- What caused the Chernobyl accident? On , the Number Four RBMK reactor at the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine, went out of control during a test at low-power, leading to an explosion and fire that demolished the reactor building and released large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. Safety measures were ignored, the uranium fuel in the reactor overheated and ...
Chernobyl was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. But a generation on, life is returning to areas once exposed to lethal amounts of radiation.
The 30th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl is being commemorated in Ukraine. Even now, decades after the meltdown, the impact of the explosion at reactor 4 of the Soviet power plant is still being debated. Indeed, efforts to contain and secure the stricken plant are ongoing.
Children of Chernobyl are taking radiation holidays, but there aren't enough hosts for them. They suffer from health problems such as enlarged thyroids, cancer and respiratory illnesses.
Summary The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 was the most severe in the history of the nuclear power industry, causing a huge release of radionuclides over large areas of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Now, 20 years later, UN Agencies and representatives of the three countries have reviewed the health, environmental and socio-economic consequences.
On the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, these are some striking images from inside the exclusion zone.
Yet this source of reliable, low-emissions power fell out of favour in many countries following high-profile disasters, including meltdowns at Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011. Today, however, it seems barely a week goes by without countries or companies – big tech especially – announcing renewed interest in nuclear.