Chernobyl as the first nuclear catastrophe of global scale

As a result of a breakdown on the fourth block of Chernobyl nuclear power plant happened on the 26^th of April 1986 at 01.23 pm due to the planned tests at power plant repair completion, part of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia territories was under radiation. The radioactive cloud, formed because of the fire on the reactor, was spreading all over the world in several days. In many distant countries, including Germany, processing and consumption of definite foodstuff were forbidden, movement outdoors was limited. As a result, many people in the entire world understood that technogenic catastrophes, in fact, don’t have any borders.

The global catastrophe on Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused a definite “anthropological shock”, which was described by sociologist Ulrich Bech  in his book, published in 1986 “The society of risk”. In many European countries this shock caused the strengthening of movement against nuclear power engineering and  the creation of different chernobyl initiatives proposing a support to people suffered from the breakdown in Belarus and Ukraine. Until now, all these initiatives, which do not just propose humanitarian assistance, but also a structural development, are forming a unique in its way international movement of solidarity.

The Chernobyl catastrophe differs by its long-term consequences which are stretching for hundreds of years. Radioactive load in the most effected regions for more than 30 years after the breakdown reduced only on a half and it will remain essential additional risk for human health for many centuries. At the moment only in Ukraine 1.7 million people live on the territory with the increased level of radioactive pollution.

Besides, the obvious influence on nuclear, radiological and medical spheres, the Chernobyl catastrophe has significant social, economic and political consequences.  Not least the policy of Soviet party regime, at which the real scale of the accident on Chernobyl power plant has been hidden from the population for more than 3 years, assisted to the rapid loss of trust to the communist party and as a result– to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Chernobyl catastrophe became a mark divided their lives on the two periods – before and after the Chernobyl almost for a million people. This number includes more than 600 thousand people, who as so-called “liquidators”, extinguished the fire on the reactor, built a protective shelter over the destroyed reactor, conducted different works in the zone of exclusion and also 350 thousands of evacuated people, who were forced to leave their homes forever. Just these people are in the center of attention of Chernobyl History Workshop work.

Чернобыль: Иной отчет

Национальный доклад «Тридцать лет Чернобыльской катастрофы: радиологические и медицинские последствия»