Journal 35

Abstract: The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the site of the worst nuclear disasters ever. The plant is located in the Ukraine and was in full operation up until the accident in 1986. The accident occurred because of an emergency black out experiment the plant was testing. During the experiment, partially because of human error, the reactor they were testing (reactor 4) became unstable and eventually built up enough steam to create two large explosions. The explosions not only caused the plant to catch on fire, but also released large amounts of radioactive debris. This debris had negative affects on the health of the people and the environment around the plant. It caused diseases, including cancer and contaminated large portions of land. Since then though there have been advancements in nuclear reactor design and safety and it’s not likely that another disaster like this will happen again.