A new spike in radiation levels was recorded near Chernobyl's nuclear power plant. Recently, the region where the power plant stands were seized by the Russian military forces as part of the wider invasion of the country over Ukraine.
Chernobyl's Radioactive Status Amidst Ukraine War with Russia
Servicemen take part in a joint tactical and special exercises of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ukrainian National Guard and Ministry Emergency in a ghost city of Pripyat, near Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on February 4, 2022.
Chernobyl was among the first places that were targeted by the advancing Russian troops in Ukraine when they infiltrated the country this week. The power plant in the near-abandoned city was part of the world's most catastrophic nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986.
Last Thursday, the radiation levels in the zone increased by 20 times more than its standard scale, reports BBC. However, experts believe that there would be no major nuclear disaster that will happen despite the alarming rates measured.
The spike in Chernobyl's radiation was due to the transport of Russian military vehicles. According to Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, the abnormal movements caused the contaminated soil of the 40,000-square-kilometer area to stir up its contained chemicals.
The reports revealed that the area nearest to the damaged nuclear reactor had the largest spike compared to other parts of the zone.
Since its erection, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant had been monitored hourly by the country's specialists. The area near the reactor emits at least three units of microsieverts every single hour. Last Thursday, the measured radiation jumped to 65 microsieverts per hour, a rate that is more than the radiation dose people could get in a transatlantic flight.
Sheffield University's nuclear materials specialist Claire Corkhill said in the report that the new Chernobyl spike was "quite localized." There was also an increase recorded from the main routes to and from the reactor's nearest zones, the expert added.
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Nuclear Radiation Spike in Chernobyl Caused by Military Movements; Facilities Not Suited to Operate in War Zone
Corkhill explained that the unusual increase of vehicle and troop movements possibly excited the radioactive dust on the zone's abandoned field. If the movements will halt, the expert said that the radiation levels detected in the area would definitely decrease after a couple of days.
Alongside the movements, military activities near the zone concern the scientific community. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located 130 kilometers north of Ukraine's capital Kyiv. At the moment, the city is full of assaults from both the aggressor and the Ukrainian resistance.
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said that the country's forces attempted to defend Chernobyl's radioactive zone "so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated." The assault of Russia's military on the area was dubbed by the president as a "declaration of war against the whole of Europe."
The Russian party has not yet released any statements concerning nuclear risks in Chernobyl.
The Chernobyl site contains not just a single nuclear reactor. In the field, there are still facilities dedicated to nuclear wastes, such as the huge dome that covers reactor four - the same reactor that caused the disastrous 1986 nuclear explosion.
Although the infrastructures in Chernobyl have the ability to contain the nuclear emissions, Corkhill said that they are not equipped with armors designed specifically for operating in a war zone. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Ukraine's reactors are still up and running.
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