Radiation Leaking Through Crumbling Chernobyl Shelter - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM
Radiation Leaking Through Crumbling Chernobyl Shelter - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM: "Radiation Leaking Through Crumbling Chernobyl Shelter
Created: 21.04.2006 14:32 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:32 MSK, 17 hours 3 minutes ago
MosNews
A shelter over a reactor in Ukraine’s Chernobyl is crumbling, birds and rainwater are getting inside. Officials worry about what is getting out too.
The “sarcophagus” over reactor No. 4, which blew up 20 years ago, is reaching the end of its lifespan. A multinational $1.1 billion project to build a new shelter — a giant steel arch designed to last 100 years — is still on the drawing board.
Yulia Marusych, a spokesperson for the power station quoted by AP, said “the risks and the hazards posed by the reactor are still there.”
The sarcophagus, composed of nearly 700,000 tons of steel and 400,000 tons of concrete was hastily built to seal in an estimated 200-ton mix of radioactive fuel and materials such as concrete and sand, which fused when the explosion spiked temperatures to 1,800 F (1,000 C) inside the reactor.
No one knows exactly how much radioactive fuel remains, since only 25 percent of the reactor is accessible. Some estimate it was all discharged during the 10 days following the accident, when the reactor spewed out its insides. Others counter that as much as 90 percent could still be there. Sensors are constantly checking for signs of new reactions taking place, the agency reported.
Marusych said the conditions required for a chain reaction “are not present. The chance that a chain reaction could be triggered is not zero. The danger remains.”
However, Didier Louvat, a radiation waste expert with the International Atomic Energy Agency who studies Chernobyl closely, sees no reason for alarm — “The situation is stable ... at the moment the conditions are not a matter for concern.”
Authorities said the priority now is stabilizing the sarcophagus. The roof is not sealed properly. The water inside is weakening the concrete and metal. The shelter’s original west wall is leaning dangerously. While a collapse would be unlikely to spark another explosion, it could release a huge burst of poisonous radioactive dust.
This week, the director of the Russian Institute of Nuclear Problems downplayed the medical impact of the Chernobyl disaster. He said that “most of those who took part in rescue operations at the plant after the accident believe that the impact of radiation on people’s health is open to debate.”"
Created: 21.04.2006 14:32 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:32 MSK, 17 hours 3 minutes ago
MosNews
A shelter over a reactor in Ukraine’s Chernobyl is crumbling, birds and rainwater are getting inside. Officials worry about what is getting out too.
The “sarcophagus” over reactor No. 4, which blew up 20 years ago, is reaching the end of its lifespan. A multinational $1.1 billion project to build a new shelter — a giant steel arch designed to last 100 years — is still on the drawing board.
Yulia Marusych, a spokesperson for the power station quoted by AP, said “the risks and the hazards posed by the reactor are still there.”
The sarcophagus, composed of nearly 700,000 tons of steel and 400,000 tons of concrete was hastily built to seal in an estimated 200-ton mix of radioactive fuel and materials such as concrete and sand, which fused when the explosion spiked temperatures to 1,800 F (1,000 C) inside the reactor.
No one knows exactly how much radioactive fuel remains, since only 25 percent of the reactor is accessible. Some estimate it was all discharged during the 10 days following the accident, when the reactor spewed out its insides. Others counter that as much as 90 percent could still be there. Sensors are constantly checking for signs of new reactions taking place, the agency reported.
Marusych said the conditions required for a chain reaction “are not present. The chance that a chain reaction could be triggered is not zero. The danger remains.”
However, Didier Louvat, a radiation waste expert with the International Atomic Energy Agency who studies Chernobyl closely, sees no reason for alarm — “The situation is stable ... at the moment the conditions are not a matter for concern.”
Authorities said the priority now is stabilizing the sarcophagus. The roof is not sealed properly. The water inside is weakening the concrete and metal. The shelter’s original west wall is leaning dangerously. While a collapse would be unlikely to spark another explosion, it could release a huge burst of poisonous radioactive dust.
This week, the director of the Russian Institute of Nuclear Problems downplayed the medical impact of the Chernobyl disaster. He said that “most of those who took part in rescue operations at the plant after the accident believe that the impact of radiation on people’s health is open to debate.”"
posted by Greta Jane at Friday, April 21, 2006
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