In September 1957, residents noticed a strange yet spectacular colorful display in the sky that appeared to be just a weird form of the northern light. But it wasn’t anything harmless as it carried literal death with it after a nuclear disaster happened in the southwest of the Soviet Union.
After the Chernobyl catastrophe, this was the second most catastrophic nuclear event in history.
It was classified as a Level 6 catastrophe on the International Nuclear Event Scale, making it the third most severe nuclear disaster on the INES after the Chernobyl nuclear accident and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster classified as Level 7 disasters INES.
The catastrophe dispersed hot particles across more than 52,000 square kilometers, covering a population of at least 270,000 people.
Because Chelyabinsk-40 was not shown on maps, the catastrophe was given the name Kyshtym, the closest recognized town.
Before World War II
Due to the Soviet Union’s technological and scientific deficit behind the United States in creating nuclear weapons after World War II, its government launched a fast research and development effort to create an adequate quantity of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium for nuclear bombs.
The Mayak facility was constructed in a hurried manner between 1945 and 1948. Because of gaps in scientists’ understanding of nuclear physics at the time, it was impossible to assess the safety of a wide range of choices.
During the early stages of development, environmental issues were considered a secondary consideration. When Mayak began dumping high-level radioactive waste, it deposited it into a local river, which flowed to the river Ob, flowing farther downstream to the Arctic Ocean.
In response to the rapid pollution of Lake Kyzyltash, Lake Karachay was utilized as an open-air storage facility, allowing the contamination to remain at a safe distance from the reactors and rapidly becoming the most polluted place on the planet.
Around 1953, a facility for storing liquid nuclear waste was built into the complex. Because of the high amount of radioactivity in the trash, it was self-heating due to the decay heat produced by the waste.
A cooler comprising twenty tanks was constructed around each bank as a result of this decision. It was impossible to monitor the functioning of the coolers and the contents of the tanks since the facilities were insufficient.
The Big Explosion
The cooling system in one of the tanks at Mayak, which held about 70–80 tons of liquid radioactive waste at the time, broke in 1957 and was left unrepaired.
Because of the rising temperature, the dried waste began to evaporate and combust, resulting in a chemical explosion of ammonium nitrate and acetates, which were the primary constituents.
A 160-ton concrete lid was launched into the air by the explosion, which occurred on September 29, 1957, and was believed to have produced a force of about 70–100 tons of TNT.
The majority of this contamination accumulated around the accident site and contributed to the poisoning of the Techa River. The Techa river and other formerly polluted sites are included within the impacted area.
The radioactive cloud proceeded towards the northeast during the following ten to eleven hours, eventually reaching a distance of 300–350 kilometers from the accident site.
The cloud’s fallout resulted in long-term pollution of an area ranging from more than 800 km2 to more than 20,000 km2, depending on what degree of contamination is deemed significant at the time.
This region is referred to as the East-Ural Radioactive Trace in the scientific community.
The Aftermath
Initially, the disaster was not announced to the residents of the impacted regions because of the secrecy that surrounded Mayak.
A week later, on the 6th of October 1957, an effort to evacuate 10,000 individuals from the affected region began, with no explanation as to why they were being forced to evacuate.
Initially, the disaster was not announced to the residents of the impacted regions because of the secrecy that surrounded Mayak.
A week later, on the 6th of October 1957, an effort to evacuate 10,000 individuals from the affected region began, with no explanation as to why they were being forced to evacuate.
Although the catastrophe occurred more than a century ago, it was only 18 years later, in 1976, that Soviet dissident Zhores Medvedev revealed its full scope, scope, and severity to a worldwide audience.
During the time period when there was no dependable information, exaggerated tales of the tragedy were presented.
People were frantic with dread as a result of the outbreak of unknown and strange illnesses.
Faces, hands, and other exposed portions of the victims’ bodies were observed with skin sloughing off of them.
There is uncertainty about the actual number of deaths since radiation-induced cancer is very frequently clinically indistinguishable from any other cancer.
The incidence rate of radiation-induced cancer can only be determined via epidemiological research.
Wrapping Up
Although the amount of radioactivity in Ozyorsk is meager, 2002 research found that the Mayak nuclear employees and the Techa riverbank population are nevertheless exposed to harmful radiation levels.
