Period+1+-+Chernobyl

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[[image:chernobyl.jpg width="899" height="460"]]



 * These are two modern pictures of the Chernobyl Power Plant.

MAJOR DETAILS:**
 * Originally called the V. I. Lenin Power Station
 * It was located in the Soviet Union, which is now modern day Ukraine
 * The accident occured on April 26, 1986 during tests performed by workers
 * The disaster was a direct consequence of Cold War isolation and the lack of safety
 * Reactor number 4 was completely destroyed and now has been covered with sarcophagus to prevent radiation from further escaping into the environment



[|http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm//]


 * CAUSES:**
 * The Chernobyl accident happened because of a flawed reactor, which was run by poorly expierenced workers and without proper saftey procedures
 * On April 25, before the routine shut-down, crew members at Chenobyl-4 began a test to determine how long turbines would spin and supply power following a loss of main electrical power suply
 * As an operator shut down the reactor a pecularity of the design caused a dramatic power surge
 * The cover plate of the reactor was ripped of by the resultant explosive steam from the ruptured fuel elements

[|http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm//]


 * RADIATION EFFECTS:**
 * Better chance of a cancerous tumor forming
 * Bone marrow levels will become elevated
 * Radiation burns will occur
 * Birth Defects
 * In some rare cases, DNA mutation, which can lead to death.

[|www.oxfordrefrence.com]


 * EFFECTS:**
 * The explosion killed 30 people, 28 of which were killed because of radiation exposure
 * Main casualties were among the firefighters
 * Large areas of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and other areas were contaminated with high radiation levels
 * This was the only accident in history where people died because of the effect of radiation
 * Thousands of residents were evacuated from Chernobyl and nearby areas

[|http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm//]


 * LAWS AND POLICIES (Things that came about because of the disaster):**
 * As a result of the Chernobyl accident some practical benefits have come into affect mainly concerning reactor safety.
 * As more and more nuclear power plants are built, their operating crews use Chernobyl as a standard of what should be done to prevent accidents like it.
 * New programs have been developed to oversee how nuclear power plants are operated in the modern era.

[|http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm//]


 * Comments:**