# Chernobyl “waking up again”



## INSTG8R (May 9, 2021)

It’s like the embers in a barbecue pit.’ Nuclear reactions are smoldering again at Chernobyl 






						Science | AAAS
					






					www.sciencemag.org


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## Caring1 (May 9, 2021)

Uh oh, that can't be good.
Do what ya do when camping, Pee on it to put it out.


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## DeathtoGnomes (May 9, 2021)

Break out the shrimp!  

As if enough people had already died from the previous stupidity there, if they dont act soon enough, more will.


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## MentalAcetylide (May 10, 2021)

Wasn't this the disaster some were claiming to be the third trumpet?


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## xrobwx71 (May 10, 2021)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> Break out the shrimp!
> 
> As if enough people had already died from the previous stupidity there, if they dont act soon enough, more will.


Says, the Gnome killer.


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## Hemmingstamp (May 10, 2021)

I remember it well. Seeing the disaster back in 86 on the news in real time sent shivers down my spine.



Caring1 said:


> Do what ya do when camping, Pee on it to put it out.


If you do that Chernobly drop off as the old jokes goes....


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## Fluffmeister (May 10, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> Uh oh, that can't be good.



Not great, not terrible.


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## Hemmingstamp (May 10, 2021)

Fluffmeister said:


> Not great, not terrible.


It's was terrible and still is.


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## Caring1 (May 11, 2021)

Hemmingstamp said:


> I remember it well. Seeing the disaster back in 86 on the news in real time sent shivers down my spine.


These things make me feel old, it doesn't seem that long ago.


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## R-T-B (May 11, 2021)

Fluffmeister said:


> Not great, not terrible.


So we're measuring in Roetgens again, and it's let me guess, 50?



Hemmingstamp said:


> It's was terrible and still is.


It's a reference to the series HBO Cherbonyl.



Caring1 said:


> These things make me feel old, it doesn't seem that long ago.


I was born the year it happened.  Probably why I'm a frog.


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## DeathtoGnomes (May 11, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> These things make me feel old, it doesn't seem that long ago.


it was yesterday, in the navy, that we suddenly "casually reminded" what do with nuclear fallout. 

So lets talk about old there gramps. My walker has racing wheels!


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## Space Lynx (May 11, 2021)

The cortex tricking us into believing it's in control, when in fact we are still being lead by the limbic system. I agree with mr free above. Perhaps it is hubris to think we can harness the power of nature in such a way.

But also, not sure whose genius idea it was to build the Japan one in a fault zone... and in a country that historically has tsunamis often... like seriously, build it somewhere else... LOL  human hubris ~


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## Hachi_Roku256563 (May 11, 2021)

wows


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## Hemmingstamp (May 11, 2021)

R-T-B said:


> It's a reference to the series HBO Cherbonyl.


No kidding. My reference was to both the real disaster and the disaster on the box.



Caring1 said:


> These things make me feel old, it doesn't seem that long ago.


Yeah me too


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## sepheronx (May 11, 2021)

Did the French ever finish the new Sarcophagus for the NPP?

I think the main fear everyone had many years ago was burn in leaking into the underground water stream causing another disaster.


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## qubit (May 11, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> Uh oh, that can't be good.
> Do what ya do when camping, Pee on it to put it out.


I've had an extra beer. Hang on, I'm coming to the rescue!


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## Hemmingstamp (May 11, 2021)

sepheronx said:


> Did the French ever finish the new Sarcophagus for the NPP?
> 
> I think the main fear everyone had many years ago was burn in leaking into the underground water stream causing another disaster.


Plenty of documetaries are out there. I watched one as they rolled the new canopy into place a few years ago. Inside it looks creepy as hell.
The folk working on the site would stand behind xxx thick concrete walls as they operated machinery. Nice work if you want the money, and a dose of radiation.


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## sepheronx (May 11, 2021)

Hemmingstamp said:


> Plenty of documetaries are out there. I watched one as they rolled the new canopy into place a few years ago. Inside the place looks creepy as hell.
> The folk working on the site would stand behind xxx thick concrete walls as they operated machinery. Nice work if you want the money, and a dose of radiation.



I am aware of most of the details as I had family in the area at the times (not in the Pripyat but closer to the Belarus/Ukraine SSR border).  Of course part of the family that were considered "our enemies" during the cold war (as I am in the west) so communication was rather limited besides letters of course.

But I am not up to date on the newest events.  Last I heard the French were looking to update the sarcophagus but they had a lot of hurdles to deal with local authorities.  Also, when they came to the conclusion that the underground stream is at risk, they (various countries) were coming up with potential solutions to deal with that.  But beyond that I am not sure.

I just like to read the raw information and that's it.  If you got specific links, please provide as to what their plans are to mitigate the issue.


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## Hemmingstamp (May 11, 2021)

sepheronx said:


> I am aware of most of the details as I had family in the area at the times (not in the Pripyat but closer to the Belarus/Ukraine SSR border).  Of course part of the family that were considered "our enemies" during the cold war (as I am in the west) so communication was rather limited besides letters of course.
> 
> But I am not up to date on the newest events.  Last I heard the French were looking to update the sarcophagus but they had a lot of hurdles to deal with local authorities.  Also, when they came to the conclusion that the underground stream is at risk, they (various countries) were coming up with potential solutions to deal with that.  But beyond that I am not sure.
> 
> I just like to read the raw information and that's it.


I'm not really up to date myself. But I am aware of The Elephant’s Foot and the battle to deal with it, plus all the other stuff about the impact the disaster still has.
Same here. I just like to read the raw info, but I'll watch something televised if I find it interesting enough.


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## INSTG8R (May 11, 2021)

Should have included this freaky pic from the article that originally caught my eye


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## sepheronx (May 11, 2021)

INSTG8R said:


> Should have included this freaky pic from the article that originally caught my eye
> View attachment 199972


They will now have to dig underneath below the elephants foot in order to shield the stream.

Kinda neat looking really.  Not so much creepy. 

I always found the Red Forest to be far more creepy.  But also oddly beautiful.


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## Hemmingstamp (May 11, 2021)

INSTG8R said:


> Should have included this freaky pic from the article that originally caught my eye
> View attachment 199972



Deep inside is where it's all happening


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## Vayra86 (May 11, 2021)

Hemmingstamp said:


> It's was terrible and still is.



Watch that mini series man. Chernobyl. It also says a lot about our current information age, about uncovering truth amidst a sea of misleading information and about systems that work to remove truth altogether. I'll never forget it, anyway, and the whole thing is fantastic and horrible to watch all at the same time. Every time you get to realize 'this shit was actually real'. And the system that created it still exists, and might have just recently shown its best traits again with how it treated Navalny etc. And at the same time, we're also dealing with systems that constantly mislead and misdirect from truths.

History indeed does repeat.

*Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid.*

Apply this one to our current day and age, polarisation and the inability to say something about things because 'you're not supposed to' or 'its not so nice' or 'its difficult':

*When the truth offends, we lie and lie until we can no longer remember it is even there, but it is still there. *


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## lemonadesoda (May 11, 2021)

Some years ago, I was living for a short time in Belgium, and was at a private woodyard, buying some materials to build a strong garage racking system. There was a fantastic story: a kindergarten had been renovated, and an expensive beautiful wooden floor and framing was installed. Before opening the kindergarten, the local city did a technical health inspection to make sure there were no naughty volatile compound paints or wood preservers that would be considered unhealthy for the children. They didnt find any problem with the finishing work. But, by "chance" or by "tipoff" they did a radiation test. The wood was loaded with radioactivity.  It was more than 25 years after Chernobyl, and it must have been that some forests in Central/Eastern Europe had been opened up for harvesting, and this wood had made its way into the lumber supply chain.

Kindergarten was condemned and razed.

My view was different... the wood would be ideal... probably would never rot... last forever... lol. Just perhaps not to be used near children.

Interesting problem... tens of thousands of hectares of forests... should we use the wood for construction e.g. roofs, with sufficient distance to people? Barns with livestock? Chipboard for flatpack furniture? Send to china to make cardboard and paper which is then sent back in various formats so we can wipe our bums? Should we burn it in log fires and release into the atmosphere? It's a real problem... these forests are ready to harvest.


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## Vayra86 (May 11, 2021)

lemonadesoda said:


> Interesting problem... tens of thousands of hectares of forests... should we use the wood for construction e.g. roofs, with sufficient distance to people? Barns with livestock? Chipboard for flatpack furniture? Send to china to make cardboard and paper which is then sent back in various formats so we can wipe our bums? Should we burn it in log fires and release into the atmosphere? It's a real problem... these forests are ready to harvest.


Perfect co2 storage and nature reserve I say.


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## Susquehannock (May 11, 2021)

Just in time for the exclusion zone Atomik apple vodka that was recently seized by Ukrainian authorities.


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## Hemmingstamp (May 11, 2021)

Vayra86 said:


> Watch that mini series man. Chernobyl. It also says a lot about our current information age, about uncovering truth amidst a sea of misleading information and about systems that work to remove truth altogether. I'll never forget it, anyway, and the whole thing is fantastic and horrible to watch all at the same time. Every time you get to realize 'this shit was actually real'. And the system that created it still exists, and might have just recently shown its best traits again with how it treated Navalny etc. And at the same time, we're also dealing with systems that constantly mislead and misdirect from truths.
> 
> History indeed does repeat.
> 
> ...


I'll pass thanks. I watched it on the TV in 86 as events unfolded.


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## metalfiber (May 11, 2021)

Don't forget about Fukushima...






						Science | AAAS
					






					www.sciencemag.org


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## Wirko (May 11, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> But also, not sure whose genius idea it was to build the Japan one in a fault zone... and in a country that historically has tsunamis often... like seriously, build it somewhere else... LOL  human hubris ~


But also, not sure whose genius idea it was to build Japan in a fault zone... and on an island that historically has tsunamis often... like seriously, build it somewhere else...

And yet, they built Japan in Japan, they have had great success coping with many perils of nature, and this may have given them a little too much confidence.


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## Space Lynx (May 11, 2021)

Wirko said:


> But also, not sure whose genius idea it was to build Japan in a fault zone... and on an island that historically has tsunamis often... like seriously, build it somewhere else...
> 
> And yet, they built Japan in Japan, they have had great success coping with many perils of nature, and this may have given them a little too much confidence.



the failure of logic in this rebuttal astounds me.


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## the54thvoid (May 11, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> the failure of logic in this rebuttal astounds me.



I sense an English translation issue with the post above yours. It is amusing in isolation though.

As for the Chernobyl issue, article itself says there's time to study the neutron build up. But yeah, it's mental to consider how it's still working away. Who'd have thought half-lives were so damn pesky?


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## R-T-B (May 11, 2021)

sepheronx said:


> Did the French ever finish the new Sarcophagus for the NPP?


Yes.  It's all in the article.



Hemmingstamp said:


> I'll pass thanks. I watched it on the TV in 86 as events unfolded.


Then you only got half the story.  Many things have come out since 86.


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## Splinterdog (May 11, 2021)

"After a downpour in June 1990, a “*stalker*”—a scientist at Chernobyl who risks radiation exposure to venture into the damaged reactor hall—dashed in and sprayed gadolinium nitrate solution, which absorbs neutrons, on an FCM..."

Now I know.


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## R-T-B (May 11, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> "After a downpour in June 1990, a “*stalker*”—a scientist at Chernobyl who risks radiation exposure to venture into the damaged reactor hall—dashed in and sprayed gadolinium nitrate solution, which absorbs neutrons, on an FCM..."
> 
> Now I know.


The term "stalker" predates the game.  Weird factoid that also shows how few read the article...  lol.

Good job being the exception.


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## MIRTAZAPINE (May 11, 2021)

lemonadesoda said:


> Some years ago, I was living for a short time in Belgium, and was at a private woodyard, buying some materials to build a strong garage racking system. There was a fantastic story: a kindergarten had been renovated, and an expensive beautiful wooden floor and framing was installed. Before opening the kindergarten, the local city did a technical health inspection to make sure there were no naughty volatile compound paints or wood preservers that would be considered unhealthy for the children. They didnt find any problem with the finishing work. But, by "chance" or by "tipoff" they did a radiation test. The wood was loaded with radioactivity.  It was more than 25 years after Chernobyl, and it must have been that some forests in Central/Eastern Europe had been opened up for harvesting, and this wood had made its way into the lumber supply chain.
> 
> Kindergarten was condemned and razed.
> 
> ...


That is really interesting. I look up on Chernobyl for forest. There is problem about wood not rotting there due to the radiation. I am surprised as wood rot so easily in the open.


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## ShiBDiB (May 11, 2021)

Towards the bottom of the article it's important to note that they point out that even if the room in question was to have “an uncontrolled release of nuclear energy.” it would be contained in the new shelter. While not ideal (it would slow down further dismantling) it's not a huge deal.


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## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (May 11, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> These things make me feel old, it doesn't seem that long ago.


Then you must be a VERY busy person


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## Steevo (May 11, 2021)

It’s not that dangerous, they continued to make power from the other reactors for quite a few years, there are people living in close proximity to it.
The dangerous part of the reactor was the pressure vessel that exploded distributing the nuclear material all over, the short lived high energy products that made it so dangerous at first are now well into half life lower energy products. Don’t breathe the dust, and wait another 50 years, maybe in 100 years it will be a tourist or scientific attraction, it kinda already is


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## neatfeatguy (May 12, 2021)

Splinterdog said:


> "After a downpour in June 1990, a “*stalker*”—a scientist at Chernobyl who risks radiation exposure to venture into the damaged reactor hall—dashed in and sprayed gadolinium nitrate solution, which absorbs neutrons, on an FCM..."
> 
> Now I know.



As I read through and I see "stalker" - all I could think of was:

"Get out of here, Stalker."


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## Caring1 (May 12, 2021)

Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:


> Then you must be a VERY busy person


More a case of having that memory clearly imprinted on my brain, just as 9/11 was as I was watching news at the time and saw it happen liven to air.


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## R-T-B (May 12, 2021)

Steevo said:


> they continued to make power from the other reactors for quite a few years,


Despite the fact that RBMK reactors are a pretty bad design yes.  They weren't neccesarily "safe" it was economic neccesity.

The design has thermal monitoring blindspots, besides the control rod flaws HBO covered which were mostly patched way after the tragedy.

Wikipedia is a great resource for why those reactors were dangerous, as was my former College Professor, the late Robert Smurr.

Few here know this, but the class I took (Russia And Eurasia: Empires and Enduring legacies) had me visit Ukraine.  I could've visited Chernobyl but declined.  Perhaps for the best  Robert did this tour regularly, and eventually died of brain cancer after several fights in 2017.

RIP.








						Obituary of Robert Welling Smurr | Funeral Alternatives Of Washington
					

Robert Smurr passed away peacefully in Olympia, Washington, on December 31, 2017. Born January 17, 1961 in Sacramento, California, Rob lived life to the fullest and without regret.   Rob was as much at home in a classroom as in the great outdoors; both environments in which he excelled. He...



					funeralalternatives.org
				






neatfeatguy said:


> As I read through and I see "stalker" - all I could think of was:
> 
> "Get out of here, Stalker."


You and me both, actually.  It was all I could do to not shoot that asshole in the game at duty camp entrance.


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