Cracks in decaying shell of Chernobyl reactor threaten second disaster

[emad]

Independent
By Andrew Osborn in Moscow
28 April 2005


A leading Russian scientist has claimed that the sarcophagus entombing Chernobyl's broken nuclear reactor is dangerously degraded and he warned that its collapse could cause a catastrophe on the same scale as the original accident almost 20 years ago.

Professor Alexei Yablokov, President of the Centre for Russian Environmental Policy, said the concrete and metal sarcophagus was riven with cracks, already leaking radiation and at risk of collapse unless repairs were undertaken and work on a replacement urgently begun.

"If it collapses, there will be no explosion, as this is not a bomb, but a pillar of dust containing irradiated particles will shoot 1.5 kilometres into the air and will be spread by the wind." Depending on how the wind is blowing, Russia or Belarus would bear the brunt of such a dust cloud. Ukraine, where Chernobyl is located, would also be affected.

The sarcophagus is designed to keep a lid on what is left of the nuclear reactor that exploded with such dire consequences during an unauthorised test in April 1986 and is supposed to stop the mass of unspent nuclear fuel that lies beneath from entering the atmosphere.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=633671

[Botany]

1. Stuff * voters in the cracks and put the neo cons inside the reactor.

100,000 + people will wind up dying because of that accident .....
and bush keeps pushing it as a solution. BTW we have to burn
train loads of coal to power the factories that enrich the uranium
too. = Green House gases

[SidDithers]

2. It wasn't until 2000 that the No.3 reactor was finally turned off...

There were 4 reactors at Chernobyl, and it was No.4 that blew in 1986. The remaining 3 reactors continued to operate, for varying lengths of time, and it wasn't until November 2000 that the last working reactor, No.3, was finally shut down for good.

Scary stuff.

Sid