Chernobyl :: essays research papers

ChernobylChernobyl was the greatest nuclear catastrophe of the 20th century. On April 26th, 1986, one and only(a) of four nuclear nuclear reactors located in the Soviet Union melted down and contaminated a broad area of Eastern Europe. The meltdown, a result of human error, lapsed sentry go precautions, and lack of a containment vessel, was barely contained by dropping sand and purgative huge amounts of deadly radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. The resulting contamination killed or injured hundreds of thousands of plenty and devastated the environment. The affects of this accident are still being felt today and leave be felt for generations to come. atomic effect has always been a disputable issue because of its inherent danger and the amount of waste that the plants produce. Once considered a relatively safe form for generating energy, nuclear power has caused more problems than it has solved. man it has reduced the amount of traditional natural resources (fossil f uels), used to generate power like coal, wood, and oil, nuclear generating plants have beget anachronisms. Maintaining them and keeping them safe has become a problem of immense proportion. As the plants age and other engineering science becomes available, what to do with these eyesores is a consuming issue for some(prenominal) government agencies and environmental groups. No one knows what to do about the problem and in many areas of the world, another nuclear meltdown is an accident waiting to happen. Despite a vast array of safety mea certains, a break in reactor pipe or a leak in a containment vessel, could trance another environmental disaster for the world.In addition to the potential dangers of accidents in generating stations, nuclear waste is a continuing problem that is growing exponentially. Nuclear waste can remain radioactive for about 600 years and disposing these wastes or storing them is an immense problem. Everyone wants the energy generated by power plants, but no one wants to take responsibility for the waste. Thus far, it is stored deep in the earth, but these repositing areas are potentially dangerous and will eventually run out. several(prenominal) have suggested sending the waste into space, but no one is sure of the repercussions.Nuclear power plants should be dismantled and replaced with safer energy generating sources.