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The Stupid Mistakes That Lead to Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

It Was By Accident Or By Purpose?

By Amine OubihPublished 13 days ago 4 min read
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The Stupid Mistakes That Lead to Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Photo by Vladyslav Cherkasenko on Unsplash

The Chernobyl nuclear power disaster of 1986 enshrines itself as a real, apocalypse scenario, caused by a sudden convergence of human errors, incorrect design of the reactor, and insufficient safety culture and management practices. In essence, the disaster at Chernobyl was not actually just a single collision point but indeed the end result of multiple factors which eventually led to an accident of a nuclear power station gone wrong in history.

The terrible accident at the Chernobil Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine (back then, it was part of the Soviet Union) was on April 26, 1986. One of the nuclear reactors was involved in an accident during the pre-design phase that was a result of the combination of operator errors and design flaws leading to a colossal amount of radioactive substance to be released into the air. This disaster not only had the immediate effects of fatalities, drought of the people and the long lasting contamination of the environment.

Besides faulty designs of RBMK reactor, which was used at the plant, there are some more root causes of the disaster. These unique Soviet projects without the required safety features, and inherently unsafe designs for control and stability are a thing to bear in mind. The positive void coefficient, on the one hand, was the counterpart as bubbles of steam that was generated inside the coolant reactivity happened to increase which could have leaded to an uncontrolled power.

The control rods, one of the core devices used to regulate the reaction were also designed with a graphite coating. During the emergency shutdown attempt however, the rods jammed upon deployment and even worsened the situation. Additionally, the failure of the a rational maintenance of the containment structure made radioactive material to leak out to the environment, resulting widespread contamination in surroundings.

It also turned out that the hardware's design was not the main problem. There was human error and this is one of the reasons for the accident as well. Plant operators made the decisions including the decision to continue with unsafe conditions and the failure to share information appropiationally and safety personnel have contributed thus to the chain of events which led to the explosion.

Lastly, system faults in the way the Soviet Union had its nuclear program under its management worsened the actuation. Media secrecy and transparency have collapsed communication making it impossible for the authorities to oversee and impose helpful safety measures which would have helped to cut off the spread of this virus as quickly as possible.

The consequences of the Chernobyl disaster emphasized the necessity for more thorough safety procedures, effective international cooperation in the nuclear industry, and the transparency so important for the communication and mutual understanding. Having drawn the lessons from the disaster, new nuclear safety regulations and policies have been developed and adopted by countries worldwide, thus the risk of recurrence of similar accidents is less.

With the experience of passing years, the lasting legacy of Chernobyl continues, and thus, makes a profound voice of the deep-rooted suspicions of the nuclear energy as well as the need for firm safety rules. While looking back at the horrifying instance that took place on April 26, 1986 we should remain extremely keen in our efforts to ensure that the use and the care for nuclear technology is done in a safe and a responsible manner.

Stating the last, the catastrophe of Chernobyl nuclear plant of 1986 is a represents a desolate and visible anticlimax of man misconduct, sloppy design and dysfunctional cultures of the safety and management. This major accident which happened to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant clearly show that our modern world is at the risk when nuclear power is used and the primary factor in considerations should be people’s safety.

The Chernobyl disaster cannot be described as the case of a point-to-point relation of events, but rather, it should be perceived as the result of a complicated webbing of various factors finally ended up in a major accident of the nuclear industry. There was a defective design of the RBMK reactors which lexed the operators that ran the plant to make operational errors coupled up with systemic failures in the Soviet Union's nuclear program, these factors contributed to the chain of events that led to the detonation of the reactor 4 and released of radioactivity material into the environment.

The consequences of the Chernobyl tragedy are to be reckoned with for a long time because the disaster brought a devastating impact on the global populational health, ecology and developed a safe regulations in nuclear power sector. It indicates the sober warning that the operation of nuclear industry services can have a catastrophic effect when the “watchdog” is asleep, secrets, and shortcuts are taken in implementing the safety measures.

Recollecting the actions on April 26, 1986, we realize the importance of drawing lessons from the Chernobyl disaster and keeping up our movements in making the world safer by promoting the use of nuclear power responsibly. Through demanding transparency, collaboration and a stringent safety protocol, a more effective way to reduce the risks of nuclear energy is possible; and we can push to avoid a worse nuclear disaster from happening again.

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About the Creator

Amine Oubih

🌟Amine Oubih🌟

📝 Writer | 🎨 Creative | 🌍 Explorer

Hello,I am a traveler and writer. Whether It's Real Or Fiction, I always find something interesting to write about, and I use this content to spark the desire to learn more in readers.

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