Chernobyl Disaster example essay topic

338 words
The Chernobyl disaster began in the early morning hours of April 25, 1986 when a shift operating the nuclear reactor exploded showering radioactive debris from the power nuclear plant in the northern Ukraine over most of eastern Europe. This radioactivity was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombings at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The explosion left the surrounding area looking like a ghost town. People rushed to get themselves and their families to safety.

It left in its aftermath an estimated 32,000 dead. Chernobyl left something else besides it's radioactivity, many illnesses that will plague the people of this area forever. Scientist have dubbed one syndrome the 'ChernobylAIDS'; . It has been estimated to have effected some 30,000 in the area.

The syndrome, which is said to decrease the number of 'natural killer'; cells in the blood, can cause an increase in the chance of getting leukemia and malignant tumors as well as severe forms of cardiac conditions and pneumonia. The people of the Ukraine have also seen a sharp increase in the number of cases of thyroid cancer. Then umber has grown from 5 cases a year to an outstanding 43 cases since the accident at Chernobyl. Many of the male workers at Chernobyl have been found to have sexual and reproductive disorders and the number of complicated pregnancies among women continues to grow. Not only did Chernobyl leave behind many illness, but also a huge financial burden on a country already diseased by poverty. This is cited as an accident but is really much more.

The clean up to this disaster will take another estimated 30 years and many of the long term effects will not be known until it is too late to stop them. The Chernobyl disaster is one that could have and should have been prevented. Instead of cutting cost we should do it right the first time to make sure nothing like this happens again.