The Accident at Chernobyl Unit 4 in the Ukraine—April 1986

Abstract

On April 26, 1986, the worst accident in the history of commercial nuclear power generation occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station some 60 miles north of Kiev in the Ukraine. This paper describes the sequence of events that occurred and the consequences of the accident. There was extensive damage to the Unit 4 reactor and the building that housed it. Some 31 people died as a result of the accident, either directly or as a result of receiving lethal radiation doses. A significant release of fission products occurred, contaminating land around the station and requiring the evacuation of 135,000 people from their homes. The radioactive cloud generated over several days was carried by winds to all parts of Europe, where there was a varying degree of public concern. The contamination resulted in restrictions on the consumption of meat and vegetables. The latent health effects are, however, unlikely to be statistically significant when viewed against the normal mortality rate over the next 40 years. Although there were gross violations by the operators, the primary cause of the accident can be attributed to inherent design shortcomings in the RBMK reactor type, which is unique to the Soviet Union. The Russians havemore » said that the accident is not possible in any commercial reactor operational outside the USSR.« less