Effects of Chernobyl Diasater

Effects of Chernobyl Disaster

On April 26, 1986 at 01:23 a.m., an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant occurred contaminating the surrounding areas with radiation. The result was the world's worst accident in the history of nuclear power. The effects that this disaster caused were endless. "Nine million people were affected from Chernobyl" (Chernobyl Heart). There were immediate as long as long-term health effects caused by this explosion. There were also many social effects after this disaster. Many of these consequences are still being experienced today, twenty years later. The explosion that occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has produced tremendously severe, negative effects.

Immediately following the explosion in Chernobyl, 30 people were instantly killed and 135,000 people were evacuated. (Visscher) Many of these people who died were fire and rescue workers trying to bring the accident under control. An additional 200 people were hospitalized. A radioactive cloud was spread all over surrounding countries in Europe. Workers in Sweden were found to have radioactive particles on their clothing. The contamination was spread unevenly across the surrounding countryside due to weather conditions. Belarus received about 60% of the contamination. Immediately, the effects of the Chernobyl disaster started setting in.

A second major effect of the Chernobyl accident was the effects it had on food supply. The severe radioactive contamination of mushrooms, berries, game and fish, are still the

main pathways whereby food is contaminated. Much of the food in countries like Belarus are contaminated with radiation. By ingesting this contaminated food, they are ingesting radiation and further harming themselves. In the HBO documentary Chernobyl Heart, school students are placed in special chairs that measure the radioactivity within their bodies. One student had high levels of radiation and was asked if he eats foods such as berries and mushrooms. The student's reply was yes and he had no clue that this food was harmful. The information needs to be distributed and residents in the contaminated region need to be cautious of what they are ingesting.

Lastly, and possibly the most dramatic effects of Chernobyl are the long-term health effects. "The International Atomic Energy Agency contends