Nuclear%20Disaster%20in%20Chernobyl,%20Ukraine

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Nuclear Disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine

• CRCT Coach
• Pages 116-117

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Georgia Performance Standard

• SS6G9 The student will discuss environmental
  issues in Europe.
• A. Explain the major concerns in Europeans
  regarding the issues such as acid rain in
  Germany, the air pollution in the UK, and the
  nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

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Chernobyl, Ukraine
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Nuclear Disaster

• In 1986, Ukraine was a country famous for its
  fertile plains and agriculture.
• That same year, the nuclear power plant
  experienced a disaster.
• One of the nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl
  plant exploded.

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The Disaster Continues

• 1. One-tenth of the Ukraines 233,090 square
  miles and approximately one million people were
  exposed to unsafe levels of radiation.
• 2. Drinking water was unsafe for months.
• 3. Many animals died or suffered thyroid damage.
• 4. Nearby pine forests turned brown and died.

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Chernobyl, Ukraine is Abandoned!

• A thirty-mile area around the power station was
  abandoned by humans and became known as the
  Exclusion Zone.
• The faculty reactor was quickly buried in
  concrete, but this structure requires major work
  and the radioactive material is still not safe.

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Impact on Europe

• Radioactive material entered the air, following
  on northern Europe and Scandinavia.
• Fish in rivers of the Ukraine and neighboring
  countries were not safe to eat for years.

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Human Impact

• Twenty-eight emergency workers died from acute
  radiation syndrome
• Doctors have noticed an increase in cases of
  cancer in people living in contaminated areas.

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Because of Chernobyl

• The Ukrainian government decided to become a
  nuclear-free country.
• However, due to a lack of power plants in the
  country and disagreements with Russia over how to
  get ride of nuclear waste, the three other
  reactors at Chernobyl continued to operate.
• The last reactor was shut down in 2000.

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Nuclear Power Plants in the 1980s

• Nuclear power plants were producing cheaper
  energy without filling the air with pollution and
  without using up the Earths supply of fossil
  fuels.
• After Chernobyl, concerns about nuclear safety
  spread around the world. Could this happen again?

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What caused the nuclear disaster?

• The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of
  a flawed reactor design that was operated with
  inadequately trained personnel. 
• The resulting steam explosion and fires released
  at least 5 of the radioactive reactor core into
  the atmosphere and downwind. 
• Two Chernobyl plant workers died on the night of
  the accident, and a further 28 people died within
  a few weeks as a result of acute radiation
  poisoning. 

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Nuclear Power in Chernobyl

• 1. The reactors were not house in the same type
  of buildings required in other countries.
• The Chernobyl reactor was built for weapons
  material production, not for generating
  electricity.

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The Debate Continues!

• Is the cost savings of nuclear-generated
  electricity worth the risk of human life?
• How should nuclear waste be disposed of safely?
• How should it be regulated?
• Which is the bigger risk to the environment,
  nuclear energy or fossil fuel?

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Questions 296-299
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Online Resources

• http//themoderatevoice.com/103674/explainer-nucle
  ar-power-meltdowns-and-why-japan-is-not-chernobyl/
  
• http//www.chernobyl2010.com/
• http//library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy.
  html
• http//www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.
  html
• http//timeforchange.org/pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-
  power-and-sustainability