The Fukushima accident was an accident in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi (“Number One”) nuclear power plant in Japan. It is the second worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power generation, behind the
The worst nuclear accident to date is the Chernobyl disaster which occurred in 1986 in Ukraine. The accident killed approximately 30 people directly and damaged approximately $7 billion of property.
The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel.
In the history of civil nuclear energy, there have only been two major accidents where a large amount of radioactive material was emitted: at Chernobyl (1986), which has resulted in 46 deaths so far, and at Fukushima Daiichi (2011), which resulted in no casualties.
Under the INES, Three Mile Island is classified as Level 5, an accident with wider consequences, whereas both Fukushima and Chernobyl are Level 7, major accidents.
"Compared with other nuclear events: The Chernobyl explosion put 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth's atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; atomic weapons tests conducted in the 1950s and 1960s all together are estimated to have put some 100 to 1,000 times more radioactive material into ...
The accident at Fukushima occurred after a series of tsunami waves struck the facility and disabled systems needed to cool the nuclear fuel. The accident at Chernobyl stemmed from a flawed reactor design and human error. It released about 10 times the radiation that was released after the Fukushima accident.
Within the Chernobyl disaster region, grizzly bears, wolves, lynx, buffalo, deer, elk, beavers, foxes, beavers, wild boar, raccoons, dogs, and over 200 species of birds have developed their own ecosystem. The uninhabited habitat is home to a variety of frogs, fish, worms, and germs, in addition to the larger species.
The official death toll directly attributed to Chernobyl that is recognized by the international community is just 31 people with the UN saying it could be 50. However, hundreds of thousands of “liquidators” were sent in to put out the fire at the nuclear power plant and clean up the Chernobyl site afterwards.
There is consensus that a total of approximately 30 people died from immediate blast trauma and acute radiation syndrome (ARS) in the seconds to months after the disaster, respectively, with 60 in total in the decades since, inclusive of later radiation induced cancer.
It is thought that the reactor site will not become habitable again for at least 20,000 years, according to a 2016 report.
At least 57 accidents and severe incidents have occurred since the Chernobyl disaster, and over 56 severe incidents have occurred in the USA.
This process is expected to take until 2065 according to the plant's operator. Although the reactors have all ceased generation, Chernobyl maintains a large workforce as the ongoing decommissioning process requires constant management.
By most estimates, such a blast may have wiped out half of Europe, leaving it riskier to live in for 500,000 years.
The Chernboyl Exclusion Zone looks like a ghost town today. Buildings are decaying and crumbling as people are not allowed to live there. But that does not mean the land is completely empty. Despite the radioactivity, it used to be possible for tourists to visit the zone.
1. Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant, Japan is one of the world's most radioactive places. Fukushima is still highly radioactive today.
How long can you stay in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone? There are two exclusion zones in Chernobyl; a 10km inner and 30km outer Exclusion Zone. It is safe to stay in the outer Exclusion Zone overnight.
Today, the Exclusion Zone is one of the most radioactively contaminated areas in the world and draws significant scientific interest for the high levels of radiation exposure in the environment, as well as increasing interest from tourists.
How Long Will It Take For Ground Radiation To Break Down? On average, the response to when Chernobyl and, by extension, Pripyat, will be habitable again is about 20,000 years.
There has been a 200% increase in birth defects and a 250% increase in congenital birth deformities in children born in the Chernobyl fallout area since 1986. In Belarus, 85% of children are deemed to be Chernobyl victims with genetic changes.
Bears, wolves, lynx, bison, deer, moose, beavers, foxes, badgers, wild boar, and raccoon dogs are just some of the species that have seemed to find a happy home in the radioactive area. Along with the larger animals, a variety of amphibians, fish, worms, and bacteria make the unpopulated environment their home.
According to a report by the Worldwatch Institute on nuclear waste, Karachay is the most polluted (open-air) place on Earth from a radiological point of view.
It was the worst nuclear disaster in history, releasing more than 400 times as much radioactive material as the Hiroshima atomic bomb. An uncontrollable chain reaction inside the reactor caused a sharp increase in temperature that ultimately resulted in the fusion of the fuel rods, a steam explosion and a fire.
Pripyat, named after the river with the same name, is now an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. The room is dubbed the 'most dangerous place in the world' because radioactive mass gathered in its basement during the disaster.