Dates That Matter

April 26, 1986

An accident at a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl causes world wide concern.

Chernobyl is located near the town of Pripyat in the Ukraine. At the time of the accident it was part of the Soviet Union. The accident consisted of a steam explosion, a fire, and a nuclear meltdown. The meltdown resulted in a radioactive cloud that spread across most of Europe in the days following the accident. Because the Soviet Union controlled its press, little was known about the accident until two days afterward when workers at a Swedish nuclear power plant found elevated levels of radiation they could not explain. The Soviet control of information also means we do not really know how many people died from the accident and radiation. It is estimated that 50 persons died in the immediate aftermath of the accident, but the long-term impact on the environment and the people living where there were the highest levels of radiation is not completely known. We know that there have been at least 1800 cases of thyroid cancer in children who were exposed. Today there is a 20 mile radius around the reactor designated an "exclusion zone" and the reactor itself has been encased in a protective shelter to protect the area from further radiation.

For more information...

Chernobyl Plus 15
From the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nice Q&A based discussion of the accident at Chernobyl and its aftermath.

Chernobyl 20 years later
A photo essay from a journalist who visited the area 20 years after the disaster.