The city of Pripyat, where the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986, has long been considered the most dangerous place on Earth. After the catastrophe, the city air was filled with radioactive particles, which, when they enter the human body, cause irreversible changes in cells and cause the development of cancer and other diseases. From the TV series Chernobyl, for example, people learned how even two minutes of being on the roof of a power plant can halve the duration of a person's life.
However, there is another place in the world where death from radiation can overtake even faster.
This place is the region of the so-called Marshall Islands, located in Pacific Ocean. On their territory, from 1946 to 1960, the US military conducted nuclear weapons tests. In particular, about 67 nuclear tests were carried out on the islands called Bikini and Eniwetok, which left behind radioactive particles that killed more than 800 local residents.
First atomic bomb
The most damage was done to the island of Bikini. In early July 1946, an atomic bomb similar to the Fat Man was detonated on its territory, which was dropped on japanese island Nagasaki. The bomb was dropped on 73 obsolete warships, and after the explosion, a lot of radioactive particles remained in the air, dangerous to the health of local residents.
Nuclear tests on Bikini Island in 1946
Despite this, in the 1970s, US authorities assured local residents who moved to nearby islands that Bikini was once again safe for health and they could return. This turned out not to be true, because subsequently 840 local residents died of cancer caused by radiation. About 7,000 people sought to be recognized as victims of US military tests, but only 1,965 people were recognized as such, half of whom later died from various diseases.
The most dangerous place in the world
The island remains hazardous to health even now - this has been proven by researchers from Columbia University. According to them, concentration radioactive substances in the Marshall Islands this moment much higher than in Chernobyl. In particular, particles of such radioactive metals like cesium, americium and plutonium. The concentration of plutonium, by the way, on Bikini Island was 1000 times higher than in Chernobyl.
Ultimately, the researchers decided that the islands of Bikini, Runit, Enjebi, Naen and Eniwetok are the most radioactive places on Earth. At the moment, almost no one lives on them - in 2011, only 9 people lived on Eniwetok. The rest of the Marshall Islands have a much larger population and receive $6 million a year from the US for education and health programs.
Map of the Marshall Islands
Despite the potential danger of nuclear power plants, nuclear energy is considered one of the most environmentally friendly. Some famous people, such as Bill Gates, are sure that it is much better than windmill and solar energy. It is believed that only she can save the planet from global warming and its consequences.
This is a copy of the article located atWe are all exposed to radiation in one form or another every day. However, in the twenty-five places that we will tell you about below, the level of radiation is much higher, which is why they were included in the list of the 25 most radioactive places on Earth. If you decide to visit any of these places, don't get mad if you find yourself with an extra pair of eyes after looking in the mirror... (well, maybe that's an exaggeration... maybe not).
Extraction of alkaline earth metals | Karunagappally, India
Karunagappally is a municipality in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala where rare metals are mined. Some of these metals, especially monazite, have been eroded into beach sand and alluvial deposits. Due to this, the radiation in some places on the beach reaches 70 mGy / year.
Fort d'Aubervilliers | Paris, France
Tests for radiation found quite strong radiation at Fort d'Aubervilliers. Cesium-137 and radium-226 were found in 61 of the tanks stored there. In addition, 60 cubic meters of its territory also turned out to be contaminated with radiation.
Acerinox Scrap Metal Processing Plant | Los Barrios, Spain
In this case, the source of caesium-137 went unnoticed by the monitoring devices at the Acherinox scrap yard. When melted, the source caused the release of a radioactive cloud with radiation levels exceeding normal by 1000 times. Pollution was later reported in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
NASA Santa Susana Field Laboratory | Simi Valley, California
Simi Valley, California is home to NASA's Santa Susanna Field Laboratory, and over the years, about ten small nuclear reactors have failed due to several fires involving radioactive metals. Cleanup operations are currently underway at this heavily polluted site.
Plutonium mining plant "Mayak" | Muslyumovo, Russia
Because of the Mayak plutonium mining plant, built in 1948, residents of Muslyumovo in the south Ural mountains suffer the consequences of the use drinking water contaminated with radiation, which led to chronic diseases and physical disabilities.
Church Rock Uranium Mill | Church Rock, New Mexico
During the infamous accident at the Church Rock uranium enrichment plant, more than a thousand tons of solid radioactive waste and 352,043 cubic meters of acidic radioactive waste solution entered the Puerco River. As a result, radiation levels increased 7,000 times above normal. A study conducted in 2003 showed that the waters of the river are still polluted.
Apartment | Kramatorsk, Ukraine
In 1989, a small capsule containing highly radioactive caesium-137 was found inside the concrete wall of an apartment building in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. The surface of this capsule had a dose of gamma radiation equal to 1800 R/year. As a result, six people died and 17 people were injured.
Brick houses | Yangjiang, China
Yangjiang urban area is full of houses made of sand and clay bricks. Unfortunately, the sand in this region comes from parts of the hills that contain monazite, which breaks down into radium, actinium, and radon. The high levels of radiation from these elements explain the high rate of cancer in the area.
Natural radiation background | Ramsar, Iran
This part of Iran has one of the highest levels of natural background radiation on Earth. Radiation levels at Ramsar reach 250 millisieverts per year.
Radioactive sand | Guarapari, Brazil
Due to the erosion of the natural radioactive element monazite, the sands of Guarapari beaches are radioactive, with radiation levels reaching 175 millisieverts, very far from the acceptable level of 20 millisieverts.
McClure Radioactive Site | Scarborough, Ontario
The McClure Radioactive Site, a housing estate in Scarborough, Ontario, has been a radioactive site since the 1940s. The contamination was caused by radium recovered from scrap metal that was to be used for experiments.
Underground springs of Paralana (Subterranean Springs of Paralana) | Arkaroola, Australia
The underground springs of Paralana flow through rocks rich in uranium and, according to research, these hot springs endure radioactive radon and uranium on the surface for over a billion years.
Institute of Radiation Therapy Goias (Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia) | Goias, Brazil
The radioactive contamination of Goiás, Brazil was the result of a radioactive radiation accident after stealing a source of radiation therapy from an abandoned hospital. Hundreds of thousands of people have died due to pollution, and even today, radiation is still rampant in several areas of Goiás.
Denver Federal Center | Denver, Colorado
Denver Federal Center has been used as a landfill site for a variety of waste, including chemical substances, contaminated materials and road demolition debris. This waste was transported to different places, which led to radioactive contamination several areas in Denver.
McGuire Air Force Base | Burlington County, New Jersey
In 2007, McGuire Air Force Base was recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as one of the most polluted air bases in the country. That same year, the US military ordered a clean-up of contaminants at the base, but the contamination is still there.
Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site | Hanford, Washington
An integral part of the US atomic bomb project, the Hanford facility produced plutonium for the atomic bomb that was eventually dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Although the plutonium stock was decommissioned, approximately two-thirds of the volume remained at Hanford, causing groundwater contamination.
In the middle of the sea | Mediterranean Sea
A syndicate controlled by the Italian mafia is believed to be using the Mediterranean as a dumping ground for hazardous radioactive waste. Some 40 ships carrying toxic and radioactive waste are believed to sail through the Mediterranean, leaving a large number of radioactive waste in the oceans.
Coast of Somalia | Mogadishu, Somalia
Some claim that the soil of the unprotected coast of Somalia was used by the mafia to dump nuclear waste and toxic metals, which include 600 barrels of toxic materials. This, unfortunately, turned out to be true when a tsunami hit the coast in 2004 and rusting barrels buried here several decades ago were opened to the eyes of people.
Production association "Mayak" | Mayak, Russia
A lighthouse in Russia has been the site of a huge nuclear power plant for many decades. It all started in 1957 when approximately 100 tons of radioactive waste was released into environment during the catastrophe that led to an explosion that polluted a huge area. However, nothing was reported about this explosion until 1980, when it was discovered that since the 1950s, radioactive waste from the power plant had been dumped into the surrounding area, including Lake Karachay. The pollution resulted in more than 400,000 people being exposed to high levels of radiation.
Sellafield Power Plant | Sellafield, UK
Before it was converted into a commercial area, Sellafield in the UK was used to produce plutonium for atomic bombs. Today, about two-thirds of the buildings that are in Sellafield are considered radioactive. This facility releases about eight million liters of contaminated waste every day, polluting nature and causing death to people living nearby.
Siberian Chemical Combine | Siberia, Russia
Just like Mayak, Siberia is also home to one of the largest chemical plants in the world. The Siberian Chemical Combine produces 125,000 tons of solid waste that pollutes the groundwater of the surrounding area. The study also found that wind and rain carry these wastes into the wild, causing high levels of wildlife mortality.
Polygon | Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan
The test site in Kazakhstan is best known in connection with the atomic bomb project. This deserted place has been transformed into an institution where Soviet Union blew his first atomic bomb. The test site currently holds the record for the largest concentration of nuclear explosions in the world. Approximately 200,000 people are currently suffering from the effects of this radiation.
Western Mining and Chemical Plant | Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan
Mailuu-Suu is considered one of the most polluted places in the world. Unlike other radioactive sites, this site receives its radiation not from nuclear bombs or power plants, but from large-scale uranium mining and processing activities, releasing approximately 1.96 million cubic meters of radioactive waste into the area.
Chernobyl nuclear power plant | Chernobyl, Ukraine
Heavily contaminated with radiation, Chernobyl is the site of one of the worst nuclear accidents in the world. Over the years, the Chernobyl radiation disaster has affected six million people in the area and is predicted to result in approximately 4,000 to 93,000 deaths. The nuclear disaster at Chernobyl released 100 times more radiation into the atmosphere than was released as a result of the explosion of nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant | Fukushima, Japan
The aftermath of the earthquake in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan is said to be the longest lasting nuclear hazard in the world. This disaster, considered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl disaster, caused the meltdown of three reactors, which led to a massive radiation leak, which was detected 322 kilometers from the power plant.
Insidious and invisible - radiation frightens many, especially today, when not much time has passed since the accident at the Japanese Fukushima, and the word "Chernobyl" has long become a household word.
It is quite possible that ten most radioactive places on earth may surprise many who live unaware of the potential danger.
10. In the US state of Washington, he has been producing plutonium for the US nuclear program for decades. Today, two-thirds of the state's radioactive waste is located here. Despite the fact that the enterprise has been decommissioned, 200 thousand liquid and 700 thousand cubic meters of solid waste, as well as 518 square meters, remain contaminated. km of groundwater.
9. Is it a tourist paradise or a gigantic hazardous waste dump? It is widely known that the Italian mafia has been repeatedly accused of using sea waters for disposal of radioactive waste. About forty ships with dangerous cargo found shelter in the Mediterranean waters. The whole catastrophic situation can be revealed after a while, when the integrity of the containers is violated.
8. also suffered from the actions of the Italian mafia. With no state protectorate, the soil and coastal waters became a repository for 600 barrels of radioactive waste. According to the UN, waste containers were thrown onto the coast of Somalia during the tsunami in 2004.
7. in Russia has become the site of one of the largest nuclear disasters in history. As a result of a powerful explosion in 1957, up to 100 tons of radioactive substances were thrown into the air and soil over a vast territory. The incident was carefully hidden until the 1980s of the last century. However, in addition to the accidental release, since the 1950s, Mayak has been purposefully polluting the river and the beautiful Lake Karachay with its waste.
6. is a source of radiation threat on the west coast of prosperous Great Britain. Initially, the complex produces plutonium for nuclear bombs, then it turned from a military one into a commercial enterprise. Two-thirds of Sellafield's buildings are radioactive waste storage facilities. The daily discharge of 8 million liters of toxic substances makes the Irish Sea the most radioactive in the world.
5. Unfortunately, Mayak is not the only place in Russia contaminated with radiation. has been storing toxic waste for more than four decades. The deplorable state of containers containing hazardous substances can lead to contamination of soil and groundwater.
4. inherited modern Kazakhstan from the USSR. Although it was believed that the place was ideal for testing nuclear weapons, about 700 thousand people lived in the region. Semipalatinsk's record of 465 nuclear tests in 40 years is unparalleled in the world.
3. represent a real danger to the ecology of Kyrgyzstan. The raw materials extracted here are processed on the spot, the waste from which is filled with 36 deadly landfills. The danger is aggravated by the seismic activity of the region. An earthquake can lead to contamination of soil, water and radioactive fallout.
2. Notoriety can serve as a reminder to everyone of the danger that radiation poses to a person. As a result of the disaster, more than 6 million people felt the effects of radiation, of which, according to various sources, from 4 to 93 thousand died. The ecological situation in Chernobyl today is far from ideal - these are the consequences of the release of radiation 100 times higher than the levels recorded during the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
1. The destruction caused to Japan by the earthquake and tsunami may be only a small part of the danger that threatens the ecology of the coast in the area Fukushima
. The true scale of pollution has not been clarified until today. However, radiation was detected 320 kilometers from the crash site. Scientists have yet to assess the potential danger of this accident for future generations. It is possible that the coast of Japan is already the most radioactive place on earth.
Do you think that a dose of radiation can only be obtained from the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant? Huge mistake!
Within the territory of former USSR great amount infected objects. Footprints major accidents active today, 25 years after the fall of the country.
Often we do not even think about what is very close - a huge radioactive burial ground, a nuclear test zone or an outcrop of geological rocks with a background increased thousands of times.
Operating objects of radioactive contamination
1. Mayak Production Association, Ozersk, Russia
Coordinates:
Infected areas: Chelyabinsk region
The Mayak accident in 1957 is the third largest after Chernobyl and Fukushima. But the enterprise for the production of components and the regeneration of nuclear materials is still functioning.
Nearby Lake Karachay is the dirtiest radioactive zone on Earth. The background here exceeds Chernobyl by 1000 times.
Nevertheless, numerous emergency situations infect the atmosphere and soil of the entire Urals. The last major release took place in 2017. The radioactive cloud reached Europe, having managed to lose a significant part along the way.
2. Siberian Chemical Combine, Seversk, Russia
Coordinates: 56°21′16″ s. sh. 93°38′37″ E d.
Infected areas:Tomsk region
At this plant for the processing of solid radioactive materials in 1993, radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere, 2 thousand people were injured - the area is still characterized by an increased background.
Official sources say that the case in 1993 is the only one. However, according to GreenPeace, small releases happen regularly.
3. Mining and chemical plant, Zheleznogorsk, Russia
Coordinates: 55°42′44″ s. sh. 60°50′53″ E d.
Infected areas:Krasnoyarsk region
Until 1995, the enterprise produced weapons-grade plutonium, necessary for the creation of nuclear warheads. In subsequent years, the enterprise was retrained for the storage of nuclear waste.
The dumping of radioactive materials into the Yenisei is a fairly common and not denied event. Fortunately, the general background downstream does not exceed the acceptable norms too much.
However, at the moment the enterprise is a source of infection. All hope is to create a complete recycling cycle, in which waste will become fuel for a new nuclear power plant.
4. Western Mining and Chemical Combine, Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan
Coordinates: 41°16′00″ s. sh. 72°27′00″ E d.
Infected areas: Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan; Andijan and Namangand regions of Uzbekistan
Until 1968, uranium was mined here. Over time, the deposits were exhausted, the industry was reoriented to the production of radio tubes, which also lost their value.
Today, near the settlement is the world's largest repository of radioactive waste. The general radiation background is such that Mailuu-Suu is among the 10 most polluted cities in the world.
Sites of accidents with large-scale radioactive releases
5. Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Ukraine
Coordinates: 51°23′22″ s. sh. 30°05′59″ E d.
Infected areas: Bryansk, Orel, Tula, Kaluga regions of Russia; Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev regions of the Republic of Belarus
The tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant led to the largest radioactive contamination of territories in the history of mankind. Clouds of active gases passed through Russia. Eastern Europe also got it - Romania, the Balkan countries.
And the troubles are not over yet.
Territories contaminated with caesium-137 will poison the inhabitants for at least another 30 years. And the radioactive background of many areas and settlements Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula and Gomel regions exceeds the allowable at times.
6. 569th coastal technical base, Murmansk, Russia
Coordinates: 69°27′ N. sh. 32°21′ in. d.
Infected areas: Murmansk region
In 1982, here, on Andreeva Bay, there was a leak of radioactive water. As a result, 700 thousand tons of water flowed into the Barents Sea - more than from Fukushima.
Andreeva Bay is not the only “dirty” place in the Murmansk region. But she is abandoned, unlike the others.
The spent nuclear fuel disposal sites and coastal bases of nuclear service vessels located in the Murmansk region attract researchers from all over the world. Radiation levels are rising every year.
7. Chazhma Bay, Nakhodka, Russia
Coordinates: 42°54′02″ s. sh. 132°21′08″ E d.
Infected areas: Peter the Great Bay (?), water area of the port of Nakhodka
As a result of the accident in August 1985 on the nuclear submarine K-431, an area of about 100 thousand square meters was contaminated.
Although the background is gradually decreasing, Pavlovsky Bay is still dangerous for visiting. In addition, leaks are likely to spread dangerous isotopes into sea waters.
8. Aikhal village, Russia
Coordinates: 65°56′00″ s. sh. 111°29′00″ E d.
Infected areas: The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
The Kraton-3 project, within the framework of which, on August 24, 1978, an underground explosion was carried out near the village of Aikhal to study seismic activity with an accidental release into the environment, making the territory uninhabitable for 50 km around.
In addition, similar experiments were carried out in Yakutia (but without air pollution) within the framework of the Crystal, Horizon-4, Kraton-3/4, Vyatka, Kimberlit projects and a whole series of explosions in the city area Mirny.
Official sources claim that the sites of explosions have a standard natural background. Whether this is actually the case is unknown.
9. Kama-Pechora Canal, Krasnovishersk, Russia
Coordinates: 61°18’22″s. sh. 56°35’54″E d.
Infected areas: Perm region
A series of surface explosions for the construction of the canal led to the contamination of the nearby Pechora forests as early as 1971.
Since then, the area, even the crater itself, has become habitable.
However, here is the most important property radioactive contamination: radiation still occurs, although official measurements cannot cover the entire area, the main checkpoints are clear.
10. Udachny Mining and Processing Plant, Udachny, Russia
Coordinates: 66°26′04″ s. sh. 112°18′58″ E d.
Infected areas: Yakutia
The radioactive cloud, which arose as a result of an above-ground explosion as part of a project to create a dam for the Udachny mining and processing plant, covered neighboring settlements.
Most of the territory today has a natural background, but in some places the so-called “dead forest” remains - areas of dead vegetation without any signs of life.
11. Gas condensate field, Krestische, Ukraine
Coordinates: 49°33′33″ s. sh. 35°28′25″ E d.
Infected areas: Donetsk region of Ukraine
An attempt to eliminate a gas leak from a gas condensate field using a directed nuclear explosion was not successful. But there was a release of radiation, the echoes of which are found nearby today.
Both immediately after the experiment and today, official data on radiation background no.
Polygons
12. Globus-1, Galkino, Russia
Coordinates: 57°31′00″ s. sh. 42°36′43″ E d.
Infected areas: Ivanovo region
The release from the peaceful underground explosion of the Globus-1 project in 1971 is still the cause of contamination of the surrounding area.
According to official data, today the background level is approaching the permissible level (although part of the adjacent territories is still closed today).
However, in addition to this place, there are several old radio burial grounds in the Moscow region, and in the west there is an increased background that appeared as a result of the Chernobyl accident.
If the authorities acknowledge the infection, they will have to pay benefits and provide benefits (including free higher education).
13. Semipalatinsk test site, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan
Coordinates.
In one form or another, people are regularly exposed to radiation. We have collected 10 places that are among the most radioactive territories on the planet. Being there is life-threatening. And extreme people who stop at nothing should take care of safety.
1. Natural Radiation Ramsar (Iran)
This part of the country is known for having high natural radiation exposure. There are few such places on the planet, radiation activity indicators often exceed 250 m3.
2. Infected sand Guarapari (Brazil)
Due to the natural radioactivity of the natural element monazite, the beaches of Guarapari are considered highly radioactive. The level of radiation activity in places reaches 175 m3.
3. Underground springs from Paralan Ercarolla (Australia)
The hot underground springs of Paralan flow through rocks enriched with uranium. As a result, the hot waters of the springs bring radiation to the surface with their flows.
4. Hanford, Washington (United States of America)
Hanford is part of a research project to develop an atomic bomb. This is where the plutonium used to build the nuclear weapons that hit Nagasaki was produced. Despite the fact that the site has not been operated for a long time, about 2/3 of the radioactive material remained directly in Hanford, which led to the contamination of the soil and groundwater.
5. Central Mediterranean
Researchers suggest that a crime syndicate controlled by influential Italian mafiosi used the Mediterranean Sea as a dumping ground for nuclear waste. A huge amount of recycled radioactive and toxic materials was dropped here - about forty ships.
6. Sea coast of Mogadishu (Somalia)
According to experts, for a long time the coast of the island was used as a cemetery for nuclear waste by various criminal structures. More than 600 barrels of radioactive material have been found here. No one would have known about this if the tsunami had not hit Srmali in 2004. As a result, the find was made public and reburied.
7. Production plant Mayak (Russian Federation)
Long time the Russian Federation remained home to a nuclear facility called Mayak. At the beginning of 1957, as a result of an accident, about a hundred tons of radioactive waste were “thrown out” into the atmosphere. As a result, there was a big explosion. Up until the 80s. the details of the explosion were kept classified. It turned out that back in the 50s, processed products were dumped into natural environment. The inhabitants of Karachay suffered - more than four thousand people.
8. Mining and chemical plant Mailuu-Suu (Kyrgyzstan)
Mailuu-Suu is one of the most radiation places on the planet Earth. No, nuclear tests were not conducted here and not a single nuclear power plant was built. Radiation in the area is high due to the mining and processing industries. This is a uranium mining site. The territory of infection is 1,960,000 m2.
Due to the extensive earthquake, the Fukushima nuclear power plant (Japan) was destroyed. To date, this accident is considered one of the worst in the world. The incident caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors. At a distance of two hundred miles from the station, everything is infected and will be a danger to humans for many decades to come.
10. Chernobyl nuclear power plant (Ukraine)
Chernobyl was home to an accident that horrified the entire world. Six million people were affected that year alone. The number of deaths is ninety-three thousand people. The level of radiation exceeded the levels recorded as a result of the nuclear attack in Nagasaki by a hundred times.
Like this article? Then, press.
