The Chernobyl File

The debate over nuclear power plants safety has been in question ever since they were first established in Obninsk, Russia on June 27, 1954 (Zhores, 1990). On April 26, 1986 the worst nuclear disaster in history occurred, the Chernobyl incident. The disaster in Chernobyl focused leaders towards a new direction. They began to look elsewhere to seek out a safer source of energy. The widespread question raised by the majority of the population asked was this disaster an inevitable event or was there blame to be placed on operators mishandling of the situation?
It was discovered that the accident may have been prevented if there weren’t serious mistakes made by the facility operators. There were four functional reactors the night of the explosion. Of the four functioning reactors, reactor number four was the only one running at the time of the incident. As a result of the system being strained, alarms rang out at approximately 0130 (Zhores, 1990). The weakened reactor was undergoing tests to identify the amount of time necessary to allow the cooling fans to run with a lower rate of energy. During tests procedures, pressures built up to unstable levels. For reasons that still remain unknown, one of the operators had turned off the automatic emergency shutdown switch prior to the test. Before the operator could complete shut-down protocols, the melt down had already begun. By taking the proper safety procedures seriously and by not bypassing safety overrides, the resulting incident may have been adverted therefore saving the town of Chernobyl from the explosion that followed.
As a direct result of the explosion, acute radiation syndrome (ARS) was initially diagnosed in 237 people on-site and recovery personnel workers. Later confirma...

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...rces containing nuclear fuel and accommodate their destruction, compaction and minimization for disposal. This undertaking embodies the most important step in eradicating nuclear hazard at the site - and the actual start of decommissioning. The New Safe Containment will enable remote handling of these hazardous materials, using as limited personnel as possible (World Nuclear Association, 2012).
The town of Chernobyl and the surrounding areas are said to be uninhabitable for a range of 120 to 180 years. Is the energy gained from nuclear power worth risking our communities and ruining the environment for 180 years? In my opinion, I would argue that no matter what precautions are taken, the risk would be too great. However, with advancements in design and a well thought out response plan, I have come to believe that nuclear energy still has a place in today’s society.