Chernobyl Disaster in the Soviet Union
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
On April 26, 1986 Chernobyl NPP unit 4 exploded. 500,000 people and 485 villages have been relocated, more than 500,000 victims suffered from this up to then biggest atomic catastrophe in human history.
Situated in the Ukraine, close to Belarusian border, Chernobyl was constructed as a Soviet reactor. Although far from that water body, the disaster is until today the biggest Baltic Sea polluter. At the same time the Baltic Sea is also the marine area most affected by this accident classified as INES 7. The reason is the route the radioactive cloud traveled after the explosions in Chernobyl. It went to the north and caused a strong deposition of radioactive nuclides in the watershed of the Baltic Sea. Cesium-137 first dispersed directly onto sea surface. Radionuclides came from the entire drainage area and from surrounding terrestrial as well as coastal areas due to runoff, river discharges and coastal currents. The total input from Chernobyl to Baltic Sea accounts for about 4,100-5,100 TBq Cs-137 and 80 TBq Strontium-90 calculated on the basis of the year 1991. Half of the Chernobyl Cs-137 settled in the seabed. The strongest accumulation took place during the first 5-6 years. It is still an ongoing process. The majority of radioactivity is deposited in the Baltic Sea- sediments.
Actions and events
- Chernobyl Day 2010
- International Day Of Action For A Nuclear-Free Future (2011)
- Anti-nuclear action in Minsk on April 25, 2011
- Chernobyl art project "25" in Murmansk (2011)
- Sizewell Chernobyl anniversary camp and demo (UK, 2012)
- Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance 2014
- Chernobylski Shlyach 2014
- 5 years Fukushima disaster & 30 years Chernobyl disaster remembrance 2016
- Action weeks for a future after Chernobyl and Fukushima: 2014, 2015, 2016
Materials
- lecture "The Reactor Catastrophe in Chernobyl"
- Information about the Chernobyl site, basic facts of the accidents, rescue measurements, radiation doses, consequences of the catastrophe, lies of authorities and politicians, Chernobyl as a political symbol and conclusions. 62 slides with images of the accident and from Belarus (victims of the accident, liquidators, "empty villages", actions).
- The slides are currently provided in German (smaller file)only, but the presentation can be held in English, too.
- duration: some 2 hours
- technical requirements: digital projector & screen, computer/laptop
- contact: Falk Beyer, Falk AT nuclear-heritage DOT net[1]
- theater group: Theatre Kryly Halopa
- Since 2013 the theatre “Kryly Halopa” has started work on a documentary theatre project “Stories of Belarus”. The documentary theatre Chernobyl based on the authentic texts and documents, interviews and the fates of real people, technology verbatim and the most actual and contemporary topics of reality, is a genre that exists on the border of art and social analysis.
Irresponsible
Guided tours to the nuclear exclusion zone of the catastrophe - caution! This article downplays the risks of radiation while scientific sounding data is mentioned without telling that any additional radiation dose is to be avoided. They don't speak about the alpha and beta radiation regular Geiger counters can't detect. Don't trust travel agencies promoting adventure trips to atomic disaster zones - there safety measures and advice will probably again underestimate the actual threats.
Media releases
- 28 years after Chernobyl: Number of victims continues to grow. Nuclear accidents have long term consequences and come at a high cost (April 28, 2014)
- 26 Jahre nach Tschernobyl - Rueckblick und aktuelle Entwicklungen (April 23, 2012)
Tools
Further information
- Report: The health effects of the nuclear disasters in Fukushima and Chernobyl 30 years living with Chernobyl, 5 years living with Fukushima (IPPNW/PSR, April 2016)
- Russia: Samples from Chernobyl affected regions in court (2016)
- IndependentWHO - The World Health Organisation (WHO) is failing in its duty to protect those populations who are victims of radioactive contamination.
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