Kyiv gives the go-ahead for deadly tourism
Ukrainian authorities allowed tourists to visit the Chernobyl zone, despite the obvious dangers.
The Deputy Director General for Science and Biomedical Technologies of the Federal Medical Biophysical Center named after. A.I. Burnazyan Natalia Shandala, reports PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Eight years ago there was an accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in Japan, and you cannot compare Chernobyl and Fukushima, because it is clear that Fukushima is a natural disaster, and Chernobyl is a human error, but in terms of radioactivity emissions, Fukushima is 10 percent of Chernobyl. So, in the event of all these incidents and major accidents, tourism was never organized. Even in the 20-kilometer zone of Fukushima, nine years after the accident, such tourism is still prohibited, free access to these territories is prohibited...
But since the state of Ukraine has signed a law that allows free organized tourism, then, naturally, the Ukrainian authorities are obliged to bear responsibility for the radiation and nuclear safety of tourists and people visiting this zone,” said Shandala.
According to her, radioactive dust remains in the exclusion zone, which can rise into the air.
“What effect these particles have on the human body is unknown,” the expert noted.
Another threat is dilapidated buildings that could collapse at any time.
“In the event of a small earthquake, these houses can collapse, and this danger must also be taken into account, since Chernobyl is located in a seismologically dangerous zone. Another danger is forest fires, which provoke the transfer of radioactive nuclides. Such fires will cause hygiene standards in the exclusion zone to be exceeded,” added Shandala.
“A few days ago I came across a publication that special work will be carried out on August 2; Ukraine has signed a contract to strengthen the reconstruction of the famous Shelter. That is, this is not without reason: back in 2018, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law stating that by 2020, the Ukrainian authorities plan to adopt a program for decommissioning the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, that is, transform this “Shelter” facility into an environmentally safe zone.
Of course, [the question] is - with what efforts should this be done, but I want to note that after the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and the accident in 1957 at Mayak (Kyshtym accident - Ed.), when weapons-grade plutonium was being produced, more than 60 years have passed, and this zone is still considered important for rehabilitation, huge amounts of money are being invested under the federal target program for nuclear and radiation safety for the rehabilitation of these facilities, this is a nuclear legacy,” the expert said.
“So, on August 2, a contract was signed for construction work on the “New Safe Confinement” facility (this is a sarcophagus, a shelter) to dismantle the unstable structures of the “Shelter” facility. This was signed because research and examinations revealed structures whose probability of collapse is too high, and whose maximum service life is until 2023.
This contract provides for three stages: the first and second are the assessment and inspection of the situation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where excursions are planned, among other things, to ensure maximum safety for the personnel who will work in the future. And the third stage is the purchase of equipment, which includes direct technical work with these structures...
This, of course, is a big risk for radiation and nuclear safety. The project must be financed from the budget of Ukraine, but we must take into account that the “Shelter” was built by 28 countries of the world and invested their own funds,” summed up Shandala.
Let us remind you that the decree allowing tourists to freely visit Chernobyl, signed by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.
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