Chernobyl disaster poses long-term risks
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E-mail Xinhua, April 26, 2013
"The nation's health is deteriorating," Mykhailo Kurik, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Ecology, told Xinhua, adding that the nature and environment were damaged even more severely than humans.
"Just after the accident, a huge quantity of radionuclides, including the burning particles, which are extremely dangerous for the environment, were released. These isotopes have very long half-lives, so Ukraine will feel the devastating effects of the catastrophe for decades," Kurik said.
NEW FEARS
In mid-February, a 600-square-meter section of the roof at the Chernobyl site collapsed, sparking fears of another disaster. The collapse occurred 70 meters above the sarcophagus that contains the radiation from the damaged No. 4 reactor.
Although authorities said the collapse, caused by heavy snowfall, poses no danger to humans as radiation levels remained normal, it intensified concerns about the condition of the non-operational nuclear plant.
The collapse did not affect a new confinement structure under construction. The facility, expected to be finished in 2015, is capable of preventing fuel leakage from the reactor for a century.
According to some estimates, about 190 tons of reactor fuel are still trapped under the existing sarcophagus.
However, Yury Andreev, a former Chernobyl engineer, said the new sarcophagus cannot solve the global problems.
"Since the reactor still has fuel, it is dangerous even under the sarcophagus. To eliminate the possibility of radiation leakage, the sarcophagus should be buried into the ground to prevent the migration of radionuclides," Andreev said.
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