of what happened during and after the Chernobyl disaster hidden from its citizens and the world at large. Now, however, facts about the accident itself, as well as its impact on the environment, wildlife, and mankind, are finally coming to light. Read on to discover everything you never knew about the Chernobyl disaster…
1. Where Is Chernobyl?
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is located about 1.5 miles south of Pripyat, a small town in Ukraine, and about 12 miles west of the border with Belarus. The Ukrainian government founded the city of Pripyat – named after the nearby river – in 1970. The government created the town for the sole purpose of housing workers from the power plant. It was also a “closed city,” meaning the government restricted who could come and go from Pripyat.
In 1986, before the disaster, Pripyat thrived as a city, with roughly 50,000 residents. Thousands of those citizens worked at Chernobyl; meanwhile, their families went along with their lives. Pripyat had a theme park, movie theater, school, everything. No one imagined it would become a ghost town that year.
2. The Plant Where It All Started
When it opened, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant became the third nuclear power station in the Soviet Union, and first in Ukraine. The constriction began in 1972, with the first reactor opening in 1977. The photo above shows what the plant looked like on a regular working day.
Then, they opened reactor number two in 1978, three in 1981, and finally the fourth in 1983. At this point, they still had two more reactors planned just a kilometer away. The government expected the fifth reactor to open in November of 1986. That same year, in February, Ukraine’s Minister of Power and Electrification, Vitali Sklyarov, said the chance of an accident occurring at Chernobyl was “one in 10,000 years.”
In April, however, disaster would strike…
3. Why And When
The morning of April 26, 1986, started like any other at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Many survivors remember the day being a beautiful spring day. Workers arrived from their homes to fulfill their duties, and everything seemed to go according to schedule. No one knew what the day had in store for them.
Most of the reactors went on as usual. However, the plant runners scheduled a test of reactor number four for that morning. Reactor four was the newest, just three-years-old at that point. Unfortunately, they had no idea what would happen when they ran the test. Worse still, a series of bad decisions leading up to the test would cause destruction.
4. Built On Bad Decisions
Compared to today’s technology, Chernobyl’s seems incredibly antiquated. However, at the time, the Ukranian government used some of the best technology available. Still, they did cut some corners where they shouldn’t have. Namely, they elected not to use a water cooling method for the core. While water cooling is now standard in nuclear technology, at the time, it was not. So, they decide against it.
Instead, they used the cheaper graphite as coolant, which can do more damage than good. Graphite does not stabilize the core as well as gas or water-based cooling systems. Furthermore, under certain conditions, graphite can turn flammable, making things even worse. Although they didn’t know it, planners sealed Chernobyl’s fate by using a graphite-based cooling system. Then, designers made one, final, fatal flaw: they did not encase the reactor in a safe container. All these decisions would come back to haunt the plant’s creators.
5. Not The First Problem
Furthermore, plant runners poor decisions did not stop at the design. For instance, in September of 1982, a partial meltdown occurred in reactor one. The details are unclear because investigators were told to brush it under the carpet. Moreover, while the partial meltdown occurred four years before the Chernobyl disaster, officials did not make it public until years after. If it had been made clear immediately, perhaps the international community could have kept a closer eye on the plant.
Unfortunately, the power plant continued to fly under the radar. Worse still, the partial meltdown was just one prior incident. According to a 1990 interview with a survivor, “more than ten serious accidents” occurred before that fateful day in 1986. This secrecy and habitual lying set the stage for one of the most significant disasters in human history.
6. A Secret Problem
Over the four years preceding the events of April 1986, plant officials hid a massive problem. As you can imagine, all power plants have a backup source of energy. In nuclear power plants, this is especially important. After all, it only takes a few seconds of the cooling system not receiving power for horrible results to occur.
Well, at the Chernobyl Power Plant, engineers had a huge problem: their backup power system took 70 seconds to kick in. That meant the cooling, safety, and many other systems would remain offline for more than a minute in the result of a power failure. With outside, international help, the Soviet Union could have likely solved the problem quickly. Instead, it took two years of unsafe work conditions for them to develop a solution. In 1984, they finally came up with an idea.
7. Finally, A Solution
After two years of an inadequate supplemental power source, engineers finally devised a solution: a steam turbine system. This, they hoped, would solve the problem of their 70-second delay of power. Still, plant workers needed to test the new steam turbines before they could claim victory.
So, the plant began testing if the new turbines would produce enough power to keep the coolant and other systems running during the 70-second window. They tried the system once in 1984 and twice in 1985. All three times ended in failure. Then, in 1986, they planned a fourth, and they hoped final, test. Unfortunately, once again, poor management and communication would lead to mistakes. Except, this time, the errors would end in a horrific disaster.
8. A Fourth And Final Test
In order to fix the plant’s power issues as soon as possible, the plant director failed to follow proper protocols and procedures. First, certain key members of the Chernobyl’s managing team were not aware of the test. Next, while the director informed the day crew of the test and it’s procedures, he failed to notify the night crew.
The test began in the morning, as scheduled. In order to conduct the analysis, workers needed to reduce power to reactor four. This is done in a variety of ways, including turning off specific systems, like the emergency cooling system. However, when another power plant unexpectedly went offline, Ukraine asked Chernobyl to return to normal power to help carry the load. So, the Chernobyl plant director postponed the test. Unfortunately, they failed to power back on the emergency systems. Worse still, the test now fell on the shoulder of the uninformed night crew…
9. The Test Resumes
Around 11:00 pm, night workers and operators received the go-ahead to resume the test. With the emergency cooling systems off and an inexperienced crew at the helm, the test was primed for failure. As stated, the reactor needed to reduce power to perform the test. The inexperienced crew reduced power improperly: by removing the control rods. These rods control the material around the reactor, stopping the reactor from releasing too much nuclear energy. Removing them placed the entire world in danger.
Afterward, the power stabilized at a low-level. The plant operator on duty, Alexander Akinhov, then told crews to start the test. This was the final step in a long line of bad decisions that lead to the Chernobyl disaster.
10. Disaster Strikes
At 1:23 am, the test officially began at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Within 20 seconds, an unexpected power surge occurred, due to improper test conditions. This power surge is the first domino to fall, as it resulted in damage to the reactor. While the workers tried and tell the engineer in charge, Alexander Akinhov, he said: “the reactor is okay, we have no problems.” However, within another twenty seconds, Akinhov realized that the workers were right. He then immediately pushed the emergency shut down system button.
Unfortunately, the day crew failed to turn back on the emergency cooldown system. Worse still, the night crew improperly removed the control rods. As such, the cooling system did not turn on. Meanwhile, the control rods jammed as they tried to re-enter the core. All hope was lost…
11. A Domino Effect
The Chernobyl disaster happened incredibly quickly. The power surge occurred within seconds of the test beginning, and Akinhov hit the emergency shutdown button just twenty seconds after that. Just eighteen seconds after the rods jammed, the first explosion occurred. The blast released uncountable radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. The situation worsened when the graphite caught on fire. Sadly, the disaster took its first victim then, Valery Khodemchuk, a plant worker who was monitoring the reactor.
Then, one of the plant’s design flaws reared its ugly head: they had no container for the reactor. As so, the fire carried radioactive material into the air, out of anyone’s control. In a few seconds, massive amounts of damage occurred. However, the disaster did not stop there. Things would continue to get worse in the coming minutes, hours, and days…
12. The Roof Explodes
A second, even larger, explosion quickly followed the first. It’s powerful enough to fry the inside of the reactor and blow the entire, 1,000-ton roof off the building. Fire erupted into the night sky, altering the rest of the plant to the disaster. The walls of the reactor then collapsed, also taking down the neighboring reactor three. Meanwhile, the fire started spreading, quickly, and power to the whole plant shut down entirely.
However, the lack of roof and cover on the reactor presented the worst problems. The smoke lifted dust, graphite, and radioactive particles out into the night breeze where they became uncontrollable…
13. “Flooded Up To Infinity”
Many workers died at the scene where the explosion happened. Of those that faced the high levels of radiation presented on the first day, few survived. Those that did would face even worse consequences down the road.
Survivors say they saw an other-worldly light blue light coming from the reactor hall. It must have seemed terrifying and awe-inspiring, all at once. Now, we know that radiation poisoning the ions in the air around caused the blue light. They described the reactor hall, seen above, “flooded up to infinity” with blue light. Survivors likely had no idea what lay in the reactor hall; if they had, they would not have stayed and watched. Standing in that much radiation can kill you in as little as two minutes.
14. Radioactive Fallout
The intense fire lasted for a little over a week. The whole time, high plumes of radioactive dust and smoke traveled the air, reaching across northern and western Soviet Union and parts of Europe. At least 60% of the fallout ended up in Belarus. In the minutes following the explosion, however, the population nearby the area had no idea what had occurred at the plant.
Within an hour, rumors started to spread throughout Pripyat that something terrible happened at Chernobyl. However, given the time, and its nature as a closed city, citizens could not verify the information. One clue did present itself, though: police officers began wearing strange masks. Still, the town tried to remain calm and wait for news. Over the hours, fear started to creep into everyone’s minds.
15. Evacuations Had To Wait
Immediately after the explosion, the Soviet authorities failed to release any information about the disaster, not to Pripyat citizens or the world at large. Believe it or not, this continued for 36 hours. Evacuations did not begin until 2:00 pm on April 27, 1986.
At first, authorities told everyone that they would return home in just a few days. Some survivors even said they were told they’d return the very next day! However, authorities still instructed them only to take essentials and leave quickly. Furthermore, they wore masks that didn’t make the citizens feel very safe. Unfortunately, very few citizens of Pripyat would ever see their home or belongings, ever again. Even worse, the damage had already been done by the time by the time evacuations started.
16. Radiation Effects
Evacuations began at 2:00pm, and by the end of the day, they had already evacuated almost all of Pripyat. However, over the hours between when the reactor exploded and evacuations commenced,, the residents of Pripyat took an incredible amount of radiation, far beyond what the human body can take normally. Soon, many radiation effects started to hit every single resident.
When you ingest it, radiated ions don’t taste like anything. However, one of the first signs of radiation sickness is a metallic taste in the mouth. Soon, every citizen and official began to identify a metallic taste in their mouths. Then, Pripyat residents experienced headaches and vomiting. Unfortunately, these were just the beginning of the health problems they’d endure. This event would leave its mark on all residents for the rest of their lives.
17. Diaspora
The next day, April 28, authorities decided to expand the evacuation radius from 6.2 miles to 18 miles, relocating at least another 68,000 evacuees in a week. The government sent over 12,000 buses to help with the evacuation process. Still, even with all these resources, the evacuation took a long time to complete.
In the following weeks, the Soviets sent over 500,000 officials to help with different parts of the disaster. In the first year alone, they relocated more than 135,000 residents. However, the relocation process took years to complete. In fact, it occurred all the way up to 2000! Between 1986 and 2000, the total number of relocated victims rose to roughly 350,000.
Meanwhile, something else occurred on April 28…
18. Sweden Gave The First Alert
On the morning of April 28, 1986, work began as usual at Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant, over 620 miles away from Chernobyl. However, soon, their radiation alarms triggered. After reporting it to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, the Authority determined the radiation came from somewhere else. After international pressure, the Soviet Union finally acknowledged the crisis. Still, they downplayed how bad things truly were.
The world pointed their satellites and cameras at northern Ukraine. In the coming days, the public would force the Soviet Union to reveal the full extent of the crisis. Meanwhile, radiation dust spread as far as the eastern United States. Unfortunately, conditions made it nearly impossible to stop the effects of Chernobyl.
19. Heroic Actions
Most workers knew precisely what staying behind to help contain the radiation meant. Still, to help others, they decided to stay. According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at least 28 Chernobyl workers died from radiation in the following months. At the same time, at least 15 first responders, mainly firefighters, also perished.
These selflessly yet heroic actions helped contain the radiation from leaking further, preventing thousands of deaths. The survivors of Chernobyl rightly consider these workers heroes and remember them with love and admiration. Because of their actions, experts say they stopped upwards of half of Europe and Asia becoming uninhabitable. They chose to sacrifice their lives, so the rest of the population could have a future. Above, you can see the Ukranian memorial remembering these incredible individuals.
Meanwhile, as the workers continued their heroic actions, evacuees had to make a devasting decision.
20. Abandoned Animals
While the population evacuated their homes, many pets tried to follow their owners onto buses. Unfortunately, authorities stopped this. They said the buses didn’t have enough room, so they kicked off pets, leaving them behind, scared and alone, in the nuclear zone.
Thankfully, 32 years after, The Clean Futures Fund is committed to providing a permanent solution to those dogs residing near Chernobyl. “My hope is to get 200 dogs rescued and adopted in the next 18 months and then go from there,” says co-founder Lucas Hixson. The Clean Futures Fund’s clinic neutered over 150 dogs last year. They are then placed in a 45-day quarantine where they will continue to monitor them for radiation poisoning. Many of them have found homes! Of course, dogs aren’t the only ones living in Chernobyl’s nuclear zone…
21. The Most Unique Wildlife Area
The lack of humans in the Chernobyl area provided a human-free haven for animals. In 2016, the National Academy of Sciences in Ukraine released a study detailing their observations of the area surrounding Chernobyl. Cameras captured a wide range of wildlife, including bison, badgers, wolves, raccoon dogs, red foxes, boars, deer, eagles, elk, and lynx, among others.
However, the animal populations are just getting back to normal. In the decades that followed the disaster, animals suffered from low birth rates and plenty of adverse health effects. Furthermore, animals returning to normal in the area doesn’t mean it is habitable for humans or will be in the near future. The land won’t be habitable for people for roughly 20,000 years.
Still, humans received the brunt of the devastating radioactive damage…
22. The Deadly Results
Iodine-131, Cesium-134, and Cesium-137 are the primary radioactive materials that affect individuals; however, they are all lethal for the human body. Within the next hours of the explosion, many plant workers died from exposure. As the days went on, many others, including civilians, succumbed to the high level of radiation they inhaled. The fires remained, new ones started, and radiation continued to spread.
While Iodine-131 dies in just eight days in the air, humans’ thyroid gland absorbs it very quickly. This can result in thyroid cancer later in life. Meanwhile, the two cesium isotopes can stay in the air for up to 30 years, in the right conditions. The cesium isotopes can lead to swelling, hair loss, kidney and lung damage, and other long-term adverse health effects. Soon, residents and plant workers would see the health problems associated with these materials…
23. Health Problems Come Along
The exact number of thyroid cancer cases as a result of the exposure to Iodine-131 in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus remains unknown. However, an estimated 6,000 are currently linked to the Chernobyl disaster. Afterward, believe it or not, officials actually recommended the residents to drink vodka to minimize the risks of thyroid cancer.
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that, according to an NRC report, the radiation did not cause other types of cancer, like leukemia. Still, other health problems started to appear. Survivors reported that the burns were the worst effect, and many died from exposure due to burns. Children and other victims also developed growth and breathing difficulties. To this day, scientists are discovering just how pervasive the effects were.
24. “A Chernobyl Necklace”
After the Chernobyl disaster, many Pripyat citizens lives changed drastically. Namely, the mass development of thyroid cancer in the population. Unfortunately, Chernobyl would not just live on in their memories. Victims would have to face a daily reminder, every time they looked in the mirror.
Removing thyroid cancer requires surgery at the base of the neck. Afterward, the surgery leaves a small, horizontal scare at the bottom of the neck. In the following years, survivors would begin to call this “the Chernobyl Necklace.” The name stuck and such scars are still referred to by this name, even abroad. They are a constant reminder of the price humanity paid at Chernobyl.
25. Counting The Losses
The Soviet Union never released the number of deaths attributed to the Chernobyl disaster. Now, Ukraine says it has no way of knowing without the USSR’s research. However, the World Health Organization estimates that around 30,000 people have died due to radiation exposure or related health issues.
Even worse, more than 7 million people have been exposed to radiation from the accident. Some died slowly in hospital beds alone and afraid. The lucky got to say goodbye to their loved ones. Others are still living with the radiation material inside of them and will fight it for the rest of their lives. Some others were confined in hospital’s beds visiting and taking care of their loved ones. They live in fear of not knowing what their bodies might experience in the future. Above is the commissioned memorial for Chernobyl, in front of reactor four.
However, humans weren’t the only ones affected by the Chernobyl disaster…
26. “The Red Forest”
After the Chernobyl disaster started leaking out the radiation, the environment also took a huge hit. One nearby forest turned into a reddish color before dying due to high levels of radiation. The trees’ leaves turned into what it looked like never-ending autumn. So, they began calling it “The Red Forest.” The radiation also affected the trees in other strange ways. For instance, the trees did not start to decay until 20 years after they died! Also, a rare type of fungus began growing in the Red Forest. It feeds on radiation itself, breaking down the irritating particles into usable energy.
Eventually, Ukraine bulldozed the forest and buried them in trenches. This prevented any further spreading of still-radioactive particles to nearby areas. However, scientists have collected samples of the trees and fungus, to continue testing. After all, these issues were never just Ukraine and Russia’s. These radioactive particles can affect the entire world…
27. The World’s Issue
The Chernobyl disaster not only had lasting impacts in the Soviet Union but in other countries as well. For one, nuclear rain affected many countries, causing unhealthy amounts of radiation to flood streets. The disaster served as a waking call for many governments around the world.
Italy became the first country to start phasing out the use of nuclear power, just one year after the Chernobyl disaster. Many other countries have followed, including Austria, Germany, and Sweden. However, as of 2018, 448 nuclear reactors are operating around the globe, and 58 more are under construction.
Despite arguments about nuclear power, one thing remained clear: official would need to shield the world from the continuing radiation of Chernobyl.
28. Continual Protection
Six months after the meltdown, as an attempt to contain any further radiation, the Soviet Union installed a concrete encasement over reactor four. Later, they named this structure “the sarcophagus.” Experts still debate how effective the sarcophagus ended up being. However, officials claimed the make-shift cover would buy them at least 30 years to develop a permanent solution.
Over the years, the covering started cracking, triggering an international effort to create a new encasement. So, in 2016, Russia built the “New Safe Confinement,” seen above, on top of the reactor. This covering is meant to last at least 100 years before it begins to deteriorate due to radiation.
29. Financial Struggles
The Soviet Union didn’t just face political and radioactive fallout; they suffered an economic fallout as well. They needed to spend a massive amount of money to contain and decontaminate Chernobyl. Mikhail Gorbachev estimated that they spent a staggering $18 billion, and continue spending today.
However, officials say it will take at least 100 years before Chernobyl is completely decommissioned. Approximately 200 tons of radioactive materials still lay inside of the reactor. They have tried to remove as much as possible, but struggle to find a safe place to store it. For now, they bring the material to Germany where they keep it in containers while they figure out a more permanent solution. Meanwhile, we are just starting to understand the long-term effects of the Chernobyl disaster…
30. Long-Term Effect
You would think that Chernobyl shut down immediately after the disaster. However, the plant still produced energy up until December of 2000! This is when reactor three shut down. Even today, there are workers there every day to work on decommissioning the plant, which won’t finish until 2022. Thankfully, there are now strict labor laws specifying how long they can work and what they must wear.
The laws stipulate that any worker on site can only perform their duties five hours a day and can only work for a month at a time. Afterward, they must take 15 days off to minimize any potential problems from happening. There is also now international supervision of almost every step of the process. Perhaps this is the one silver lining of the Chernobyl disaster.
Furthermore, officials also recently discovered some more “good” news…
31. Great News
Recently, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) released a report sharing some good news. They stated: “There is a tendency to attribute increases in the rates of all cancers over time to the Chernobyl accident, but it should be noted that increases were also observed before the accident in the affected areas.” While it seems Chernobyl certainly made matters worse, poor health in the Soviet Union also contributed to the cancer clusters.
The encouraging report goes on to say that the radiation level the population experienced was “comparable to, or a few times higher, than natural background levels, and future exposures continue to slowly diminish as the radionuclides decay.” Furthermore, the number of still-suffering individuals decreases every year. All this time later, life is finding a way to move forward.
32. Life Goes On
The Chernobyl disaster is one of the most significant nuclear energy accidents ever to occur. It is only one of two classified as level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), making it one of the biggest disasters of all times. The other to chart as a 7 is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which took place after the devastating earthquake in Japan in 2011.
In the decades following the disaster, the people of Pripyat had no choice but to start a new life. In shelters and new towns, they found it incredibly difficult to start over. Survivors have said that people often treated them with either fear or fascination. Some have wanted to move back, but there are many obstacles, some quite literal, stopping them from returning.
33. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
Soon after the 1986 disaster, the Soviet Union set up Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation, more commonly called the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Its purpose is not only to reduce the spread of radioactive material but to restrict access to dangerous areas. At first, just a 19-mile perimeter existed from the plant and Pripyat. However, they expanded the borders a few times over the years. Today, the exclusion zone covers an area of roughly 1,000 square miles.
The Exclusion Zone resulted in Pripyat becoming a ghost town. However, in addition to the animals, a few people have returned. Furthermore, in February 2019, the Ukranian government started discussing bringing the border in, to reflect the declining radioactivity. Still, this doesn’t mean that Chernobyl is safe…
34. Chernobyl Is Still Dangerous
Over 30 years after the disaster, you can still die from radiation in Chernobyl. There are some pretty hot spots which can be found in ground cracks and around the ghost town of Pripyat. Here, the radioactive particles accumulate, making them more dangerous.
Furthermore, there are also areas in the Red Forest where much of the main fallout is buried. Experts say you could stay there for roughly four hours before succumbing to the dangerous radiation. People cannot live in these areas now and will not be able to for decades, perhaps centuries. It’s definitely something not to mess around with. Still, believe it or not, Chernobyl has a thriving tourist industry these days…
35. Chernobyl Tourism Industry
In 2011, authorities decided to open the doors for tourists to visit Chernobyl. However, it is not as simple as you would think. For one, Chernobyl is still impossible for tourists to get without an official guide. Furthermore, there are strict military checkpoints to whose you have to submit name and passport information 7 to 10 days in advance.
Forget about conventional vacations, the new thing in travel is disaster tourism. The tour includes part urban exploration experience, part real-life video game, and the best thing is there are several Ukraine travel companies providing this once in a lifetime experience. And, there is a hotel! Yes, that’s right. The Hotel Chernobyl in which you could stay if you’re looking for the full experience!
36. Chernobyl’s Citizens
Among the citizens who refused to leave their home, we find ninety-year-old Ivan Shamyanok. He and his wife turned down the offer to relocate and never felt any ill effects from the radiation. Currently, Shamyanok lives in the village of Tulgovichi, near the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor.
Shamyanok believes the key to having a long life is never to leave your birthplace regardless if the village is poisoned with radioactive fallout. All but two of the homes in the village were abandoned. The time passed by, and his wife passed away and his children moved away. Now, there are only two people left. “I’m not anxious. I sing a little, take a turn in the yard, take things slowly as this and I live,” Shamyanok said.
37. Harrowing Graffiti
Over the years, a significant number of harrowing graffiti have appeared in the streets of ghost town Pripyat. Unlike the conventional Russian bright colored and cheerful graffiti, lots of Pripyat’s graffiti feature black silhouettes and children in obvious excruciating pain. The graffiti is meant to represent the shapes of people who were burnt to the ground.
This artwork was first noted after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The shadows they left behind are doing things like crying, playing, or screaming. It seems like the figures of those children are haunting the walls of the abandoned city, and perhaps, they always will.
38. A Series Based On The Disaster
On May 6, 2019, HBO premiered Chernobyl a five-part miniseries that dramatizes the story of the Chernobyl disaster. HBO wanted to offer the viewers a close examination to the woman and men who were caught in the middle of the chaos.
Second by second, the series recounts the series of events on April 26, 1986. It also shows the great danger Europe was facing from a radioactive debacle. The high level of detail in the series makes it even more suspenseful. “We needed a tax credit and a place that has enough crew base to facilitate a show of our size,” said the director Sanne Wohlenberg. She continued: “We thought about Ukraine, where the disaster occurred but they were in their infancy of film-production tax, and we thought it would be a risk to be the guinea pigs.”
39. Chernobyl Today
Even though they are still a few hundreds of citizens living life in the nuclear zone, the wildlife is increasing day by day, and lots of tourists visit the area, there are still dangers in Chernobyl. For instance, if any of the woods near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant ever caught on fire, the consequences would be devastating. It would spread radioactive material through the winds; not to mention it might ignite the nuclear material still inside the plant.
Hopefully, something like this never occurs and we only remember Chernobyl through pictures, the remains of the town and plant, and the descendants of the survivors.
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