Chernobyl

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
During the April of 1986, the traumatizing disaster of the Chernobyl: Russian
nuclear power plant explosion occurred. It was even dramatized in an HBO series. After
the World War II, the Soviet Union invested in profoundly in nuclear power. This
nuclear power station, 10 miles away from Chernobyl became successful and
operational during the year of 1977. The Soviet Union produced four RBMK which
stands for reaktor bolshoy moshchnosti kanalnyy, "high-power channel-type reactor,”
which can produce up to 1,000,000 Kilowatts of power.
Figure 1.1. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The night of the 25th of April, 1986 came, “sleep deprived” workers ran tests on
the fourth reactor for maintenance. They were curious if the reactor could still be cooled
if the plant lost power. Because of lack of sleep, these workers violated safety protocols,
then power surges happened in the reactor. This led off to very powerful explosions that
was so strong, it blew off even the steel and concrete lid. Aside from the explosion, the
core of the nuclear reactor got exposed resulting in a toxic radiation which spread into
the atmosphere. Two Chernobyl plant workers died in the explosion on the night of the
2
catastrophe, and another 28 people perished from acute radiation sickness within a few
weeks.
The solution to the problem was to put out the fire in the exposed core of the
nuclear reactor, boron, clay, sand, and lead were let go on to the flames using
helicopters. The soviets also tried using remote-controlled robots, but eventually, the
machine started breaking down due to the toxic atmosphere. Because of this, groups of
men were the ones who continued to remove these radioactive materials from the
vicinity. Later in the year of the disaster, there is a steel protection that was built to
contain this nuclear reactor, despite this protection, the vicinity of this nuclear reactor
will not be habitable for another 20,000 years.
Figure 1.2. Helicopters used to take out the fire.
DEPTH OF ANALYSIS
My evaluation on the existing solutions for the Chernobyl: Russian nuclear power
plant explosion is it was a very effective method and solution. Being able to utilize
helicopters and boron, clay, sand, and lead was a very genius move.
3
Figure 1.3. The Chernobyl Disaster.
But there was a flaw that happened with one of their solutions. Firefighters who
had no idea of the hazardous conditions were dispatched to the location, thinking they
were dealing with a routine fire. Two of the firefighters perished that night from
terrible burns, while another 28 died within a month from acute radiation sickness.
The Soviet authorities, alarmed by the political ramifications, attempted to
conceal the disaster's scope. After Sweden reported radioactive particles in the airspace,
they even denied any knowledge of the nuclear tragedy.
Conclusion and Recommendations
I, therefore, conclude that in very dangerous sites, workers should always be in
tip-top condition. Sleep deprivation is not a joke, especially in this scenario. Sleep
deprivation causes substantial performance and alertness. The memory and capacity to
think and absorb information are harmed by low alertness and excessive daytime
4
sleepiness. These are only a few of the examples of the downside of sleep deprivation,
but this proves how dangerous it is especially in a work place like a nuclear power
plant.
My recommendations for this disaster although the full scale of it is not yet fully
understood is to always make sure that the workers are always in a good condition and
that the protocols are always by heart. And in a phenomenon where the disaster is
happening, it is also very important to check the safety of the situation before letting
anyone continue with the operation.
CONTEXT
With my additional research and appropriate and relevant analysis of journals, the
Chernobyl disaster has a very traumatizing aftermath causing a massive plume of
radioactive particles to be released It was the worst nuclear disaster in history at the
time. As the narrative of the disaster and its consequences in Russia and Europe slowly
unfolded, the entire globe held its breath in fear of radiation. But aside from this, there
is still good news. According to the intergovernmental review conducted 20 years after
the incident by the Chernobyl Forum—comprised of an international team of more than
100 scientists, the impacts of the Chernobyl disaster were not as bad as they had been
predicted.
5
Citations
The Chernobyl disaster and beyond: Implications of the Sendai framework for disaster
risk reduction 2015–2030. (2016, April 25).
PLOS. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002017
Chernobyl nuclear power plant. (2004, December 3). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Retrieved September 9, 2021,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant
Chernobyl | Chernobyl accident | Chernobyl disaster - World Nuclear Association.
(n.d.). World Nuclear Association - World Nuclear Association. https://world-
nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-
accident.aspx
(n.d.). Family Healthcare Services | Jefferson County, WI | Fort
HealthCare. https://www.forthealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/sleep-
deprivation-and-work-performance.pdf#:
Hopps, K. (2019, July 4). Chernobyl explained: How did they stop Chernobyl from
burning? Express.co.uk. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1143540/cherno
byl-explained-how-did-stop-chernobyl-from-burning
Not found. (n.d.). World Map / World Atlas / Atlas of the World Including Geography
Facts and Flags - WorldAtlas.com. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-
chernobyl-disaster.htmls
6
Rbmk. (2003, April 19). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 9,
2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RBMK

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

stands for reaktor bolshoy moshchnosti kanalnyy, "high-power channel-type reactor,”

which can produce up to 1,000,000 Kilowatts of power.

Figure 1.1. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

will not be habitable for another 20,000 years.

Figure 1.2. Helicopters used to take out the fire.

The Soviet authorities, alarmed by the political ramifications, attempted to

they even denied any knowledge of the nuclear tragedy.

Conclusion and Recommendations

I, therefore, conclude that in very dangerous sites, workers should always be in

anyone continue with the operation.

Chernobyl disaster has a very traumatizing aftermath causing a massive plume of

the incident by the Chernobyl Forum—comprised of an international team of more than

risk reduction 2015–2030. (2016, April 25).

Chernobyl | Chernobyl accident | Chernobyl disaster - World Nuclear Association.

(n.d.). World Nuclear Association - World Nuclear Association. https://world-

(n.d.). Family Healthcare Services | Jefferson County, WI | Fort

Facts and Flags - WorldAtlas.com. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-

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