On April 26, 1986 at 1:23 a.m, a disaster unfolded and a monster was unleashed. We are talking about the Chernobyl disaster whose monster is the most toxic thing in the world, hiding in the depths of the disaster ruins. It is so dangerous that spending only 300 seconds in it’s presence can be fatal for anyone.
What happened during the Chernobyl disaster?
Extremely hot rods containing nuclear fuel were being lowered into the cooling water. The steam emitted from the reactors was very intense and due to flaws in the design, the immense power surge from steam created a massive explosion.
This explosion blasted the 1,000-ton covering the reactor core and released radiation energy in the atmosphere. This was followed by a second, more intense explosion which blasted the reactor building and spurted burning graphite and reactor core around the plant, starting fires at numerous places around the reactor.
Thus the “Elephant’s Foot” was formed – a solid mass of melted nuclear material with added sand, concrete and sealing material that melted with the fuel. It’s radiation in 1986 was 10,000 roentgens/ hour and whoever dared approach this monster would have received a lethal dose in less than 60 seconds. 30 seconds of exposure meant dizziness and fatigue, 120 seconds meant the body cells would get haemorrhage, 240 seconds meant diarrhoea, fever and vomiting and 300 seconds meant you have just two days to live. It is called the “elephant’s foot” because of its wrinkled appearance.
Just a month after the disaster, construction began to seal off the radiation in a giant concrete enclosure. But it is not completely sealed as it has access points to allow further research and observation of the core. The Chernobyl tomb will remain radioactive for more than 100,000 years. The scientists, workers and firefighters working in the building when the disaster happened died within a year of the mishap. The radiation affected areas in Belarus, Ukraine with Russia being the most affected area having 7 million affectees.
Watch the video below for more details:
