Chernobyl retrospective
On April 28, 1986 heavy radioactive fallout from an unknown source was reported from Sweden. Later, it was discovered that two days earlier, a nuclear power reactor at Chernobyl, in the Soviet Union, had exploded releasing an enormous cloud of effluent containing 40 million Ci of /sup 131/I, 3 million Ci of /sup 137/Cs, and 50 million Ci of xenon radioisotopes. This far exceeded the 15 Ci of /sup 131/I escape in the notorious Three Mile Island accident. Chernobyl reactor IV, of an antiquated design, was a graphite-moderated reactor which suffered a steam explosion when the operating staff attempted an experiment involving preservation of safety functions during a planned shutdown. Following the explosion, a fire started in the graphite core which required ten days to control. Thirty-one persons died, two in the initial explosion and 29 of various combinations of thermal and radiation burns, and gamma irradiation. Existing emergency plans were invoked involving treatment on the scene and evacuation of seriously injured patients to a special hospital in Moscow, as well as to nearby Kiev. Later, 135,000 residents of the immediate neighborhood were surveyed and evacuated after fallout radiation levels began to rise. Fallout patterns around Europe and the northern hemisphere were closely tracked. Consequences of the accident in human and monetary terms will require years of evaluation. Although the United States has no power reactors of the Chernobyl type, the country does have a radiation disaster management plan, often rehearsed at the state level. As a consequence of Chernobyl certain international agreements dealing with radiation disaster information and management have been forged. 16 references.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5262032
- Journal Information:
- Semin. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: Semin. Nucl. Med.; (United States) Vol. 18:1; ISSN SMNMA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
500300 -- Environment
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560151 -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
560161 -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACCIDENTS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ASIA
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DOCUMENT TYPES
EASTERN EUROPE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EMERGENCY PLANS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EUROPE
FALLOUT
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INJURIES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE 131
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LWGR TYPE REACTORS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
POWER REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTORS
REVIEWS
THERMAL REACTORS
USSR
WATER COOLED REACTORS
XENON ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES