[lecture] – Chernobyl: The World’s Worst Nuclear Accident
Tuesday, May 22nd from 5 – 7pm @ Thomson 125
sponsored by SAGE (Student Association for Green Environments)
Chernobyl – The World’s Worst Nuclear Accident
Twenty six years ago, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and created, according to the United Nations, “The Greatest Environmental Catastrophe in the History of Humanity”. Thousands of square miles were polluted as 190 tons of highly radioactive material were flung into the atmosphere. Many people died, and hundreds of thousands were evacuated in days. A 30 Km exclusion zone (still in existence) was created around the plant, and the battle began to stabilize the precarious situation before the perilous task of clean-up could begin.
Nearly three decades have passed, and still the exclusion zone is too contaminated for human habitation; the region inside has turned into an unsettling mixture of nuclear dungeon and sanctuary, as some wild species have adapted to the toxic environment and lack of man.
This presentation will describe why the accident happened, how the clean-up was performed, and how things are now. The session will conclude with a haunting slideshow of photos taken inside the exclusion zone by the presenter.