The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident

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Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Pripyat a city of 49,000 will soon become a city of none. Chernobyl a city of 14,000 will soon become a city of none. There common denominator, the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident of 1986. An accident that will lose a country $235-billion. An accident that will take the homes and lives once known to many. The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident impacted the Ecosystem in many different ways through the atmosphere, the environment, and the human population. April 26, 1986 scheduled routine Maintenance was getting ready to be conducted at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Pripyat Ukraine. At the same time they decided to conduct a safety test as well to find out if the plants turbines would be able to keep the reactors cool in case of a power outage. “ Plant workers planned to slow turbines that generated the plant’s power and monitor the water as it flowed through the reactor core” (Bryan 18). However they were not equipped with enough information to do such a test safely. “Power output in the reactor core exploded. The radioactive fuel in the reactor core started to burst apart” (Bryan 20). At 1:23 am reactor 4 in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. “It dropped radioactive isotopes – such as cesium 137 and strontium 90 – on crops, animals, and people as it moved” (Bryan 6). Two workers died upon the explosions impact. Reactor 4 was up in flames causing firefighters to arrive however as they put out the fire their bodies were exposed to high levels of radiation. In efforts to stop the fire the fireman tried many tactics. “Using giant helicopters, workers dropped 5,500 tons of lead, boron, sand, and clay onto the reactor” (Bryan 24). Even with this the fire continued to burn for twelve days before eventually bur... ... middle of paper ... ... atmosphere, the environment, and the human population. Works Cited "Backgrounder on Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident." NRC:. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. . Bird, Little, Winifred, Jane. "A Tale of Two Forests: Addressing Postnuclear Radiation at Chernobyl and Fukushima." EHP. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. . Bryan, Nichol. Chernobyl: nuclear disaster. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library, 2004. Print. Dowswell, Paul. The Chernobyl disaster, April 26, 1986. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2004. Print. Baverstock, Keith, and Dillwyn Williams.”The Chernobyl Accident 20 Years On: An Assesment Of The Health Consequences And The International Response. “Environmental Health Perspectives 114.9(2006): 1312-317. Academic Search Premier.web.21 Apr.2014

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