It was April 26, 1986, and Anatoly Dyatlov was in charge. Tasked with running a test for Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, it began much later than planned, and with an entirely different crew. Beginning just after 1 AM, the maintenance program immediately went array.
Under Dyatlov was shift supervisor Aleksandr Akimov and senior reactor control chief Lenoid Toptunov. They had access to a guide that was meant to give step-by-step instructions on how to run the tests. However, many of the steps had been crossed out or written over. The previous shift had told them to ignore the alterations.
The power levels in the reactor core began to fluctuate at inappropriate levels. The shift personnel on scene were becoming nervous over the state of the reactor. Akimov was alleged to have voiced his wishes for the test to be halted, but Dyatlov was insistent on it being carried out to completion. But the worrying numbers became too much for 25-year-old Toptunov. At 1:23.4 AM, he pressed the A-Z5 button, meant to immediately stop any activity in the reactor by inserting all control rods into the core. Instead, two explosions rocked the building.
The control rods are meant to halt fission activity in a reactor core, to stop any radioactive power generation halt. But, unknowing to the crew, Soviet RBMK reactors, the type used at Chernobyl, had a horrible flaw. The tips of the control rods were covered in graphite. Graphite, instead of stopping nuclear fission, makes it increase many times over. With all rods being inserted at once, the power level rose to an unknown number. First, the upper shield of the reactor was blown clean off, smashing through the ceiling of Reactor No. 4. Pipes and wires were destroyed upon the blast. Without water being able to run into the core, another explosion occurred, flinging radioactive debris everywhere.
Radioactive isotopes were flung out into the open air. Firemen arrived to put out what they thought was a burning roof fire. Instead, they came face-to-face with the glow of Cherenkov radiation. That is when the air becomes so radioactive that the oxygen atoms ionize in real time. Those who have seen the unearthly blue glow up close do not often live to tell the tale.
Unaware of exactly what had happened, but knowing that something must be done, both firefighters and reactor personnel worked as hard as they physically could to get the ruined reactor under control. Attempts were made to put water into the core, as it would hypothetically help moderate any reactions occurring there. But, at this point, the core did not exist anymore.
Soon, many firefighters and plant personnel began to fall ill. Vomiting, burns, and confusion began to sweep through the men. These are the initial symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). Those suffering from ill symptoms were taken to Prypiat Hospital. But the institute was not equipped for even a small-scale radiation incident, not to mention the dire situation that Chernobyl was in at this point. The critical patients were quickly sent to Moscow Hospital No. 6, the top Soviet hospital for radiation injuries. However, even with treatment, it was not enough for many of those exposed. Officially, there are 31 deaths attributed to the Chernobyl disaster, consisting of firefighters and plant personnel. But this number does not take into account those who came in to clean up the destroyed reactor.
The roof was covered in radioactive debris. At first, robots were to be used to move the material back into the blown out hole into the roof. But the radiation was so high that the machinery was quickly shorted out. Thus, it was decided that humans must be used to clean. Those sent to the roof were known as Biorobots. One person should have only been on the roof for 90 seconds, doing as much as possible before leaving with a very large dose of radiation. But it would hopefully not be enough that it would cause damage. But many liquidators, both on the roof and decontaminating the 30 meter exclusion zone, were never given ways to track their exposure. Many were simply working until they were told to leave. It is unknown the death toll of Chernobyl liquidators, as the Soviet Union never attributed any of the increased cancer rates to radiation exposure. The increase in childhood cancer is also not considered. The true number of fatalities due to the Chernobyl disaster is unknown.
There is so much more to the Chernobyl story. From the scientists who handled the unprecedented disaster, to the shady practices of the Soviet government; there are many factors and consequences which can be studied about the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. More sources of information are included in the description.
