Nuclear Fire

On April 26, 1986, in Pripyat, Ukraine, Chernobyl Reactor #4 suffered a power increase, which caused the whole plant to burn. On the night of the incident, Chernobyl’s staff ran a safety drill. An automatic shutdown was supposed to happen in case of low water levels. But operators, who lacked proper training, blocked the automatic shutdown mechanism, because they thought the shutdown would abort the test. The coolant started boiling in the reactor, and reactor power slowly increased, which caused Reactor #4 to explode.

Alerted in the middle of the night, 186 firefighters came to put out the fire; 28 of these “liquidators” died immediately from acute radiation syndrome, and 19 died soon after. Chernobyl released high levels of radioactive iodine. People who lived in the contaminated area, especially children, were exposed to radioactive iodine after the explosion, and later developed thyroid cancer.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Chernobyl’s death toll is about 4,000, but this estimate concerns only the immediate area around Chernobyl. Anti-nuclear organizations, such as Greenpeace, say that the death toll globally will reach 985,000, due to increased cancer worldwide. The radioactive cloud didn’t just affect Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and places around the accident area — it spread all the way to Sweden, Greece, and some of the United Kingdom.

Pripyat, now deserted, is no longer livable, and physicians say the area will not be habitable for another 20,000 years. But more than 1 million children continue to live in contaminated zones near Pripyat. There are no long-term solutions.

Helicopters poured 5,000 metric tons of sand, lead, clay and neutron-absorbing boron over Chernobyl, but cracks developed in this containment building. The Chernobyl Shelter Fund, set up by the U.S., European Union and Ukraine, started building a new “confinement” in 2010, to keep the radioactive debris in. They say it will be finished in 2015, and will be able to withstand a tornado. But will it last 20,000 years?

After Chernobyl, government agencies said things like “The plant was just poorly constructed. Accidents like Chernobyl rarely happen … they won’t make a nuclear plant like that again.” But the latest nuclear disaster of Fukushima happened in 2011, 25 years after Chernobyl, and it is considered just as bad as Chernobyl. If major nuclear disasters keep happening, how long will it be until the whole world becomes uninhabitable, like Pripyat?

If we just stop using nuclear plants, we can decrease the chance of a nuclear disaster, but nuclear power plants generate 14 percent of the world’s electricity. Some countries are even more dependent on nuclear energy: France, for instance, depends on nuclear power for over 72 percent of its electricity. Even if we stop using nuclear energy, the radioactive waste from previous nuclear plants will be around for centuries. And there are already dozens of commercial nuclear reactors planned for Iran, India, China, Korea, Russia, Argentina, Solvakia, Taiwan, Japan, Finland, France, Pakistan, Romania, the U.S., etc.

Maybe if people were more educated on the impact and harm nuclear plants can do, we could try to stop the construction of even more nuclear reactors. — Margaret Logan

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!