Chornobyl - City (1971 pop 10,000), raion center in Kiev oblast [Ukraine],
port on the Prypiat River in Kievan Polisia. Before 1917 Chornobyl
was an autonomous ('zastatne') town in Radomyshl county with a
population employed in agriculture and small trades. The city has
experienced periods of decline: in 1897 it had 9,300 inhabitants, while
in 1926 it had 9,000. The main industry is food processing, but
the city also has a pig-iron foundry and ship-repair base. Since 1972,
a nuclear power plant has been located there. Chornobyl
was first mentioned in 1193.
- Encyclopedia of Ukraine, 1985
The pre-dawn accident on April 26, 1986 sent a cloud that rained radiation over much of Europe and contaminated
large areas in then-Soviet Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
According to Ukrainian government figures, more than 4,000 of those who took
part in the hasty and poorly organized Soviet cleanup effort have died, and
more than 70,000 Ukrainians were fully disabled by the disaster.
Overall, about 3.4 million of Ukraine's 50 million people, including about 1.26
million children, are considered affected by Chernobyl. Of them, 400,000 adults
and nearly 1.1 million children are entitled to state aid for Chernobyl-linked health problems.
-- AP/Yahoo, 04/26/2000
December 14, 2000
NPR Online
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Chernobyl Closure (14.4 | 28.8) -- Alex Kleimenov reports from Ukraine on the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power station, more than 14 years after the world's worst nuclear accident there. The last remaining reactor shut down today, one day ahead of schedule. For most people, the name Chernobyl will forever be associated with the explosion and fire that killed dozens of workers in the immediate aftermath and caused thousands of cases of cancer. But for the people in the nearby town of Slavutich, it the power plant been a faithful employer. High quality housing, good salaries and other amenities have made Slavutich something of a workers' paradise, and residents say it's been worth the health risk to live there. (4:00)
Chornobyl Timeline
- (Reuters)
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Aug, 1977
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The Soviet Union launches Chernobyl's reactor Number One
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May, 1979
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Chernobyl starts operating reactor Number Two
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Jun, 1981
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Reactor Number Three is put into operation
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Apr, 1984
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Reactor Number Four is started up
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1985
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Serious nuclear accident in the Number One reactor; Soviet nuclear officials give no details of the accident/
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April 26, 1986
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A test of the emergency equipment went awry and a series of explosions led to a nuclear core meltdown in Chornobyl reactor #4. The resulting radioactive cloud of dust spread over Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and other parts of Europe. The other 3 reactors are shut down.
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Nov 5, 1986
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Reactor Number Two is restarted
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Nov, 1986
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Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilian experts construct a cover, known as the sarcophagus, above the destroyed reactor.
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End 1986
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Reactor Numbers 1 and 3 restarted
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Oct, 1991
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Fire in reactor #2 forces station officials to shut it down.
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Nov, 1996
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Lifespan of reactor #1 expires, and it is shut down.
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Apr, 2000
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Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma says Chernobyl's last operating reactor Number Three will be shut down by the end of the year.
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Dec 15, 2000
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Chernobyl shut down for good.
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Apr, 2001
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International Chernobyl sarcophagus plan (Shelter Implementation Plan) at the Chernobyl nuclear power station
raising funds to rebuild the outer protective shell of reactor #4.
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Links to photographs and detailed information about the Chornobyl/Chernobyl disaster and it's aftermath:
Spelling Chornobyl [not Chernobyl]
Apr 25 04 - Desovietizing post-Chornobyl Ukraine
Apr 24 04 - Chornobyl and Three Mile Island anniversaries are reminders of the risks of nuclear power and the need to shift to sustainable energy sources
Chornobyl images & maps
Ghost town: Elena's motorcycle trip through Prypiat, Ukraine - Chornobyl Photo Essay
Intro to 'Ghost town' - Chornobyl Photo Essay
Ukraine, Chornobyl Photos
Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF)
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Chernobyl: The Accident and Progress Since 1986
Dr. Meshkati's Page on Chernobyl
Greenpeace 10 Years After Chernobyl (Photo Archive)
InfoCenter Chornobyl
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): One Decade After Chernobyl (Conference Report)
Chernobyl: Assessment of Radiological and Health Impacts
Library of Congress: Chernobyl
RadEFX(sm) Radiation Health Effects Research Resource
RasaNet: Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident
Thyroid Cancer 7.5 years after Chernobyl, soaring
Time Magazine Photo Essay: Chernobyl's Unnatural Disaster (Dec. 2000)
Chernobyl 10 years later: a threat to the future (CNN)
Annotated Chornobyl Bibliography by Walter Huda, PhD
Assorted Maps and Pictures
Feb. 6 2002 UN Report - PDF only
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