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Japan’s ongoing nuclear crisis is a gruesome reminder of another nuclear accident—the worst in history: Chernobyl is approaching its 25th anniversary. And, believe it or not, the area is open for tourism.
Just last week Scientific American contributor Charles Choi visited. He was accompanied by physicist Vadim Chumack of the Research Center for Radiation Medicine at the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.
So how safe is it to put Chernobyl on your eastern European itinerary?
Of the four radioactive materials released, Iodine 131 was gone after three months. But cesium 137 and strontium 90 both take about 30 years for their quantities to be halved. And plutonim 239 has a half-life of 24,000 years. Nevertheless, a day trip was probably okay by five years after the accident.
Choi reports that tourists are strictly limited to certain areas, avoiding such hot spots as the concrete shelter that seals off the damaged reactor. And visitors may catch glimpses of wildlife. Birds and insects have suffered, but some mamma populations have thrived, probably because of the conspicuous lack of people.
For more on Chernobyl after 25 years, check out Choi’s articles, blog posts and slide show at ScientificAmerican.com.
—Christie Nicholson
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3 Comments
Add CommentI am contacting Ann Coulter to see if I can set up a tour in her name. I am thinking of calling it: The Anne Coulter Chernobyl Tour for Health and Happiness.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs usual, there is no limit to avarice. What would be the point of witnessing Chernobyl in person? Is it to reassure us of the safety of nuclear power or that horrendous government blunders eventually mutate into convenient opportunities for profit? I may have missed a drive-by must see, but does Three-Mile Island have a bed and breakfast or a romantic weekend getaway? I would laugh if it weren't such a sad commentary on greed and propaganda. Maybe David Letterman can help me see the lighter side of this new eco-tourism "hot-spot." Help me Dave!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow that Fukushima accident has been put into the same level than Chernobyl what measures should be taken to protect human life? Nobody is coming up with a clear cut plan to clean the area. Should concrete be poured over the area immediately and with no delay to protect all forms of life in the area?
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