This Day in History: 26 April 2020
26 April 1986
34 years ago, today, the world's worst nuclear power plant incident occurred at Chernobyl power station in the Soviet Union. This resulted in 32 deaths and many radiation burns in the first days, but the accident was only admitted by the Soviet authorities after Swedish authorities reported the fallout. On the evening prior the incident, a group of engineers began an experiment on one of the reactors but had very little knowledge of reactor physics. Their poorly designed experiment involved disconnecting the emergency safety systems and its power-regulating system, as well as even more mistakes. This resulted in the power levels in the reactor increasing to meltdown levels, as a chemical explosion occurred that blew off the lid of the reactor, releasing more than 50 tons of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
The next day, Soviet authorities began to evacuate the nearby inhabitants, and attempted to cover up the incident. However, this failed, as Swedish radiation monitoring stations close to Chernobyl reported high radiation levels, causing the Soviet news agency to later acknowledge the accident. The radiation that escaped was several times that produced by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and was spread by the wind, contaminating millions of acres of forest and agricultural land. It is estimated that 5,000 Soviets eventually died from cancer and radiation-related illnesses caused by the Chernobyl incident, and millions more citizen's health were affected. Chernobyl's last working reactors were shut down in 2000, and the plant was officially closed.
Want to find out more about the Chernobyl power plant incident? Click here for more information, or watch the 2019 miniseries 'Chernobyl' that revolves around the nuclear disaster.
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