Chernobyl accident

The Chernobyl accident occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (originally named after Vladimir Lenin) in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). It is regarded as the worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power, producing a plume of radioactive debris that drifted over parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, UK, and eastern USA.

Related Topics:
April 26 - 1986 - Chernobyl - Nuclear power plant - Vladimir Lenin - Ukraine - Soviet Union - Nuclear accident - Nuclear power - Radioactive - Eastern Europe - Scandinavia - UK - USA

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Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were badly contaminated, resulting in the evacuation and resettlement of roughly 200,000 people. About 60% of radioactive fallout landed in Belarus.

Related Topics:
Ukraine - Belarus - Russia

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The accident raised concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry, slowing its expansion for a number of years, while forcing the Soviet government to become less secretive. The now-separate countries of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have been burdened with continuing and substantial costs for decontamination and health care because of the Chernobyl accident. It is difficult to accurately tally the number of deaths caused by the events at Chernobyl, as most of the expected deaths are from cancer, have not yet actually occurred, and are difficult to attribute specifically to the accident. A 2005 UN report attributes 56 deaths until that point?47 accident workers and 9 children with thyroid cancer?and estimates that around 4,000 people will ultimately die from accident-related illnesses. Greenpeace, amongst others, disputes the study's conclusions.

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