Bulgaria Marks Grim Anniversary of Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

Society » ENVIRONMENT | April 26, 2010, Monday // 08:44
Bulgaria Marks Grim Anniversary of Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster: Bulgaria Marks Grim Anniversary of Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster A picture made available on April 20, 2010, shows a graffiti on a wall of the deserted city of Pripyat. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria and nations around the globe mark Monday the 24th anniversary of the disaster at the Nuclear Power Plant Chernobyl in the Ukraine.

Chernobyl is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history and is the only level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl plant, near Prypia? had a meltdown. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe. Large areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia had to be evacuated. The accident raised concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry as well as nuclear power in general.

The countries of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have been burdened with the continuing and substantial decontamination and health care costs of the Chernobyl accident. A 2005 report prepared by the Chernobyl Forum, led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and World Health Organization (WHO), attributed "fewer than 50" direct deaths (including nine children with thyroid cancer) and estimated that there may be up to 4,000 additional cancer deaths over time among the approximately 600,000 most highly exposed people. The total number of those affected directly and indirectly is estimated at 9 million people.

Although the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and certain limited areas remain off limits, the majority of affected areas are now considered safe for settlement and economic activity.

 

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