Chernobil accident and social repercussions
SOURCE IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION
The reason for this research work is to be able to analyze and evaluate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident of April 26, 1986 specifically in the city of Pripyat, but, the research work will only focus on one in particular. The question on which it focuses on this research is, how Chernobyl nuclear accident on April 26, 1986 had strong social repercussions in the city of Pripyat as a result of this event?, Here is also an investigation into the role that Pripyat plays in this great event and the repercussions in his society.
In order to carry out this research, the use of primary and secondary sources will be required.
Next, primary sources will be exposed that will be of vital importance for research.
Chernobyl nuclear accident video made by Discovery Channel
The source chosen in the first instance is a video with a duration of 1 hour with 33 minutes produced by Discovery Channel, it is an American television channel dedicated to the creation and production of documentaries about science, technology and history.
The video was produced in 2012, includes real recordings and testimonies. The purpose of this source is to tell the history of the nuclear accident from several perspectives of the testimonies given by the people who lived this stage, we also present the life sacrifice of the operators who tried to counteract the explosion. Some of the testimonies in the video are: Youri Korneev machinery operator, Mijaíl Gorbachev at that time Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Igor Kostin Photographer, among others.
Each of the witnesses shows their position during the facts, the measures taken by the people of the High Command, the documentary is of vital importance since it makes us known from the beginning to end the story about the Chernobyl accident and the information that does notIt can go unnoticed.
The effects on health
The source on which research is supported has been chosen in view of the fact that the article contains direct information on social consequences because of the Chernobyl accident. The article is written by the individual Ángel Díaz, where he mentions all the diseases that arose, in addition, he takes statements from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The reason for having chosen this source as a primary is because it focuses only on the affected health of the inhabitants who lived and exposed themselves to the radiation of these lethal chemists, in addition, there will be no intermediary of another issue other than the social consequences, ofThis way will avoid any type of distraction throughout the obtaining of information.
Secondary sources:
The research work will not only be based on the sources exposed, but also the help of secondary sources and their information to complement the work, since the information of these will also play an important role while the investigation lasts.
Research
The Chernobil accident occurred in the early hours. This accident is considered one of the most disastrous level 7 of radiation at an international scale of nuclear accidents.
In the Chernobil nuclear power plant an experiment was being carried out that consisted of testing a system of self-feeding from a turbine reactor, this would have a transcendence since when using this turbine system would check if the energy they generate was sufficient forsupply cooling pumps in case of any failure. But a sequence of errors leave exposed a radioactive cloud of uranium and graphite hesitating through the winds that is why it expanded throughout Europe.
The city of Pripyat is 3 km from the nuclear and chernobil power plant at 18 km, the first city for being closest to the nuclear plant where the disastrous event occurred, suffered many consequences, Pripyat was the modern Soviet city, nowIt is considered the ghost city since at present or a soul inhabits the area since if they would do they would expose lethal chemicals for their health.
In the early hours of April 26 of the same year there was an explosion, much of the operators were fighting with an "invisible enemy" trying against subtracting a second explosion, the 43.000 inhabitants of Pripyat were exposed to the chemicals for 48 hours since the pubic operations had not informed the citizens, after this time they were given to evacuate the inhabitants of the place, the authorities made them believe that they would be outside the cityFor a few days so that they will not panic.
Some time later the area was considered dangerous, so it was evacuated, also known as the exclusion zone that covers an area of around 2600 km2 of radiation territory. During the evacuation, since the city did not have sufficient transportation had to gather buses from various parts of the country, first women and children were evacuated, in three hours the city was empty, obviously after evacuating Pripyat, they evacuated citiesthat were in danger of pollution. On May 5, the evacuation of all the people who were in the exclusion zone was finally completed.
The sequel that the Chernobil accident has left has become an estimate of figures, statistics on deaths and diseases are based is the analysis of populations, but many are incomplete since the data has been lost, also over timedifferent factors have been presented.
Thousands of lives collected, it is estimated that approximately 4000 were victims of radiation, in what includes 50 victims for direct radiation that in this case are the operators and firefighters who were in the plant and developed acute irradiation syndrome (radiation disease (radiation disease). In the documentaries it is expressed that the operators who gave their lives at the root of the nuclear plant never used a correct security equipment and this brought consequences because they were in the weather of radioactivity, and they did not know what they were facingReally.
The measure that the government takes is first instance was to administer iodine tablets to the population to strengthen its immune system and thus be able to counteract the effects of radiation on their body but not supplying all the inhabitants of Pripyat decided to administer mostly in small.
Regarding diseases, tumors or mutations, UNICEF between 1990 and 1994 through statistics determined that the cause of radiation;The problems of nerve and sensory organs increased by 43%, malignant tumors increased 38%. Among others.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the radioactive iodine that was in the grains’ grassThe food chain and continued consumed for a long time, by absorbing excess substance generated that the number of thyroid cancer increases mostly in children and adolescents who lived near the contaminated area, cancer collection the lives of 9 children in thatmoment, also 3 940 victims for cancer and leukemia. A quarter of the population will die over time due to spontaneous cancer that was not caused by radiation. To date, approximately 5000 cases of thyroid cancer have been diagnosed to children under 18 years of age, it is estimated that the radiation doses increase the cancer number between 3% and 4%, other causes cannot be ignored, for example, for example, thetobacco consumption that turns out to be more dangerous than the filing itself by increasing 30% cancer development throughout the continent.
Not only cancer sweep the population, but also the alteration of DNA in the people “Olaya Podoprigora and Sulemanova Plvana, 13 and 18 months of age, they recover from open heart surgeries in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The two girls were born with congenital defects of the heart ". (Fink, 2012). On the other hand, people who lived in contaminated areas showed that they have a better defense capacity against common bacteria. Although the effects of radiation could also cause mutations on bacteria and make it more virulent.
A meta -analysis carried out by the University of South CarolThe existing radiation in chernobil decreased brain size and increase the probability of tumor birth, caused infertility in people and noticed by samples that the presence of anomalies in birds that were in barns in contaminated areas had increased.
Another social problem derived from the accident was the mental and psychological problems by those affected, the loss of emotional and possibly economic stability left a future not promising for the next generations. Leukemia cases doubled due to nuclear pump radiation.
It should be noted that the Chernobyl accident not only affected citizens but that sweeping with vegetation and animals, for example, in Sweden and Finland, the sale of lakes fish and the inhabitants were prohibited to be informed that they only had to consume certain typesof wild fruits.
Estimates of long -term diseases:
The cases of children born with Down syndrome, between 41980 and 1986 prior to the accident the birth rate was stable, but the excess occurred in January 1987, when a considerable group of 12 children were born with the syndrome. And other defects such as anencephaly, malformation of the central nervous system, leporino lip had increased after the Chernobyl accident.
“Today, the reactor remains are within a huge steel containment structure, installed at the end of 2016. Containment efforts and supervision continue and it is believed that cleaning will continue to take place until 2065 ”(National Geographic, 2019)
The radioactive cloud that emerged after the explosion not only affected the nearby cities but also to the entire continent, clearly in less aggressive proportions, affecting up to 13 countries of that continent. If the Explosion had not probably controlled the continent would be in unritisable conditions.
Reflection
The Chernobil accident became part of world history for really being one of the greatest environmental catastrophes, and although today the day is not known true history itself, there is no doubt that we all seem unpublished as a promising Soviet cityIn every field it has been totally devastated where not a soul can live because it could suffer the effects of radiation exposure. The consequences that the accident brought will last up to future generations and the long -term effects that continue to charge lives until today is still worrying.
Today in the city of Pripyat there are no people inhabiting the place, but if you can see the amount of trees and vegetation that has been able to recover over the years, and also the animal ecosystem has gradually recover itsHabitad. Flora and fauna remains a research topic. In addition, this not only affected the environment since it is estimated that the disaster cost 210.000 million euros in damages, agricultural fields were lost, countries such as Belarus Expenditure 22% of its economy in Chernobyl.
The nuclear power plant and Pripyat are considered a heritage and a tourist site since many people are attracted to the history of the place and have the opportunity to make excursions with the guide help in the area, as long as they follow all the indications that aregive them to avoid altercations.
Finally, the measures that the government took were wrong by not providing information about what was happening, it seems to me that if there was an instant communication many things would have been avoided.
Bibliography
- Chumacero, m. (2012, December 3). Chernobyl nuclear disaster (1986) Complete documentary [Video Archive] . Retrieved from Youtube.com: https: // www.Youtube.com/watch?v = nefzhcv51ig & t = 218s
- Díaz, á. (s.F.). The effects on health [blog article]. Obtained from Elmundo.es: https: // www.the world.ES/SPECIAL/Chernobil/Consequences/Index.HTML
- Fink, c. (August 5, 2012). Chernobyl disaster consequences. Obtained from Vix.com: https: // www.Vix.com/es/BTG/Curiosities/3843/Consequences-in-Humanos-Del-Desastre-De-Cernobyl
- National Geographic. (May 24, 2019). Chernobyl disaster: what happened and what are its long -term effects. Obtained from Nationalgeographicla.com: https: // www.Nationalgeographicla.com/history/2019/05/el-disastre-de-chanobil-what-ocurrio-y-chales-are-sus-effects-over-plazo
- University of South Carolina. (26, April 2016). Chernobyl, Three decades on. Retrieved from Eurekalert.Org: https: // www.Eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/uosc-ctd042516.PHP
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