Chernobyl Disaster Flashcards
(14 cards)
What were the Social implications of the Chernobyl disaster?
- 28 people died in the initial explosion. 53 were dead in a few days.
- 100+ were injured
- firefighters and other emergency personnel were exposed to high levels of radiation which they then took home to their families, exposing them.
- delayed evacuation. 115000 were evacuated.
- 30km exclusion zone around Chernobyl (it was later increased)
- roughly 30% of the plants Uranium supply was ejected into the atmosphere within three days.
- schools were closed and people stayed home.
- people were advised against eating the vegetables and fruits.
- over 6000 children and adolescents were exposed to Thyroid cancer
- the risk of illness and cancer went up
- decreased mental health
- future generations are subject to genetic disorders
- evacuated people never returned home
- there was an increase in levels of advised abortions.
- people were later entitled to financial compensation and privledged medical care
What was the scale of spatial impact for Chernobyl?
- it depends on the magnitude, level of containment and weather conditions at the time.
- a cloud spread radioactive materials across Europe.
- it was spread roughly 1200kms at its furthest extent
What are stochastic effects?
Can induce cancer (thyroid or lukemia)
What are deterministic effects?
they suffer acute radiation syndrome. (sickness, headaches, vomiting, fever, burns, etc)
What was the frequency of the Chernobyl disaster?
- The worlds first nuclear reactor was built in 1964 by the USSR.
- there have only been two level 7 events in history (Fukushima and Chernobyl) according to INES
- according to the NAMS scale, a catastrophic nuclear accident can be expectecd every 12-15 years.
What was the probability of Chernobyl?
difficult to calculate because its so uncommon
- depends on the number of reactors globally.
- the numbers rapidly increased from the 1950s until 1988.
- They have since remained steady at 445.
Probability for Chernobyl = quite unlikely –> lots went wrong.
What is the magnitude of Chernobyl?
It was a level 7 disaster according to INES (The highest level).
According to NAMS it was a level 8 (the highest yet recorded)
What is the temporal distribution of Chernobyl?
- none were built until 1954 (no previous distribution)
- lots of hazards occured in the mid-late 80s.
- nothing since 2011.
- there has been a general decrease over time.
- temporal distribution = random –> incidental with human error / machinery
What were the environmental impacts of Chernobyl?
- land not habitable for 20,000 years
- radiation seeped into soils
- massive cloud of radiatioactive steam
- livestock was born with malformations
- roughly 50,000 domestic animals were exposed and roughly 50% died due to radiation exposure.
- animals found in the area were shot on sight.
- trees turned red/brown and died from high radiation levels
- contaminated water
- increased wildlife population in exclusion zones (experienced malformations and genetic diseases)
How big was the Chernobyl exclusion zone?
30 km
(2500 squared kms)
What were the economic impacts of Chernobyl?
- The Soviet Union fell apart in 1990.
- debt was then transferred to Belarus and Ukraine.
- it meant the introduction of the Chernobyl tax (18%)
- loss of agricultural land meant unemployment
- many families are still recieving benefits (7 million eligible for compensation and roughly 15,000 still recieving benefits)
- cost the SU 2.9 billion $ directly
- cost roughly $700 billion in the aftermath (disposal, sealing off reactor, resettling, exclusion zone, health care, etc)
- roughly 5% of Ukraines annual government spending goes towards ongoing management
- Belarus lost 20% of their agricultural land
- increased energy cost
What is the duration of the Chernobyl disaster?
- the reactor meltdown & explosion occured in 4 minutes.
- fires burned in the reactor for 10 days.
- the after effects are continuous.
- Chernobyl will not be habitable for humans for 20,000 years.
How did humans intensify the impacts of the Chernobyl disaster?
- poor and secretive management from the Soviet government at the time.
- the explosion occured at 1:24am on April 26th but they did not alert the general secretary of the SU until 5am. (the extent was not properly communicated)
- no leadership meeting was called to handle disaster.
-nobody in Prypiat was aware of the disaster and they were not perpared. - it was not until midnight April 27th that they decided Prypiat should be evacuated.
- Prypiat was then only evacuated at 1pm april 27th (36 hours after the disaster).
- the SU pulled down the ‘Iron Curtain’ on the USA because of the cold war and did not tell them anything.
- The first knowledge that anyone outside the SU had that there was a disaster was when an alarm in a swedish nuclear plant was triggered several days later.
What is a nuclear incident?
A nuclear incident is an unexpected event involving a nuclear weapon facility or component that increases the chance of radioactive contamination or explosion.
- a nuclear accident indicates an increase in magnitude (Chernobyl and Fukushima, for instance, are accidents)
