Beneath a popular escape outside Kyiv rests Chornobyl-era radioactive sediments, raising fears that war could turn a hidden risk into a wider disaster.
When I was 10, I received a book on ecology and have been a keen environmentalist ever since. My father worked for the Atomic Energy Board in South Africa, so I learned about radioactive substances at a young age. Although my childhood was unconventional, I had many opportunities to learn about our world. I even learned a little about war, from the conflicts in Mozambique and Angola!
Knowledge begets knowledge, and learning how to research from a young age (and having an insatiable appetite for reading) have stood me in good stead. I have long been an advocate for sustainable living wherever feasible, although health and age now get in the way!
Great report! It never ceases to amaze me how most people don't understand the danger of nuclear fallout, or that it will continue to be dangerous for literally hundreds of years. That lady should stay as far away as she can get from that lake. One suggestion, perhaps you should have mentioned the radioactive half life of the radioactive materials there. The poor people of Pripyat had zero clue that they were living next to a death trap, and a most horrible one at that.
Here in the U.S. yes. In Russia, only to the extent of word of mouth from Chernobyl survivors. The reactors in Russia were basically copies of the first nuclear reactors built in Chicago in 1934! They were never meant to produce electricity on a large scale. They had no containment structure whatsoever. No U.S. reactors use Graphite cores as the Russian reactors. Russia still operates the same design at other power stations including at Chernobyl. They are disasters waiting to happen. I know this because I spent two years in nuclear operator training when I was a young man. Thanks again for your report. By the way, if you have access to HBO Max streaming you can find a 5 part special series regarding the accident and it's aftermath that's very accurate and frightening to say the least! Just search CHERNOBYL on the site.
Fascinating post Oleksandra. Whenever I think of the Chernobyl disaster I think of utter Soviet incompetence. That its potential toxic side effects affect the Dnipro watershed is very disturbing.
When I was 10, I received a book on ecology and have been a keen environmentalist ever since. My father worked for the Atomic Energy Board in South Africa, so I learned about radioactive substances at a young age. Although my childhood was unconventional, I had many opportunities to learn about our world. I even learned a little about war, from the conflicts in Mozambique and Angola!
That’s very interesting to know! How did those early experiences influence the way you approach environmental issues today?
Knowledge begets knowledge, and learning how to research from a young age (and having an insatiable appetite for reading) have stood me in good stead. I have long been an advocate for sustainable living wherever feasible, although health and age now get in the way!
Great report! It never ceases to amaze me how most people don't understand the danger of nuclear fallout, or that it will continue to be dangerous for literally hundreds of years. That lady should stay as far away as she can get from that lake. One suggestion, perhaps you should have mentioned the radioactive half life of the radioactive materials there. The poor people of Pripyat had zero clue that they were living next to a death trap, and a most horrible one at that.
Thanks for your suggestion! Do you think public education around radiation risks has improved enough since then?
Here in the U.S. yes. In Russia, only to the extent of word of mouth from Chernobyl survivors. The reactors in Russia were basically copies of the first nuclear reactors built in Chicago in 1934! They were never meant to produce electricity on a large scale. They had no containment structure whatsoever. No U.S. reactors use Graphite cores as the Russian reactors. Russia still operates the same design at other power stations including at Chernobyl. They are disasters waiting to happen. I know this because I spent two years in nuclear operator training when I was a young man. Thanks again for your report. By the way, if you have access to HBO Max streaming you can find a 5 part special series regarding the accident and it's aftermath that's very accurate and frightening to say the least! Just search CHERNOBYL on the site.
Fascinating post Oleksandra. Whenever I think of the Chernobyl disaster I think of utter Soviet incompetence. That its potential toxic side effects affect the Dnipro watershed is very disturbing.
Thanks for the comments! Do you think international cooperation on environmental monitoring is strong enough today?
International cooperation on the environment is good but then we have idiots like the Russians who don’t give a damn.