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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Biomedical lessons from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5487245

The world's worst radiation accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the USSR during the early hours of April 26, 1986. This accident unleashed megacuries of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, generated an explosive blast that knocked the thousand-ton lif off the top of the reactor, and sent burning graphite and heat in a plume about three miles high. The aftermath and significance of this disaster are still being realized in the USSR and neighboring countries. This report summarizes the basic information on casualties, triage, and treatment, and the radionuclides released into the atmosphere. The immediate casualties included only plant personnel, firemen, and auxiliary staff present at, or in the vicinity of the accident site.

Research Organization:
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Inst., Bethesda, MD (United States)
OSTI ID:
5487245
Report Number(s):
AD-A-235491/8/XAB; AFRRI-SR--91-2
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English