Chernobyl Pictures

Ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor that exploded due to overheating on April 26, 1986. The explosion scattered radioactive particles over a large section of the Soviet Union (Russia) and over several European countries.

Chernobyl was a steam turbine plant that generated electricity for Russian citizens who lived in the eastern part of the Soviet Union. Rather than using coal or natural gas to convert water to steam in generating electricity, Chernobyl was powered by nuclear energy.

On April 25, 1986, a scheduled safety test was conducted at Chernobyl, but the crew running the test did not follow required procedures. Because of human error and equipment failure during the test, the required cooling water failed to circulate near the reactor. Without the cooling water, the reactor quickly heated. Before the situation could be remedied, the reactor became so hot that it exploded.

The explosion ignited a fire inside the reactor that would not be extinguished for 6 long days.

Two people died as a direct result of the explosion. About 40 other workers, including firefighters, would die within the next few days. Most of these deaths were caused by exposure to intense radiation. Unprotected workers and firefighters never had a chance once exposed to this radioactivity.

The government eventually declared a 10 kilometer radius around Chernobyl an ‘exclusion zone’ meant to keep citizens away. But that did not help the people who were present in this area when the explosion occurred.

It was more than a full day following the explosion that the nearby city of Pripyat was evacuated, so most of those residents were exposed to radiation. Estimates of the deaths of civilians living in close proximity to the Chernobyl nuclear generating plant range from 5,000 to 27,000. It would be years later that some of these victims would die, mostly from various kinds of cancers triggered by exposure to radioactive material.

A poignant reminder that kids lived and played in Pripyat before the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

The exclusion zone around the Chernobyl site was eventually extended to 30 kilometers. Today, 30+ years after the accident, portions of the exclusion zone are still radioactive. The city of Pripyat remains a ghost town, a reminder of better days before the accident.

The Chernobyl nuclear accident dampened enthusiasm for nuclear power worldwide. Simply stated, people saw it as a threat to human life. Consequently, few nuclear power plants were constructed over the next 2 decades.

Today, nuclear power technology has greatly improved. Proponents argue that nuclear is now the safest, cleanest, and most reliable power source—and it comes at an affordable price.

The question now is this: will climate change activists look to nuclear power for future energy needs?

Pripyat, Russia photo taken several years after the nearby Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.