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Mention "nuclear disaster" to anyone below 40 years of age and most folks will say, "Fukushima". After all, the most recent nuclear power plant meltdown was 15 years ago, following the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. However, the nuclear disaster I'm more familiar with is the one that took place 40 years ago in Ukraine. Back then, it was still part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, better known as the USSR or Soviet Union. The Chernobyl power plant in 2009. (Image: Mads Eneqvist, Unsplash) What happened? On April 26, 1986, reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, ironically during a safety test. The failure was caused by multiple factors, including the flawed design of the RBMK reactor. The explosion blew the reactor and building open, sending tons of radioactive waste into the atmosphere and scattering contaminated materials around the surrounding area. As you can imagine, the fallout was fatal to plant workers and first-responders – the latter were unaware that the incident they responded to was no ordinary fire. Supposedly, the only indicator that something was very wrong was a "metallic taste". The entire city of Pripyat was evacuated and the surrounding 30km was declared an exclusion zone. Human liquidators were sent to clean up the site and surrounding areas. Pets, along with wildlife, were hunted and euthanised. The exclusion zone will remain uninhabitable for 20,000 years. One can also imagine the aftermath. An untold number died from radioactive exposure. Cancer rates in affected children soared. There are medical and human issues that persist till today. The iconic and eerie ferris wheel in Pripyat, as seen in 2021. (Image: Mads Eneqvist, Unsplash) Learnings Because this disaster occurred when I was a child, I only learnt about it after coming across a magazine article much later. As detailed as the article was, it could never fully encapsulate the tragedy. But the more I read, the larger and clearer the picture grew. And despite some parts being fictionalised, the HBO series did help to underscore the severity of the event. What shocked me, though, was how the Soviet government tried at every turn to save face. No government is ever totally transparent, but given the unfolding humanitarian tragedy, and the fact that this was a nuclear disaster that could have ended the world, this need to save face was appalling. The incident was treated as a minor accident at first. The Soviets initially kept mum, but two days later, when a nuclear power station over 1,000km away in Sweden suddenly detected abnormally high radiation readings, the jig was up. Denying the incident was like trying to block the sun. Still, they persisted. Pripyat, a city located three kilometres from the power plant, was not evacuated till 36 hours later. Even then, residents were told to only pack enough for three days. It was only after the evacuation that they were told they would never return to the city. Also, though the accident was mentioned during a news broadcast, it wasn't even the lead story, but the last item mentioned. In a display of utter depravity, the unfolding disaster was reported as nothing more than a fire, plus something along the lines of "the victims are getting the help they need." I thought only the Chinese were obsessed with "saving face". This abandoned building in Pripyat is one of many silent witnesses that are frozen in time. (Image: Viktor Hesse, Unsplash) Delusions and denials The Soviet government had to play down the incident because it didn't want to cause panic. But the main reason was so that it wouldn't look incompetent, which would lead to questions of legitimacy. After all, during the Cold War, they touted their technological supremacy over the West. Admitting to mistakes was a non-starter. If they could, they would have claimed "fake news" and deny that a meltdown and explosion ever occurred. But the truth kept emerging. In another instance, due to the higher-than-claimed radiation levels, the robots provided by western nations (to help clean up the site) broke down almost immediately. The evidence was irrefutable. Yet despite the deaths and damage wrought by a flawed reactor design, a lack of safety culture, and prioritising face-saving over human lives, the truth will never be admitted. I doubt we will ever have a full account of just how many perished and how many continue to be afflicted due to radiation. The New Safe Confinement Structure. (Image: Roman Chollet, Unsplash) Today A massive effort to contain the radiation resulted in a building of a sarcophagus, which was completed in December 1986 – a mere eight months following the explosion. Over time, climate and other factors caused wear and tear to the sarcophagus and a new solution was needed. In 2010, construction of the massive New Safe Confinement structure began. Six years later, it was moved into place over the sarcophagus. Its purpose is twofold: To prevent radiation leaks, while facilitating the work to decommission/disassemble the reactor. The suppression of facts, the cover-ups, and the attempts to save face despite the enormous evidence – it was too much. Many say Chernobyl is what led to the USSR's demise and the end of the Cold War. The Chernobyl disaster and the events that took place following it continue to haunt the world. It brought to the fore questions about nuclear safety, energy security, sustainability, and most of all, responsibility. Have we answered these questions? Are we even trying to address them? Those involved could kick the proverbial can down the road, but they'll only encounter it again. – Jeremy (Main image: Mads Eneqvist, Unsplash) (Image: Ilja Nedilko, Unsplash)

Fungi is found in the Chernobyl reactor and is growing towards the radiation. Apparently, it take in gamma radiation and converts into chemical energy. Like plants take in sunlight. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/fungi-that-eats-radiation-found-thriving-inside-the-chernobyl-nuclear-reactor-could-be-used-like-a-sun-block-for-humans-to-protect-against-deadly-rays/ar-BBZExce

Christ....what a shiatte-storm this is becoming. --- http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/...412-273173.html Japan upgrades nuclear emergency level to seven AFP Tue, Apr 12, 2011 TOKYO - Japan upgraded its nuclear emergency to a maximum seven on an international scale of atomic crises on Tuesday, the first time the ranking has been invoked since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The incident at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was sparked by last month's earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 13,000 people, with around 14,500 people still missing. The regrading to a "major accident" puts Fukushima on a par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the world's worst ever peacetime nuclear event. The meltdown at Chernobyl in the then Soviet Union spewed a large volume of toxic radiation, poisoning large areas of land and affecting thousands of lives.