11/13/2023 0 Comments Chernobyl aftermath humans![]() ![]() In the Ukrainian SSR, a similar long-term programme has been adopted for the period up to the year 2000. On 26 October 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR approved a State programme for dealing with the after-effects in the Byelorussian SSR of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant for the years 1990-1995. This programme was approved by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 25 April 1990. Notwithstanding the enormous efforts – unprecedented anywhere else in the world – to deal with the after-effects of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and despite the considerable financial, material and technical resources committed, a reliable system for ensuring the safety of people affected by radiation is still not in place.Ī State Union-Republic programme of urgent measures has been drawn up in the USSR for the years 1990-1992 to deal with the after-effects in the RSFSR, Byelorussian SSR and Ukrainian SSR of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The main sources of radiation were by this time long-lived radionuclides of caesium-137 (for the most part) and strontium-90. The third period, from 1988 to the present day, has involved stabilizing the radiation situation in the 30-kilometre zone and other areas, getting the organization of work and dosimetric monitoring set up properly, carrying out operation to make the “Encasement” more secure, decontaminating of settlements, relocating inhabitants away from contaminated areas, taking measures to reduce contamination of agricultural produce and reorganizing agricultural activities, collating material relating to the accident, and developing and launching of a long-term programme for dealing with the after-effects of the accident. The main sources of radioactive contamination during this period were ruthenium-106, cerium-141 and 144, caesium-137 and 134 3 reactors, measures to protect water resources from radioactivity, decontamination of settlements, scientific investigations and special measures on agricultural land. The second period, from summer 1986 to 1987, involved mapping out the contaminated areas, construction of the “Encasement” (“Sarcophagus”), decontamination of the working area of the nuclear power plant, restarting of the No. At this stage, the main danger to personnel and the public at large was from external exposure, as well as from internal irradiation due mainly to ingesting or inhaling iodine-131 and 132 The first period, from April to May 1986, involved making initial estimates of the scale of the disaster and the radiation situation, taking action to prevent a spontaneous chain reaction and radioactive emissions from the damaged reactor, identifying areas exposed to radioactive contamination, and evacuating the population and farm animals from a 30-kilometre zone. Three periods can be distinguished in the efforts to deal with the after-effects of the accident: Work was carried out to protect reservoirs from radioactive contamination and a series of special hydraulic installations and traps were built to prevent the shifting of radioactive silt. In the spring and summer of 1986, 116,000 people were evacuated from the danger zone.Īs a result of the accident or of their work in dealing with its immediate consequences, 30 people were killed or died from acute radiation sickness and many received high doses of radiation. In just the first year after the accident, 144,000 hectares of farm land were taken out of use, forestry work was stopped on an area of 492,000 hectares, and many industrial and agricultural enterprises ceased operations. The accident disrupted the previous way of life and economic activity in various parts of the RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR and Byelorussian SSR. These areas have a population of some 4 million, more than 800,000 of whom live in regions where the contamination level is above 5 Ci/km 2. and 28,100 km 2 at a level of above 5 Ci/km 2. In the area affected (including the evacuation zone), 76,100 km 2 were contaminated with caesium-137 at a level of between 1 and 5 Ci/km 2. The accident involved the discharge of substantial quantities of radioactive substances into the environment. ![]() From the viewpoint of radioactive contamination of the biosphere, it can be ranked as a global disaster. In terms of its scale and the damage caused, the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April 1986 was one of the most serious accidents to have occurred in the entire history of the utilization of atomic energy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |