VOA慢速英语：切尔诺贝利三十年后风险仍在
Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the world’sworst nuclear accident.
The effects of the disaster are still felt today.
On April 26, 1986, a reactor exploded at a nuclear power center in the townof Chernobyl, in what was then the Soviet republic of Ukraine. The reactorcaught fire, and it released huge amounts of radiation. Many emergencyworkers died. Soviet officials ordered 116,000 people living around thepower plant to leave the area. Another 220,000 were forced to leave lateras the “death zone” -- the nuclear contamination area -- expanded.
Recently, Associated Press reporters visited the edge of the contaminationzone in Belarus. They found that milk from a dairy farm there containsradioactive isotopes. The isotopes give off radiation -- and can harmpeople and other living things.
Tests found that the milk contains radioactive isotope levels at least 10times higher than the country’s food safety limits.
The farm was about 45 kilometers north of the former Chernobyl nuclearplant. The dairy farmer said his cows produce milk for a local factory, calledMilkavita. It produces Parmesan cheese that is sold mostly in Russia.
Milkavita officials rejected the AP laboratory results as “impossible.” Theysaid their own tests show that radioactive isotopes in their milk supply arewell below safety limits.
Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said Monday that cleaning upthe radioactive fallout from the nuclear accident has been a “major andpressing task” for his country for 30 years.
Possible danger is nearby
Scientists are warning that it is possible a new disaster could be hiding inforests around the closed power plant.
Canadian scientist Timothy Mousseau is a leading expert on the Chernobyldisaster. He told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that forest fires couldsend clouds of toxic radioactive material up into the skies over Europe.
Mousseau said two acts of suspected arson caused “large fires” aroundChernobyl over the past year. The fires burned a long time, but they“weren’t particularly hazardous in terms of radioactivity.”
He added that a third fire last year burned through part of the ‘red forest,’which was the most contaminated part of the area. This fire was small, andcontained quickly. But, he said, it is the kind that can “do serious harm if it had spread much more.”
Mousseau explained that the radioactivity in the woods would go back upinto the atmosphere. Depending on which way the wind was blowing, andwhether it was raining or not, it could land somewhere else.
His and other research into the Chernobyl accident suggests that the toxiccloud from a major fire could carry different kinds of radioactive materialsacross Europe.
At the time of the accident 30 years ago, he said, a huge cloud from the fireat Chernobyl rose into the atmosphere. This allowed radioactive material, in his words, “to be transported for thousands of miles.”
Now the risk has increased, partly because of rising temperatures on Earth’s surface. In addition, dead leaves from plants, fallen logs or dry grasscould catch on fire.
"This dead organic matter on the surface of the soil is highly radioactive,"Mousseau said. When it dries out, it becomes a possible fire threat, andprovides the fuel for large and dangerous forest fires.
While it has been 30 years since the Chernobyl nuclear accident, it has been only five years since Japan’s deadly Fukushima-1 plant disaster.
Other nuclear disasters
The first big hit to nuclear power came at the end of March 1979. That iswhen a new reactor in the American state of Pennsylvania partially melteddown.
There was no evidence of health issues tied to the accident at the ThreeMile Island nuclear power plant. But it started the debate about the safety ofnuclear energy that continues around the world today. People ask whethersplitting atoms to create energy is a safe, effective and economical way toget electricity to our cities.
There are about 400 reactors working in 31 countries. More than 60 arebeing built in 15 countries.
The Fukushima disaster will take a century to cleanup and cost hundreds ofbillions of dollars. Nuclear power was not used in Japan for nearly twoyears, but two reactors were restarted there last year. The debate overnuclear power continues in the island nation. Japan depends on imports forabout 90 percent of its main energy needs.
Those against nuclear power usually support the use of “green” power, likewind and solar power. But the supporters of nuclear power say it is safe, and more effective than wind or solar.
Adding to peoples’ concerns over nuclear power is the fact that experts stilldo not agree on how many people lost, or will lose, their lives because of the Chernobyl accident.
Fewer than 100 emergency workers died from the radiation. The WorldHealth Organization warned years ago that Chernobyl would cause 4,000additional deaths. But the environmental group Greenpeace ordered astudy that shows, in the end, 93,000 people could die.
The town of Chernobyl still is home to about 3,000 people. They continue towork on decommissioning, or closing down, the plant. They are onlypermitted to stay in the area for 14 days to reduce their risk of radiationexposure.
Scientists say the nuclear exclusion zone will not be safe enough forhumans to live there for another 20,000 years.
Yet in one part of the area, a few hundred people who were evacuated havecome back to live. Many of the residents are older adults. Ukrainian officialsquietly let them stay there.
The residents grow their own food, even with the warnings that food couldbe affected by the radioactive material. It appears some people who weresent away after the accident just wanted to be back home.
I’m Anne Ball.
Words in This Story
contamination –n. made unfit for use by undesirable elements
radioactive isotopes –n. any one of different forms in which the atoms of achemical element can occur—that have been exposed to radiation
fallout – n. the radioactive particles that are produced by a nuclearexplosion and fall through the atmosphere
task – n. a job for someone to do
toxic – adj. containing poisonous substances
arson -n. when a person sets a fire to cause damage
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