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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

How come most of jeepon city radiation also lower than in sinkie land, even after nuclear leakage... click on link: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eq/eng/04_recovery.htm

[extract] Fiat joins Hyundai, PSA Peugeot Citro

From CNA: SYDNEY: Australian nuclear inspectors on Tuesday said they were to examine a shipment of cars arriving from tsunami-hit Japan following fears a number of the vehicles might be contaminated with radiation. ARPANSA, Australia's nuclear safety agency, said it would board the cargo ship Trans Future 7 when it docked south of Sydney on Thursday after a request from port workers. "This inspection is being made to reassure stevedores after concerns from the Maritime Union of Australia that as 30 of the cars are used vehicles they may possibly have originated from the tsunami and nuclear affected areas," an ARPANSA spokesman told AFP. "These concerns have arisen after the discovery of low levels of radioactivity in cars recently shipped from Yokohama (to Chile)." The 800-car shipment was being tested "simply as a precaution," the spokesman added. "ARPANSA advises that the risk to health of people handling mail, containers or cargo arriving from the affected areas in Japan is assessed as very low," he said. Australian new car sales slumped 14.5 per cent year-on-year in May due to "delays in delivery of Japanese manufactured vehicles" associated with the March quake and tsunami in Japan, according to the statistics bureau. Japan is Australia's major automotive supplier, accounting for some 33 per cent of car and parts imports. -AFP/wk

As fears of radiation from Japan's severely compromised Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant seemed to be growing by the minute, automakers have tried to assure car buyers that most of their products are produced far enough away from the crippled facility that fallout won't end up on their vehicles. However, Nissan USA wants to go a step further by performing a radiation inspection on all vehicles imported from Japan. Nissan is the first Japanese automaker to monitor its vehicles for radioactivity. The additional check will continue until all threats of contamination have subsided. Nissan is following through with the inspections even though The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association announced that it has found no harmful levels of radiation in any vehicles destined for export. I feel that vehicle contamination, if any, would be far less severe than crop contamination. However, I salute Nissan USA for taking the extra step to give consumers a peace of mind. Sales of Japanese car worldwide has already been hit by a strong Yen, hope that contamination concern will not further dampen the sales figure.

US sub could have leaked radiation in Singapore: govt AFP - Tuesday, August 26SINGAPORE (AFP) - - A US nuclear-powered submarine could have leaked radioactive water during a Singapore stop in September 2006, Singapore's Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean said Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Speaking in parliament, Teo said the United States informed Singapore this month that the USS Houston had been leaking trace amounts of radioactive water since June 2006. "This suggested that the USS Houston could have been leaking during her port call at Changi Naval Base in September 2006," Teo said in response to a parliamentary question. Singapore had asked the United States for information after reports in early August said the USS Houston could have been leaking radioactive water during a port call in Japan in March this year, he said. US tests showed the amount of radioactivity that could have leaked from the submarine during its Singapore stop was too small to pose any risk to public health, said Teo. "To put things into perspective, the US indicated that this was less than the amount of radioactivity found in a common smoke detector, and would not have any adverse effect on human health, marine life or the environment," the defence minister said. Singapore also conducted its own investigations which also showed public safety had not been affected by the leak at Changi Naval Base, he said. Copyright

anyone can justify this? if it is true, we can bang table liao