Russian troops captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which still contains nuclear waste that could pose a threat to the surrounding area. What would happen if the site was bombed?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his verified account that the Ukrainians were giving their lives so that the 1986 tragedy wouldn't happen again.
Three of the four nuclear reactor at Chernobyl have been dismantled. The explosion in 1986 was caused by the fourth. The reactor is protected by a concrete sarcophagus and a new outer shell. The spent nuclear fuel from the other reactor is still stored at the site.
Even though the reactor is covered, the entire site has been exposed to radiation. The strontium and cesium 137 are two of the most dangerous radioactive elements and were launched into the air during the meltdown.
Some public figures fear that any future shelling of these sites could spread this radioactive material far beyond the exclusion zone around Chernobyl, even as far as neighboring countries.
The adviser and former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs wrote on Facebook that if the nuclear waste storage facility is struck, the radioactive dust may be destroyed.
There are 5 interesting facts about Chernobyl.
Even if there was an accidental shelling of that confinement structure, it would take more than that to mobilize a significant amount of radioactive material.
It would be hard for me to imagine that kind of consequence.
The spent fuel that was used to fuel the power plant decays into more stable elements and releases heat, he said.
The most serious concern is the wet storage of spent fuel. If it is in wet storage, there has to be a way to remove that heat.
The fuel has been cooling for at least a couple of decades. That is probably the biggest threat.
Such burning could take days or weeks.
A recent concern involves rising radiation levels around the facility, most likely a result of radioactive dust kicked up by military vehicles. The type of dust and the radiation doses being measured suggest that this may not be much of a threat.
He said that if it is a resuspension of dust, it is usually heavier particles of soil.
Even a temporary increase may not be a threat to human health.
The usual dose rates in that area are probably about a hundred times the background dose of anywhere else in the world.
Plans for nuclear power need to consider the possibility of war, according to Lyman.
The potential for nuclear power plants to be targets at wartime is something that really needs consideration.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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