EFFECTS OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR MELTDOWN
Added on: 21st Oct 2015
PLANTS AND ANIMALS WITHIN A 50KM (30 MILE) RADIUS
WERE AFFECTED BY THE FALLOUT RADIATION
GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE CLOSER YOU GOT TO THE
DESTROYED REACTOR, RATES OF MORTALITY BEGAN TO
RISE AND RATES OF REPRODUCTION DIPPED
EVEN TODAY, ALMOST 30 YEARS LATER, SOME OF THE
INITIAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION ARE STILL FELT AND
VARIOUS GENETIC ANOMALIES ARE STILL BEING
DOCUMENTED
FORTUNATELY, MOST OF THESE ACUTE EFFECTS WERE
CONTAINED WITHIN THE 50KM RADIUS
LAKES AND RIVERS SURROUNDING THE DISASTER ZONE
WERE ALSO FILLED WITH HARMFUL RADIATION
SOME RADIATION ACTUALLY DID ESCAPE THE EXCLUSION
ZONE. ONE WAY THIS HAPPENED WAS VIA THE
AQUATIC FOOD CHAIN AS RADIATION WAS MEASURED
IN FISH AS FAR AS GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA
THANKS TO RELATIVELY RAPID RADIOACTIVE DECAY THE
EFFECTS OF THIS MORE DISTANT AQUATIC RADIATION
QUICKLY DECREASED AND IT NEVER POSED A SIGNIFICANT
THREAT TO HUMANS
WHAT DID HAVE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS, HOWEVER,
WAS THE ACCUMULATION OF RADIATION IN FORESTS,
PARTICULARLY IN BERRIES AND FRUITS
THIS LED TO THE CONTAMINATION OF ANIMAL SPECIES
SUCH AS DEER
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