Strange and unsettling: my day trip to Chernobyl

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2005/oct/23/ukraine.darktourism.observerescapesection?page=2

It was the scene of one of the world's worst modern disasters, now visitors can experience this radioactive wasteland on a guided tour.

Sarah Johnstone The Observer, Sunday October 23, 2005

<snip>Protected by the thick walls, we find the serious-minded information officer Julia, frowning through the window at 'the monster which is always near'. While a new cover is planned to safeguard it, the reactor's current condition is alarming. Its columns are shifting, while the huge 'elephant's foot' of melted radioactive fuel inside is cracking, peeling and producing tonnes of toxic dust. 'The chance of a spontaneous chain reaction inside is very low,' says Julia. 'But it is not zero.'

Even the phlegmatic Yuriy seems skittish spending much time here and we proceed to the town of Pripyat. Once home to 47,000 nuclear workers and their families, this is now an atomic-era Pompeii. Tree branches hang heavily over the verges of the town's long, straight streets and burst through the empty shells of restaurants and hotels. Vines have attacked apartment complexes, the football stadium is overgrown and a huge, rusty Ferris wheel creaks ominously.

Classrooms lie with open books and you can still see the detritus of lives interrupted by the order to evacuate, which, thanks to Soviet denial and bureaucracy, came a criminal 36 hours after the explosion. Toys, washing and decorations remain where they were left. People were told they would only be away three days, but most knew otherwise.

Perhaps the most surreal thing about this post-apocalyptic no-man's land is that it has become the dominion of deer, wolves and other animals. Zooming along one of Pripyat's roads, we suddenly realise there's a herd of radioactive boar crashing through the undergrowth. 'Safari!' jokes Yuriy, as we set off in pursuit.

[Warpy]

1. Pripyat is a laboratory

showing what would happen if a pandemic or nuclear holocaust wiped enough of us out. It seems the world would come nicely into balance without us, even if we managed to contaminate a lot of it. Creatures with shorter lifespans would escape the cancers caused by radiation if they hadn't been killed outright and Mother Nature would overcome the hubris of our concrete towers with vines and weathering.

The only amazing part is how quickly it's going back to what it was before we showed up there.

[FarrenH]

2. Everyone takes different lessons from Chernobyl

Humans would survive as easily as animals do. And the increase in risk of radiation-related sicknesses would be similar for many species. The article describes some people who have moved back and are living there, despite the radiation.

In any event, the combined arsenals of the large military powers couldn't end all life on the planet, as you indicate, but it could wipe out human life.

[NNN0LHI]

7. Actually radiation poisoning is very healthy for you

The article didn't get into that but I am sure there are some positive effects like not so many people will get hit by cars because they now glow in the dark.

Yea thats the ticket.

Don

[CrispyQ]

3. "Battlefield Earth", which was a much better book than movie,

had some wonderfully descriptive scenes of the city of Denver a thousand years after most humans had been wiped out. The skyscrapers were still standing, but most of the glass had been blown out. The streets were overcome with cracks & fissures & weeds & grass were taking over.

I don't think many people realize how quickly nature would overcome our wondrous creations. :eyes:

Hell, all it takes is a quick look out at my back porch, to see how quickly nature will take over. Our house is about 25 years old. Our porch is two giant slabs of concrete. The side of one slab has settled significantly creating a large split in the entire block. Every year at least one hardy weed manages to poke through the crack & survive the entire summer with no help from us at all. In fact, it's become a yearly tradition to take photos of Weed at the beginning of the season, mid-season & end of season. Unlike previous years, Weed '08 is a small collection of about 4 different shoots, not just one, & the crack grows bigger every year. ;)

When the time comes, nature will show the 'pinnacle of creation' who really creates reality.

[dysfunctional press]

5. after a thousand years of absolutely no maintenance, most skyscrapers probably wouldn't be standing.

especially in areas that have freezing winters.
nature can work fast when people get out of it's way.

[ensho]

4. it just looks like normal but is not - read a report by 2 men who studied mice

they had studied mice in that area before the melt down and then years later when scientiest were allowed to go in for a short period of time, they again studied the mice.

the mice looked the same, and seemed to act the same BUT their genes, makeup, were totally changed. the men were shocked. didn't have time for further investigation.

I've tried to find that article again but never could.

[NNN0LHI]

6. Here is an article about the mice

http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/index.html?http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/437/4324.html

Researchers from the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology laboratory (USA) reports that mutant mice are surviving in Chernobyl. They said mutations which occurred would have taken 10 million years to occur naturally.

(437.4324) WISE-Amsterdam - Usually genetic damage signals a cell to die or enlists repair enzymes to restore the genetic code. Problems arise when genetic mistakes aren't fixed and persist as mutations. Such genetic errors lead to birth defects or cancer.

Chernobyl mice don't look like mutants, but they have many breaks in their DNA. The scientists captured five field mice from the Chernobyl area and compared their DNA with the DNA of five field mice from outside the area. They then examined a gene called cytochrome B that because it is passed directly from mother to offspring and changes slowly, is considered a genetic clock.

[ensho]

8. oh thank you so much for finding the article

without a link people didn't believe me.

my searching abilities are pathetic.

[XOKCowboy]

9. I talked to a nuclear engineer who'd been sent to Chernobyl

as one of the first multi-national teams allowed in after the meltdown. He told some horrific stories. He even changed our group's "we have to have nucular" fanatic's mind.

[ensho]

10. are his stories in print anywhere? would like to read them.

I've read some reports and articles but not many.