Twenty years ago, the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl nearly experienced a "China Syndrome," in which the nuclear fuel rods were allowed to become too hot, fusing together and destroying the facility, releasing untold amounts of radiation into the environment.
Twenty years ago, the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl nearly experienced a "China Syndrome," in which the nuclear fuel rods were allowed to become too hot, fusing together and destroying the facility, releasing untold amounts of radiation into the environment.
Certainly, monitors all over the globe started detecting elevated levels of radiation, but the effects were the worst in what is now Belarus, formerly part of the Soviet Union. In 1986, I was a senior in high school, speaking with an exchange student buddy of mine from Finland. Finland was one of the first places to detect the radiation spillover, and so he was very concerned at what this meant. It seemed to me at that time that my Finnish friend knew much more than I did about the dangers of nuclear radiation - we were 17.
Slate Magazine (www.slate.com) today features a photo/oral presentation of an American photojournalist's experience with a mental health facility in Belarus. Paul Fusco was sent there on a two-week assignment and ended up staying for two months. His photos and words fit beautifully together to describe this lost generation of Belarus - they are human, certainly, but in some ways not quite. Children are born deformed and automatically turned over to the state because the parents barely have the resources to support themselves.
It was well worth the few minutes spent. I hope that you can check it out:
http://todayspictures.slate.com/...
After the Introduction finishes, choose Chernobyl Legacy from the Menu for the whole presentation.