Russian forces, in their military offensive to invade Ukraine, took over the abandoned city of Chernobyl a few days agowhere in 1986 the largest nuclear accident in history was recorded.
This fact has generated that the city and its nuclear power plant, which is now under a 30,000-ton sarcophagusbe back in the spotlight.
On April 26, 1986, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Unionthe Chernobyl plant suffered the explosion of one of the reactors, releasing large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
After the accident, the authorities decreed an exclusion zone with a radius of 30 kilometers around the plant and more than 67,000 people were evacuated from the contaminated areas.
(You can read: The sarcophagus that protects the Chernobyl plant, now under Russian control).
Before the occupation of the place by Russian soldiers, the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed its concern about the installation of military troops in this nuclear fuel depot and called for the “maximum restraint to avoid any action that endangers the country’s nuclear sites“.
Ukraine’s nuclear agency reported on Friday about an increase in radiation levels in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. According to a statement from the agency, “due to the occupation and hostilities in the area, it is currently impossible to establish the reasons for the increase in radiation.”
a place of interest
In addition, in recent years, the abandoned city has become a point of interest for thousands of tourists, however, experts still warn about the dangers that staying on this site can entail for health.
When people visit the place, they usually make radiation measurements when arriving, when leaving and during the tour, since if the levels increase, the guides must take the tourists out of there.
The reactor is now protected by a sarcophagus weighing 30,000 tons, 108 meters high, 162 meters long and 257 meters wide, and was created in order to prevent radiation seepage for 100 years.
Health risks
(You can read: Why did Russia decide to take over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?).
According to the ‘American Cancer Society’, exposure to high-dose radiation can cause cancer, skin damage and increase the chances of developing tumors.
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation has recorded 134 deaths caused directly by the leak, due to acute radiation syndrome. Of these, 31 occurred immediately after the 1986 explosion.
(You can read: Ukraine reports increased radiation in Chernobyl after arrival of Russians).
According to the World Health Organizationanother effect recognized by the entity is the increase in cataracts, since the eyes are especially sensitive to radiation.
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