Chernobyl nuclear accident: Death, panic, cover-up

Thirty-eight years have passed today since April 26, 1986, when Chernobyl, a small town in the northern territories of Ukraine, became the focus of global attention when reactor No. 4 of the Soviet nuclear plant that had been operating there since 1977 exploded.

The result of the explosion was the release of a large amount of radioactivity.

The “radioactive cloud” spread quickly, and the countries of the wider region, including Greece, but also the rest of Europe, found themselves under the threat of a major environmental and health disaster.

Concequenses

In 2006, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tragic accident, “THE STEP” presented the International Atomic Energy Commission’s study on the consequences of the accident.

“This year’s anniversary has focused on what the consequences of the disaster were and will be. “The psychological and socioeconomic effects of the accident remain serious,” the International Atomic Energy Commission said in a statement.

“The psychological problems created for people by the lack of information immediately after the accident, by anxiety, by their relocation and by their fear, combined with the political developments of recent years, constitute the “most difficult part of the legacy that leave Chernobyl” the statement said.

»The social and economic impacts remain serious. (…) The accident had devastating effects on life, health and the environment in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, while causing fear and concern throughout Europe.

»According to the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations of the Nuclear Energy Agency, the Chernobyl accident released 1400 million curies into the atmosphere, which is three times the original estimates.

Victims and cover-up

»At least 9 million people were affected by the crash: 2.5 million in Belarus, 3.5 in Ukraine and 3 million in Russia.

»The World Health Organization estimates that 9,000 people lost their lives in the disaster. The Greenpeace organization predicts that the total number of dead will exceed 93,000.

“Former Chernobyl director Viktor Bryukanov charged yesterday that Soviet scientists had concealed the truth about the problems that ultimately led to the accident.

“In a rare interview he appeared pessimistic saying that “the world has not been taught any lessons from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster”.

“At the same time, the leader of the opposition in Belarus, Alexander Milinkevich, accused President Alexander Lukashenko of ignoring offers from third countries to help the country cope with the consequences of the disaster.”

Panic in Greece

Due to its geographical proximity, in April 1986, Greece found itself in a cyclone of panic. Tens of thousands of people, fearing that milk and other products from Greek producers were contaminated, rushed to supermarkets to stock up on as much food as they could, emptying the shelves.

The situation in Larissa, as described by “TA NEA” of May 8, is indicative of what was happening throughout the country and especially in Central and Northern Greece.

“They emptied the shelves yesterday in the supermarkets of Larissa of pasteurized milk in boxes, frozen vegetables, canned fish and meat and bottled water.

(…)

“However, on the occasion of the buying frenzy that took hold of the consumer public, the Institute of Consumers (INKA), with its announcement yesterday, calls on consumers to demonstrate a cooler consumer behavior. Mass purchases don’t make sense.”

Fortunately, the weather conditions in the wider region were favorable for Greece.

He writes “THE STEP” of May 4, 1986:

“The ‘cloud’ thins with the help of rather strong winds blowing in the area, while the rains in Romania created a barrier, which, to a large extent, weakened the potential risks from radioactivity, since a large percentage of the radionuclides… commonly: radioactive dust – were trapped in the lands and waters of Ceausescu’s country (now Romania).

»In GREECE: Continuous measurements up to the time of publication of the newspapers did not ring the bell – fortunately. The radioactivity is within reasonable limits for living organisms and therefore there is no question of measures or instructions to avoid contamination. (…)”

However, what the experts emphasized from the beginning was that years would have to pass in order to make a proper assessment of the consequences of the disaster.

»In general: The consequences of radioactivity on humans – at a great distance from the source of its release are not immediate. They may appear after 10-15 years, with an increase in the cases of internal cancers and mainly lung cancers”.

Chernobyl after

Chernobyl, forgotten by everyone for too many years, came to the fore again in 2022, unfortunately again for an unpleasant reason. The reason was the Russian-Ukrainian war.

On April 9, 2022, tovima.gr writes:

“The Chernobyl plant was from the first moment of the invasion of Ukraine under the control of the Russians. The staff remained there trying to ensure that all safety measures were followed to avoid a nuclear disaster.

“When Russian forces surrounded Chernobyl, they took 170 Ukrainian National Guardsmen underground and held them captive. Russian soldiers then searched the facility for weapons and explosives.

»Engineers, supervisors and other technical staff continued to work. Over the next two days, members of the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom arrived there.

»Chernobyl staff were keen to retain control of plant maintenance. It’s not a working power station, but radioactive waste is being stored at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.”

(…)

»On the top floor of the station’s main building are key areas for central control. Some of the rooms were locked. When the Russians couldn’t find the keys, they broke into the rooms, cutting the part of the door into which the lock was embedded.

»We had to constantly negotiate with them and try hard not to offend them so that they would allow our staff to manage the facility»

said engineer Valeriy Semonov.

When the power went out at the station for three days, Valeriy said he tried to find fuel to keep the generator running, even stealing some from the Russians.

“If we had lost control, it could have been catastrophic,” explained Oleksandr. “Radioactive material could have been released. The magnitude of the disaster, you can well imagine. I didn’t fear for my life. I was afraid of what would happen if I wasn’t there to watch the factory run. I was afraid it would be a tragedy for humanity.”».