...The topic I have chosen for my research paper is Chernobyl disaster that happened on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Ukraine (then officially Ukrainian SSR). Chernobyl is considered to be the worst nuclear power disaster in the history. I will be talking about what caused such a big accident, effects of it for the country and the world, crisis management and consequences for people and environment. Chernobyl disaster was caused by human error. There was a test to find out how long it needs cool the reactor if engineers shut down it using only the residual steam and coasting turbines for power to run the coolant pumps. To run this test they had to switch off several automated safety systems. The experiment didn’t work out and ended as the greatest disaster in the world. The number of people whose lives were affected by the disaster is enormous. An estimated 350 000 clean-up workers or "liquidators" from the army, power plant staff, local police and fire services were initially involved in containing and cleaning up the radioactive debris during 1986-1987. About 240 000 liquidators received the highest radiation doses while conducting major mitigation activities within the 30 km zone around the reactor. Later, the number of registered liquidators rose to 600 000, although only a small fraction of these were exposed to high levels of radiation. It also resulted in an impossible to count number of Thyroid cancer cases that often result in death. The entire nearby...
Words: 438 - Pages: 2
...Nuclear power and hydropower, both are able to produce energy without releasing fossil fuels into the air. They are both inexpensive to run but they are expensive to build. Both of these clean air options have advantages and disadvantages. Nuclear power plants have had some major disasters in the past, which make people hesitant of building more. You have to think about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and 20th century Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. We have to consider what is best for our environment and if the risk outweighs the benefits. Hydropower was developed many years ago by the “1900’s it accounted for more than 40 percent of United States electricity.” (BOR, 2009) Hydropower produces clean renewable energy that does not release any greenhouse gases and the water evaporates back into the atmosphere. Cost of running hydropower plant is not expensive and can work for years without needing repairs. They provide recreational area, tourist attraction, and controls flooding. The disadvantages “hydropower facilities can have large environmental impacts by changing the environment and affecting land use, homes, and natural habitats in the dam area.”(Turk & Bensel, 2011) There are high investment costs to build a hydropower plant. Hydropower plants can damage the ecosystem by killing off fish and plants. This can affect the fish and their ability to migrate. Therefore, everything has its drawbacks we have to figure out if it is worth it. Nuclear power plants have...
Words: 732 - Pages: 3
...Chernobyl COMM/112 June 7, 2012 Arlee Johnson Chernobyl The Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster was the worst in history. The nuclear fallout after the explosion of reactor 4 covered an extensive geographical area of Europe, which affected millions of people. 26 years later thousands of people are still feeling the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear fallout. The most affected from the nuclear fallout where and still are the children of Ukraine. The former Soviet Union denied the link between cancer in millions and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Will these effects continue to affect the people of Europe or will the government correct the damage that has caused the displacement and illnesses of thousands of people? On April 25, 1986 approximately 1:24 am in the small town of Pripyet Ukraine, the worst nuclear power plant disaster occurred. A test was conducted on reactor 4 to see whether four turbines could produce the energy required to continue to keep the coolant pumps running until the emergency generators activated in case of a power loss. An explosion occurred after reactor 4 reached more than 2,000 degrees Celsius, which melted fuel rods and ignited the graphite cover. The radioactive nuclear fallout covered an extensive geographical area of Europe. Over two billion dollars was spent and over 600,000 people called Liquidators, from all over the Soviet Union assisted in the recovery and clean up from 1986 throw 1987. Most of the Liquidators received high doses...
Words: 701 - Pages: 3
...1986 at reactor number four of the Chernobyl plant, which is near the city of Prypiat and in proximity to the administrative border with Belarus and Dnieper river. There was a sudden power output surge, and when an emergency shutdown was attempted, a more extreme spike in power output occurred, which led to a reactor vessel rupture and a series of explosions. These events exposed the graphite moderator of the reactor to air, causing it to ignite.[3] The resulting fire sent a plume of highly radioactive smoke fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including Pripyat. The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union and Europe. From 1986 to 2000, 350,400 people were evacuated and resettled from the most severely contaminated areas of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.[4][5] According to official post-Soviet data,[6][7] about 60% of the fallout landed in Belarus. The accident raised concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry, as well as nuclear power in general, slowing its expansion for a number of years and forcing the Soviet government to become less secretive about its procedures.[8][notes 1] The government coverup of the Chernobyl disaster was a "catalyst" for glasnost, which "paved the way for reforms leading to the Soviet collapse."[9] Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have been burdened with the continuing and substantial decontamination and health care costs of the Chernobyl accident. A report by the International...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...Texas. Correspondence concerning this report should be addressed to Karen Glave, RT, Department of Radiology, UT Cinco Ranch Health Center, 23923 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Katy, Texas 77494. E-mail: karen.glave@uth.tmc.edu Abstract During my 20 years of imaging in the radiology field, I have been questioned by patients about the dangers of radiation exposure daily. I often state that unlike other medical trials we are unable to intentionally test the long term effects of these procedures. To take a group of people and irradiate them, follow them throughout their lives. That type of study would be never-ending and difficult to follow. Our history lessons teach about the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 and the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion in Ukraine. However those events do not expose human beings to the same ionizing radiation that is used in the medical x-rays of today. I would like to put these risks into perspective. That the benefit of the information we receive from a test far outweighs the risk to the patient. My ultimate goal is to arm the patient with enough information to make a diagnostic testing decision without fear or generalizations. Radiation Exposure During the average human’s lifetime they will have the need for a radiation imaging study to diagnose or confirm a diagnosis. When this occurs, the patient and the ordering provider will evaluate if the risk outweighs the benefit of the information received. I would like...
Words: 968 - Pages: 4
...latitude/longitude to provide the location of the ecosystem. b. Explain the major biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem. 2. Discuss the impact that humans currently have on the specified ecosystem. 3. Predict the effect of future human impact on the specified ecosystem. 4. Provide guidelines regarding human activities that will aid in preserving the specified ecosystem. B. If you choose to use outside sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format. for Reference: Map of Chernobyl retrived from http://www.greenfacts.org/en/chernobyl/figtableboxes/map-chernobyl.htm The novel emphasizes that the "dead zone" around Chernobyl is actually rich in plant- and wildlife (which have tolerance levels for radiation different than humans). In this area, wild animals such as wolves have not only flourished in the absence of human activity, but have no fear of the humans they do encounter. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/chernobyl-bg.html Flora and fauna There has been an ongoing scientific debate about the extent to which flora and fauna of the zone were affected by the radioactive contamination that followed the accident. Cases of mutant deformity in animals of the zone include partial albinism and other external malformations in swallows[2][3][4] and insect mutations.[5] A study of...
Words: 628 - Pages: 3
...Nuclear Energy Jackie Johnson SCI 207 Dependence of men on the environment Haleh Keshtker Jan. 29,2012 Nuclear Energy Will the Chernobyl nuclear is the large environmental disaster caused by the meltdown at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, Ukraine, dramatically changed the world’s opinion about using nuclear power reaction for power. But se the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was built the wooded marshlands of northern, Ukraine, approximately 80 miles north of Kiev. But see the first reactor went online in 1977, but the second in 1978, third in 1981, and the last in 1983, two more were planned for construction ( Ask.com 20th century History). See the media is comparing the threat to Chernobyl and some politicians are calling nuclear for a complete moratorium on the spread of nuclear energy. This is nothing more than sensationalist fearmonering. But see the Chernobyl disaster was caused by the absurd inefficiencies of the soviets and massive flaws in the power plants design. Here is something that is should the container be breached the Japanese government already has things in place to pour concrete over it as was don’t to contain Chernobyl. But see it is not right for Nuclear energy to work there butts off to help out in this world if Japanese government wants to power concrete over everything before they ask the rest of the world if they want that to happen. But see it is worth noting that the facility itself was fairly aged- Forty years, I read in one article-...
Words: 425 - Pages: 2
...The Health of Future Generations Starts Today James C. Studaway The Health of Future Generations Starts Today “Do you love me? Do you care for what has taken me a lifetime to create for you? Don’t you see the benefits in what I’ve created for your families? Then, why aren't you caring for me? Why do you hurt me so?” No, these aren't the weeping of a heartbroken, young lover. They are Mother Nature’s heart-filled pleas to the citizens of Planet Earth. These are questions we must ask ourselves as guardians, shepherds, and stewards. Mankind’s everyday choices have corrupted nature’s bounty and created a dark pathway for many generations to come. Many feel nature’s tomorrow will take care of itself; there’s no need to fight for it today. However, the health of future generations resides in the hands of what our lifestyles are today and in our conscious efforts to fight environmental poisons and pollutants like carbon-dioxide, pesticides, fossil fuels, environmental and nuclear wastes because tomorrow is not promised (Göpel, 2011). History has a long list of bad choices which seemed to benefit initially; but, only started environmental conditions to fall like dominoes. The age of the Industrial Revolution in America was a major contributor to the lack of environmental responsibility and the care for our country’s water, soil, air, natural habitats, and animal protection. Unfortunately, the general populous felt the needs and benefits of the improvements outweighed the possible...
Words: 1029 - Pages: 5
...things go together nearly perfect. There are many similarities and differences between the accident and the movie. The following will be about info on The Three Mile Accident, “The China Syndrome”, and how the accident could change the future of America. The Three Mile Island accident was a nuclear meltdown in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. The cause of the partial meltdown was first that the a failure the non-nuclear secondary system. Then the pilot-operated relief valve got stuck open in the primary system. That allowed a lot of nuclear coolant to leak out into the environment. The meltdown released radioactive gases and radioactive iodine. This all began at 6:57 am. The amount of radiation was not extremely bad. At least not as bad as Chernobyl. The two main radioisotopes are xenon and krypton. Although the thought of radiation scared the locals a whole lot. The meltdown caused some damage to the nearby area and some injuries. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident) Next is the significance of timing of the movie. “The China Syndrome” was was movie about a nuclear meltdown. The main character is Kimberly Wells, a reporter for the local news station. The news station was called KTLA television. This movie was released on March 16, 1979. The movie is based mostly on the inside of the nuclear power plant. Kimberly is there to record the inside of the the plant. This is in order for people’s curiosity and her own curiosity. Although, once she has had time to record...
Words: 513 - Pages: 3
...People have turned to using nuclear power, however, when reactors malfunction, they negatively affect the environment and the human race. Fukushima and Chernobyl are examples of reactors malfunctioning and affecting the world around them. While both were rated a seven out of seven on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), they had drastically different causes and effects. In 1986, workers conducted a test on the unit four reactor without taking necessary safety precautions, resulting in explosions that almost destroyed it. The reactor was a RBMK-1000 which is a graphite moderated pressure tube type reactor. Its fuel was slightly enriched uranium dioxide (2% U-235). Thirty operators and firemen were killed within three...
Words: 473 - Pages: 2
...I believe that the future nuclear power plant in the East Pennsboro Township, should not be built. The current effects of both the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants are something to consider before the construction of this power plant. While TMI was safely decommissioned, we learned during TMI’s years of service that accidents can happen and the disadvantages still outweigh the advantages of nuclear energy. As you know the chain reaction caused a meltdown and radiation leak throughout the plant. Also, many wrong decisions during the management of the Chernobyl nuclear plant caused a big nuclear explosion, just like in Fukushima where the operations done by the staff were highly questionable. Even with the advanced technology we...
Words: 302 - Pages: 2
...------------------------------------------------- The Chernobyl-accident Saturday the 26th April 1986, reactor number four exploded at the nuclear power plant near the town of Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union. It is widely considered to have been the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale - the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. The accident had disastrous consequences - Many people died because of radioactive contamination, and the Chernobyl accident cost the former Soviet Union hundreds of billions of dollars, and some observers believe it may have hastened the collapse of the Soviet government. The reason why the disaster actually took place was because the engineer Nikolai Formin wanted to try an experiment. The nature behind this experiment was to check whether the turbines of the power plant could produce enough energy to keep the cool-down pumpers running until the emergency generator was automatically started (in order to continue the producing of energy). To successfully run this experiment they had to switch off the security system. As a part of the experiment they decreased the reactors energy level so that it only was supposed to use about 25 % of its capacity. For an unknown reason this didn’t happen. Instead the generator used under 10% of its capacity. They noticed they were losing control at this point, so they started all...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...The Land Rising Again On March 11, 2011, an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 9.0 occurred off the coast of Honshu. The earthquake produced a tsunami that affected mostly Sendai and would take the lives of thousands of people and more in injuries. Fukushima Daiichi is declared a nuclear disaster when a meltdown of the reactors in the nuclear power station left contamination in the water, land, and air. In the aftermath of the tsunami of March 11, 2011, the people of Japan have not only the challenge of redevelopment but the safety from Fukushima and strength to build a healthy psychological future. When Fukushima Daiichi was designed and built with information of tsunami hazard, there were no known large tsunamis that hit that particular part of the coast (Noggerath 39). Once the news of the nuclear disaster was being announced it brought a series of new tragedies to the community. They were evacuated from the surrounding area of the nuclear plant because of the release of radioactive materials. Many are not able to come back to their homes due to the decaying contaminates emitting radiation. Although evacuations were set forth immediately, those that have been exposed will suffer a great deal of health problems. Cancer and tumors are likely for those who were exposed to high levels of radiation. Other problems facing many is the psychological repercussions leading to “stress related symptoms such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder...
Words: 528 - Pages: 3
...Should we continue to use nuclear power? Nuclear power is the use of nuclear processes to generate useful heat and electricity. The use of nuclear power has become more and more common in the world. Many countries like the United States and France have utilized nuclear power for electricity production for a few decades. Many nuclear power plants in various countries have been under construction. However, many serious nuclear accidents, for example Chernobyl disaster and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster have occurred continually from the past to the present. Some people argue whether we should continue to use nuclear power for electricity production. It is well-known that using nuclear power for electricity production has many advantages. From the dimension of environmental aspect, nuclear energy has the lowest influence on the environment. Nuclear energy is emission-free so a nuclear plant will not emit any hazardous gases during the process of electricity production. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide and other gases which threaten the atmosphere by causing photochemical smog will not be emitted. Also, carbon dioxide and any greenhouse gases which result in global warming will not be emitted. In the whole nuclear power production cycle, there will be only small quantities of waste produced. And all the wastes and by-products produced are safely kept in the container. Also, water discharged from a nuclear plant will not contain harmful pollutants as the water used for cooling...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...Nuclear power debate – Is it worth using nuclear energy? According to the Interdisciplinary Study of Massachusetts Institute of Technology “Around 6% of the world’s energy and 14% of the world’s electricity is produced by nuclear power”. In the United States, 1 in 5 households and business are electrically powered by nuclear energy. This number is even higher in Europe, where a third of the electricity produced comes from nuclear energy. Though, there is always a strong controversy through the public over the usage of this type of energy. Opponents mainly point out the safety issue, waste management problems in dealing with radioactive residuals and the threat of possible leakage. Despite their arguments, I strongly believe that the benefits of nuclear power usage far outweigh the disadvantages and it is the most economically feasible and environmentally friendly way of producing energy. Some people feel that nuclear power represents the danger to the world in a form of possible nuclear warfare. They state, that many politically unstable countries like Iran, North Korea and Pakistan launch nuclear power programs but behind these programs there is an aim of creating the weapon of mass destruction. Fortunately, despite the fact, that US intelligence agencies suspected explosives to be tested on one of the Iran’s nuclear sites, inspection revealed no signs of possible threat there. Apart from it, historical facts show that while there have been wars in recent decades, they...
Words: 1097 - Pages: 5
