The Dangers of Nuclear Radiation
Bogdahn Vasyutynskyy
To many people around America, the events of nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl stand just as a historical event, but they do not think about how devastating the aftermath of Chernobyl was. During the events of the Chernobyl accident, my mother was in a close one hundred mile radius in Kiev, Ukraine. The government had repressed word of Chernobyl until around May 5th, and every single child was being hustled out of Kiev and sent onto trains to other towns. Every building in Kiev was being hosed down and washed to combat any type of radiation. My uncle during this time was in the army and had been tasked with the mission of cleaning up areas around Chernobyl. To combat tragic events like this ever happening again, the populace should first be informed of how dangerous nuclear radiation can be.
Chernobyl was the first event in human history in which people had died from radiation related issues. How it had happened was due to poor management by the hands of the Soviets and nuclear reactor designs that were dangerous. During the accident, the Chernobyl 4 Reactor had been destroyed, killing numerous first responders instantly. Overtime, 29 firemen had died due to short term exposure of radiation. If design of the nuclear reactors was safe and ready to go, a tragedy could have been prevented.
With the effects of Chernobyl, there has been a discussion of mutated animals due to radiation. A lot of these animals live in the Chernobyl exclusion zone which no humans inhabit, and their radiation is spreading to the rest of Europe. Contaminated animals such as barn swallows can spread disgusting mutations to the next generation of animals, and can radiate the environment through their movements. Smaller animals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone suffer greatly from the radiation. Exposure to this radiation has resulted in tumors, smaller brains, and cataracts. Animals that stay around in this area can sustain horrible genetic damage. The suffering these animals endure is morally reprehensible and has drastic effects on new generations.
While the accident at Chernobyl has a relatively low body count compared to other tragedies, the long term and short term effects of its radiation are evident. People had died within a matter of months due to exposure of radiation, and animals today still lurk in the large exclusion zone, developing horrible mutations that could result in mutations in further generations. The ionizing radiation from Chernobyl had damaged the genetic material of reproductive cells and resulted in mutations passed on from generation to generation.
To many people around America, the events of nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl stand just as a historical event, but they do not think about how devastating the aftermath of Chernobyl was. During the events of the Chernobyl accident, my mother was in a close one hundred mile radius in Kiev, Ukraine. The government had repressed word of Chernobyl until around May 5th, and every single child was being hustled out of Kiev and sent onto trains to other towns. Every building in Kiev was being hosed down and washed to combat any type of radiation. My uncle during this time was in the army and had been tasked with the mission of cleaning up areas around Chernobyl. To combat tragic events like this ever happening again, the populace should first be informed of how dangerous nuclear radiation can be.
Chernobyl was the first event in human history in which people had died from radiation related issues. How it had happened was due to poor management by the hands of the Soviets and nuclear reactor designs that were dangerous. During the accident, the Chernobyl 4 Reactor had been destroyed, killing numerous first responders instantly. Overtime, 29 firemen had died due to short term exposure of radiation. If design of the nuclear reactors was safe and ready to go, a tragedy could have been prevented.
With the effects of Chernobyl, there has been a discussion of mutated animals due to radiation. A lot of these animals live in the Chernobyl exclusion zone which no humans inhabit, and their radiation is spreading to the rest of Europe. Contaminated animals such as barn swallows can spread disgusting mutations to the next generation of animals, and can radiate the environment through their movements. Smaller animals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone suffer greatly from the radiation. Exposure to this radiation has resulted in tumors, smaller brains, and cataracts. Animals that stay around in this area can sustain horrible genetic damage. The suffering these animals endure is morally reprehensible and has drastic effects on new generations.
While the accident at Chernobyl has a relatively low body count compared to other tragedies, the long term and short term effects of its radiation are evident. People had died within a matter of months due to exposure of radiation, and animals today still lurk in the large exclusion zone, developing horrible mutations that could result in mutations in further generations. The ionizing radiation from Chernobyl had damaged the genetic material of reproductive cells and resulted in mutations passed on from generation to generation.
How do we ensure that tragedies such as Chernobyl will never happen again?
How will we take precautions?
How do we minimize radiation to pass through populations?
Works cited: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218706/
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