Although exactly 38 years have passed since the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the exposure to radioactive radiation continuesaccording to a new international scientific research, to be a heavy legacy for the trees of the region.
American, Ukrainian and French researchers, led by Professor Tim Mousseau of the University of South Carolina, found that the worst consequences were recorded in the first years after the event, but to this day the trees that have survived, especially the youngest ones, continue to be vulnerable to environmental consequences such as drought.
The research, which was published years ago in the scientific journal “Trees” and is the largest of its kind (it included more than 100 trees, mainly pines, in 12 different places), confirms the findings of previous studies, which were carried out in much smaller samples of local trees.
They also agree with other scientific reports about the genetic effects of radiation on trees, such as the death of the so-called “red forests”, i.e. pines that were destroyed very quickly and turned red immediately after the accident.
“Many trees show highly abnormal growth patterns due to the consequences of mutations and cell death due to their exposure to radiation,” Musso said, adding that “to date the largest study involved only nine trees and focused mainly on the effects of of radioactivity in the structure of the wood and not in their growth”.
Muso’s team, which since 1999 has been conducting on-site research in the 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the damaged nuclear plant, is doing similar research around the other major nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan, where, however, according to the first observations, the impact on trees appears to be less than in the Ukrainian nuclear power plant accident.
“On the contrary, we have observed significant destruction of branches and shoots in some areas, which indicates the existence of effects on the growth of the trees”, concludes Mousso.
However, Chernobyl dogs still roam the abandoned, weather-rotted buildings in and around the nuclear plant’s facilities in Pripyat, present-day Ukraine, managing to feed, breed and ultimately survive well under inhospitable and extreme conditions. radioactive conditions.
Scientists have been trying for years to understand how these animals survived such high levels of radioactivity. And now they discovered that these dogs mutated in order to adapt. The members of the scientific team who studied Chernobyl’s strays for years noticed that they do not live in packs, like wolves or wild dogs, but prefer to live close to each other.
Scientists now aspire that the study of these dogs can teach people new ways of survival in the harshest, most degraded, even radioactive, environments.
Chernobyl, the largest wildlife refuge
On the positive side, we should point out that the site of one of the biggest environmental disasters of the 20th century is now the largest wildlife sanctuary in all of Europe.
This is claimed by a new book entitled “A Natural History of Chernobyl” by American journalist and researcher Mary Mizio, who argues that the lack of human activities has helped many living organisms not only to grow and multiply, but also to live in perfect harmony with nature. -radioactively burdened- environment.
Joining her is Dr. Sergey Gaschak from the Chernobyl Center in Ukraine, who for many years has been photographing – either alone or with the help of cameras he has set up in various parts of the woods around the abandoned factory – the local fauna.
The photos of the doctor, who has been shooting with his camera since 1995, give the viewer a glimpse of the activities of many species of animals inside the “Dead Zone”, as the area between Ukraine and Belarus, which is now closed to human habitation, after the worst nuclear accident in the history of mankind, in April 1986 at the Chernobyl plant.
So it may be that over 300,000 people were forced to leave the area due to the radiation and about six million others were deeply affected, but the animals that stayed in this contaminated habitat not only adapted better than the people, but multiplied.
The scientific study by Professor Timothy Mousseau from the University of South Carolina and Dr. Anders Moller from the University of Paris-Sud argued that the radiation leaked from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor affected the life of living organisms living in the area, as it had been observed decline in the number of birds, spiders, bees, butterflies and other organisms, but Gasczak disagrees saying that “all wildlife appeared and developed under the influence of radiation, so these organisms evolved resistance and recovery mechanisms so that to survive in these conditions. After the accident, the radiation exposure exceeded the organisms’ abilities, but after ten years the radiation had decreased by 100 to 1,000 times.”
Since the destruction of the 4th reactor, more than 300,000 people have been evacuated from an approximate 18-mile zone.
Fifty thousand people were evacuated right out of the town of Pripyat, turning it into an abandoned city, virtually overnight.
The death toll from the Chernobyl disaster is not well documented. Officially, there were 56 fatalities, mostly from radiation poisoning immediately after the event.
However, the cover-up of the event by the Soviet authorities has caused much speculation about the long-term effects of the event. Increases in cancers and genetic deformities have been attributed to the Chernobyl disaster but have never been scientifically proven.
Due to energy requirements, the Chernobyl facility’s three remaining reactors operated for more than 14 years until they were decommissioned in December 2000. The facilities are scheduled to be dismantled and decommissioned by the year 2065.
Source: www.olafaq.gr
