Chernobyl's 'sarcophagus,' which helped contain the spread of radiation, is being dismantled because
it's teetering on collapse
https://news.yahoo.com/chernobyls-sarcophagus-helped-contain-spread-204300167.html
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident is widely considered one of the worst nuclear disasters.
On April 26, 1986, the core of a nuclear reactor at the plant opened during a routine safety test, sending plumes of radioactive material into the air. The explosion and subsequent fires released widespread contamination across Europe, but the most contaminated site by far was the downed reactor No. 4, where the accident took place.
Less than two months after the disaster, about 600,000 Soviet cleanup workers sprang into action to build a "sarcophagus," or massive covering, around the reactor to lock in radioactive materials like corium, uranium, and plutonium. The process exposed many workers to dangerous levels of radiation, and at least 31 people died of acute radiation sickness.
The covering was designed to be sturdy — it relied on 400,000 cubic meters of concrete and about 16 million pounds of steel — but the construction was done in haste. As workers scrambled to contain the damage without getting hurt, they failed to seal off the building's joints. They also left openings in the ceilings, which allowed water to enter and corrosion to set in.
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