Background

The Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986 is known as the worst nuclear disaster in all of history. Now, we know that it was a result of both a flaw in the reactor itself and due to the human error of improperly trained personnel. It directly resulted in the deaths of two workers that night, and twenty-eight people within the following few weeks due to acute radiation exposure; however, it is nearly impossible to estimate all of the environmental and health effects that were a product of this disaster.

The disaster occurred as the workers were performing a test of the plant. Operators had disabled automatic shutdown mechanisms and other actions, which left the reactor incredibly unstable once it was time to shut down the reactor itself. Ultimately, the interaction of hot fuel and cooling water rapidly created steam that raised the pressure immensely. A first explosion was a result of this buildup of steam, and a second explosion was likely a result of chemical reactions that took place (yet experts are still unsure of this).¹