Chernobyl

[Beati Dogu]

This was a joke going round at the time...


Q "Why should you wear lead underpants?"

A "In case Chernobyl fallout!"


OK OK

[llewop]

ncaplin said:

It really is. The region is so poor it's a no-brainer to the locals to generate some income.

I was super privileged to be able to go to areas outside of the tourist trail. Some of my pictures from there: https://www.instagram.com/chernobyldiary/

Nice set of pictures, thanks

Interesting the dose rate in your picture of the red instrument (and the Mini too) are higher values than the build area for the NSC - but then Buryokovkya has it's own issues as the waste burial site is round there I think!

[ncaplin]

llewop said:

Nice set of pictures, thanks

Interesting the dose rate in your picture of the red instrument (and the Mini too) are higher values than the build area for the NSC - but then Buryokovkya has it's own issues as the waste burial site is round there I think!

Glad you liked them! If you think that reading was high the red forest one was... about 90 times background in the little patch of grassland about 15 metres from a main road which was just over background. Huge variations in dose there.

As for Buryokovkya I hadn't heard anything about a waste burial site but it is practically in the direct path of the "Western Trace" so I assumed the high levels there were from wind carried particles at the time of the explosion.

Dose seemed to be pretty stable when I visited the NSC but then again I was only allowed as far as the meeting room with the glass window view of it at the power plant and not actually up close. It's one of the most amazing structures I've ever seen. Hadn't realised how much of an international project it was either. Goes to show we can actually do something as a global community when the threat doesn't geographically discriminate...

[Beati Dogu]

There was an interesting documentary about the disaster and the Soviet response to it. They really pulled out all the stops and a lot of very brave people gave their lives to try and contain the fires and rescue survivors. The financial cost alone was crippling to the economy.

[llewop]

ncaplin said:

Glad you liked them! If you think that reading was high the red forest one was... about 90 times background in the little patch of grassland about 15 metres from a main road which was just over background. Huge variations in dose there.

As for Buryokovkya I hadn't heard anything about a waste burial site but it is practically in the direct path of the "Western Trace" so I assumed the high levels there were from wind carried particles at the time of the explosion.

Dose seemed to be pretty stable when I visited the NSC but then again I was only allowed as far as the meeting room with the glass window view of it at the power plant and not actually up close. It's one of the most amazing structures I've ever seen. Hadn't realised how much of an international project it was either. Goes to show we can actually do something as a global community when the threat doesn't geographically discriminate...

I didn't think it was actually high, but higher than the average across the platform for the NSC, I've seen and measured much higher readings than that out there. You are probably right that the measurement near Buryokovkya was from the initial release as it is in 'that' direction; but somewhere round there is the land-fill for low level waste. Yes, the internationality of the project is amazing - over and above the funding coming from all over the place through EBRD there have been well over 20 nationalities that have worked on the project.