Chernobyl

April 26, 1986. Shortly after midnight, at 1:23, there was the worst nuclear accident in the world. The explosion of reactor 4 of the Nuclear Central Chernobyl, in Ukraine, has become synonymous with a contamination of three continents: Europe, Asia and North America. The costs of this accident are totaled at $ 13 billion. At this time, not just the ruins of the reactor are dangerous. Forests in the region, if it burned, it produces a toxic cloud. Equally uncertain are the Pripyat River dams, whose collapse would be disastrous for the environment. A few years ago, the Ukrainian television station Channel 5 fired a warning to authorities in Kiev, which he accused that they did not give sufficient funds to control the region. Back in time After the explosion, evacuation of people did not start until after 36 hours, and the city of Pripyat, located just four miles from the central, was no longer living, today being a ghost witness of the events that took place 24 years ago. The investigation determined that the incident took place while engineers carried out a test plant for plant optimization. In the days that followed, 76 other settlements were abandoned, and even if an order prohibiting the return on the grounds that there was danger of contamination, over 800 old people have ignored him and returned to their villages. Air currents carried the radioactive cloud in Romania, Scandinavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Germany. But the effect was much stronger, as in all northern hemisphere countries have seen a rise in the general level of radioactivity. The accident was a human tragedy, with strong effects on the environment, public health, economic and social environment. 10 days of fire The fire at the reactor was extinguished after 10 days, during which time he was released into the atmosphere a large amount of radioactive material: Radioactive isotopes of iodine, cesium134 and cesium-137, Strontium-90 and plutonium-239. If iodine isotopes have a half-life of up to eight days and the cesium-137 - for 30 years, plutonium-239 has a half-life of up to 24,000 years. The cloud released into the atmosphere had a concentration 100 times greater than the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as the estimates of the international program for monitor the effects of the Chernobyl accident on health (IPHECA), initiated by the World Health Organization. Of the more than 500 people at the central, at the time of the explosion, some have died in the fire. Other 400 people were hospitalized with various diagnoses, of which 28 died in the first weeks, and 140 suffered from acute radiation syndrome. Some of them have died in the coming years. Other than 600,000 people (soldiers and workers), known as liquidators, bring to extinguish the fire and to limit the magnitude of the disaster have been exposed to high doses of radiation. Also with their help was build and cement sarcophagus it was "dressed" the reactor and its molten core. Only on May 1 began monitoring drinking water and milk, and the effect of this measure was seen late in coming years. Those who were children at the time and had milk in the diet were predisposed to thyroid cancer. The incidence of cancer in children, who then had more than 15 years who were born in that period has increased alarmingly and was higher than in other age groups. A reaction with consequences for the next decade

On May 23, 1986, nearly a month after the event began and distribution of iodine-based drugs. The aim was to inhibit the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland. From the medical point of view, this was too late, since the volume has been absorbed within the first 10 days. Also in early May occurred and the first radioactive deposits in Romania. And us, the distribution of potassium iodide began late on May 3, nearly 24 hours after the population was informed of the explosion. Over 350,000 people were evacuated, but 7 million people, half of them children, were exposed to the radioactive cloud. Immediately after the explosion, on a perimeter of 30 kilometers, the region was strongly contaminated with cesium - 137, an isotope whose half-life is 30 years. Belarus, located at just seven miles away, was the most affected because of air currents that carry clouds over this region. Of the total population of this state, 20% lived in the contaminated area (about 2.2 million people). International estimates are extended to map contamination at 125000146000 square kilometers in Ukraine (7.25% of area affected) and Russian Federation (0.6% of the territory). In Ukraine and Belarus, the effects will be felt and in the next 300 years. Thyroid Cancer with "labeled" Chernobyl One of the medical consequences is the thyroid cancer at children, caused by radioactive iodine. Most exposed were children who had milk in there diet. Until 2002, in the group infected persons were registered over 4,000 cases of thyroid cancer, of which 1800 awarded to the 1986 events. Unofficial sources claim that the number of patients with this cancer is over 70,000. Regarding cases of leukemia or other cancers forms, among those who were children at that time, there isnt a definite connection with the events 24 years ago. However, there was an increase of psychological problems in the region because of insufficient information submitted by the authorities on the effects of irradiation and, several years after, amid social and economic problems that followed. Nothing today can not achieve a balance of concrete cancer fatalities, exposure to the radioactive cloud, or of patients diagnosed with anxiety induced by the Chernobyl event. The fact is that a Nuclear Energy Agency report, eight years ago, claimed that after the time of Chernobyl, in Europe, the risk of cancer increased by 0.01% over natural. Other effects of this episode, except for various forms of cancer are: diabetes, infertility, cataracts and other eye disorders, thyroid disorders, immune system disorders, cardiovascular problems. Cesium-137 has led to cases of multiple births of children with mental retardation by fetal distress. It was noted the increased number of miscarriages, genetic mutations. From 1986 until today, the level of radiation in affected areas has steadily decreased, thanks to measures taken and the natural process of absorption. Thus, once considered hazardous areas can now be occupied and used for economic activities. There is, however, regions that are isolated, several decades from now.

Student Pucau Alexandra Energetic industrial II