( the long-term toll of the Chernobyl disaster. Soviet soldiers shot many of the
After the disaster at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986, local residents were forced to permanently evacuate, leaving behind their homes and, in some cases, their pets. Concerned that these abandoned animals might spread disease or contaminate humans, officials tried to exterminate them.
Squads of Soviet conscripts also were ordered to shoot any stray animals within the 1000-square-mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Though experts today believe parts of the zone will remain unsafe for humans for another 20,000 years, numerous animal and plant species not only survived, but thrived.
Barn swallows have previously been found to have two to 10-fold higher mutation rates in Chernobyl than in Italy or elsewhere in Ukraine. Meanwhile, voles living in the Exclusion Zone were found to be more likely to develop cataracts, a 2016 study concluded. But it's not all doom and gloom.
Despite the fact that many scientists now think that the zone won't be safe for human beings for another 20,000 years, many animal and plant species managed to not only endure but also thrive there. Although it is technically forbidden for humans to live there, many other creatures have made it their home.
Dogs living in and around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine are genetically distinct from dog populations living further away from the site of the nuclear accident. The results will be used to try to understand the long-term genetic effects of radiation exposure.
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.
It is thought that the reactor site will not become habitable again for at least 20,000 years, according to a 2016 report.
But, unfortunately for everyone who loves these kinds of conspiracy theories, there is no such thing as dangerous mutants living in the Chernobyl zone, or mutated zombies who want to kill you and eat your flesh.
Long-Term Health Consequences
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.
Life is not easy for the Chernobyl strays. Not only must they endure harsh Ukrainian winters with no proper shelter, but they often carry increased levels of radiation in their fur and have a shortened life expectancy. Few live beyond the age of six.
Now, scientists have discovered hints that Chernobyl's stray dogs may have adapted to their unusually toxic habitat on a core genetic level, a finding that could have implications for understanding the risks of chemical and radiation exposure on wildlife and people.
The authorities agree that 28 workers lost their lives to acute radiation sickness, while another 106 of the liquidators were treated and survived. But the health toll for the survivors continues to be a matter of debate.
Unfortunately, these families were never allowed to return for their beloved cats and dogs. Miraculously, many pets survived the disaster on their own. Today, hundreds of their descendants continue to live in the Nuclear Exclusion Zone.
Another factor may contribute to the confusion: It's possible that many of the ill health effects observed in Chernobyl's wildlife don't necessarily result from the radiation they're currently absorbing but are, instead, inherited from their ancestors who survived the fallout from the initial blast in 1986.
The animals aren't all just fine, but the rate of reproduction is high enough that their population is growing. They don't die before they reproduce because their lifespan, compared to humans, is so much shorter.
Valery Khodemchuk was killed instantly when the Chernobyl reactor exploded. His body was never recovered.
What is this? A liquidator, clad in a gas mask and protective clothing, pushes a baby in a carriage who was found during the cleanup of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The infant had been left in an abandoned house in the village of Tatsenki. The worker found the child when he was measuring radiation levels.
On 4 May 1986, just a few days after the initial disaster, mechanical engineer Alexei Ananenko, senior engineer Valeri Bespalov and shift supervisor Boris Baranov stepped forward to undertake a mission that many considered to be suicide.
Fukushima is the most radioactive place on Earth. A tsunami led to reactors melting at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Even though it's been nine years, it doesn't mean the disaster is behind us.
The accident destroyed the Chernobyl 4 reactor, killing 30 operators and firemen within three months and several further deaths later. One person was killed immediately and a second died in hospital soon after as a result of injuries received.
Iodine, strontium and caesium were the most dangerous of the elements released, and have half-lives of 8 days, 29 years, and 30 years respectively. The isotopes Strontium-90 and Caesium-137 are therefore still present in the area to this day.
Today, an area with a roughly 19-mile radius surrounding the plant is essentially uninhabited by humans—but it hosts hundreds of dogs.
Today, both cities are bustling urban centers and radiation levels there are on par with the general levels of background radiation experienced the world over.
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. As many as 100,000 people per year visited the abandoned area.