Introduction I First Became Aware of the Accident That Occurred In

Introduction

I first became aware of the accident that occurred in Chernobyl on a trip to Austria in the summer of 2014. A special temporary museum exhibit that detailed the event intrigued both of my parents who each come from scientific fields. The images of mutated children and animals frightened me. I knew radiation was bad, but I didn’t know radiation. After that exhibit, I came across some videos about the topic during my many hours browsing YouTube. Years later, I would learn about environmental legislation during my junior year in high school, where

Chernobyl was mentioned as a revolutionary driving force for stricter sustainability laws. Later in that year, as I was scraping my memory for something I was passionate about, something that stirred emotion, I remembered the images I had been exposed to four years ago. With limited knowledge about the accident history and my interest in the environment, I decided to research

Chernobyl. Not sure where to start, I decided that I needed to learn about what had actually happened so that I could make my own conclusions based on the facts. What I found however, was that there was a lot of fluctuation in accounts of the disaster, and even fluctuations in reported statistics. This was explained when I learned more about the government’s role in the incident. With this in mind, I knew that I would have to draw upon knowledge from a variety of sources to attempt to get an idea of what the truth looked like. I looked at databases, newspapers, photographs, and many first hand accounts, and even interviewed someone who had visited and photographed the site. My idea entering the research paper was that the explosions served as an example of how if humans are not careful, we may become too technologically advanced for our own good. And while this remains a significant overtone in the arrangement of my findings, I found that there is a lot of optimism and lessons learned from the site. With this in mind, the

drawing of the radiation cloud looming over the young girl comes first, as a symbol of the dramatic impact of the accident. Followed by the research paper, which switches this idea of negativity to one that is focused on learning from mistakes. The picture of the abandoned school transitions to the poem and short story. The poem contains both appeals to the reader’s emotions and portrays the eerie disappearance of so many people. The short story is based on the actual

Grigori Medvedev’s experiences, which has implications that the government is to blame. The quote and image following also build on this idea, with the Russian definition of “liquidator”. To wrap up the idea that we have reason to be optimistic about the remediation of the site and development of new technology, I included the interview with Paul Hill-Gibbins, who talked about his positive experiences in Ukraine and his belief in the ability of nature to reclaim the

Exclusion Zone. And thus, a representation of my own discovery is translated into the order in which the research is presented. However, remembering the ideas of greater magnitude is important, as it puts certain events and past decisions into context.

CHERNOBYL Jetson Ku

Jetson Ku

AP Language & Composition - Class 1

Mrs. Marks

9 May 2018

The Last Extinction

Introduction

So far, throughout the observed history of our planet, there have been five mass extinctions, with a sixth ongoing. While the routine loss of species is a natural process in effect since the beginning of life on Earth, mass extinctions implicate periods of drastic changes in biodiversity and balance of ecosystems. According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, “The classical explanation for the lesser and greater mass extinctions of life included climatic change

[…] With the 1980 publication of a widely cited paper in the journal Science (by American physicist Luis W. Alvarez [1911–1988] and others) that showed strong evidence of comet or asteroid impact at the 65-million year old mass extinction boundary (the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary), many investigations shifted toward possible cosmic impact as the cause of other mass extinctions.” (King Jr.). However the most recent decline in species has different implications.

As stated in the Center for Biological Diversity’s article on “The Extinction Crisis”, we may very well be in the midst of another mass extinction, with species loss increased to 1,000-10,000 times the “background” rate. The article goes on to state that 99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activity, citing climate change, invasive species and habitat loss as three examples of humans’ adverse effects on the environment. These statistics also happen to support the theory of Thomas Malthus, who believed that humans would eventually bring upon

themselves famine and poverty. Through over-reproduction, and the tendency of humans to increase their own carrying capacity so as to remain unchecked by nature, it would seem that eventually there will be an end to the innovation allowing us to exponentially flourish. The result is immense pressure on scientists to develop new technology in an attempt to outrace the growth of the population. And with pressure, comes mistakes.

Instrument of Destruction

Initially, scientists believed nuclear power to be impractical. After tests at the University of Chicago in 1942 however, the energy potential of controlled nuclear reactions was successfully demonstrated. In theory, nuclear fission sounds ideal. Bombard

Uranium isotopes with neutrons so that they will split into more neutrons that split more

Uranium atoms, and you have a chain reaction on your hands. The energy also produced during this reaction was unprecedented in magnitude and efficiency. Alas, the reaction of so powerful an element proved to be difficult to control. During development of the atomic bombs during

World War II, there was no real need to manage the reaction. However, when attempting to harness the same type of energy to power a house, more care must be taken. Scientists found that control rods, devices that regulated the number of neutrons in the reactor cores of nuclear power plants, were necessary to keep the reaction going and to keep it from releasing too much energy.

Along with these rods, a cooling water system must be implemented to slow the rate of fission in the core.

The purpose of these extensive safety measures is to prevent mass exposure of the radiation to humans. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science states that “Biological damage caused by exposure to ionizing [radiation] ranges from mild tissue burns to cancer, genetic damage, and

ultimately, death.” (Haycock). While there are many different classifications of forms in which radioactive material can be exposed to humans, the effects are understood to be extremely harmful to human health as stated above. The unit “rad” measure the dose of radiation that one gram of a substance absorbs. One inconsistency that the Gale Encyclopedia mentions however, is that the rad does not accurately show the effects that the dose may have on human health, as radiation from different sources may produce rads with different human tissue interactions.

Consequently the “rem” was implemented as a unit that recorded “the dose of any radiation that produces the same biological effect, or dose equivalent, in humans as one rad x ray.” (Haycock).

These are both two of the units commonly used in the study of radiation today. Visible radiation, such as from sources emitting visible light and sources emitting infrared waves transfer energy to whole molecules. The energy absorbed by these molecules can cause them to vibrate, which could be problematic when these molecules makes up human tissue. In ionizing radiation, energy is absorbed by electrons near the nuclei of molecules. As the electrons are disturbed, they may move from the energy level in which they belong , causing health problems such as sunburn, damage to skin, and eventually skin cancers. Damaged molecules may also interact with unaffected molecules which can damage them. For example, DNA may be affected so that it cannot be copied, resulting in genetic malfunctions.

Pripyat

“At 1:24 a.m. local time on Saturday, April 26, Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power

Plant was rocked by two enormous explosions. The roof was blown off the plant and radioactive gasses and materials were sent more than thirty-six hundred feet (eleven hundred meters) into the

atmosphere. Two workers were killed instantly and another dozen received levels of radiation that would cause their death within the next two weeks.” (“Chernobyl accident”).

Widely regarded as one of the worst environmental disasters in history, The explosions in

Ukraine in 1986 would capture the world’s attention and leave lasting impacts expected to continue for centuries. Situated near the borders of Ukraine and Belarus, the nuclear power plant had held four reactors and generated somewhere near four gigawatts, with construction for fifth and sixth reactors underway at the time of the accident. The complex utilized graphite as a controlling substance that slowed neutrons passing through, along with water that cooled the hot reactors. According to “When Technology Fails”, 15% of the country’s electricity was produced by nuclear power plants, with upwards of 20 other plants using similar designs to facilitate reactions. Confident in the practicality of the process however, authorities in Moscow chose to ignore warnings from American scientists that had been delivered for almost a decade before the accident. In reality, there was indeed cause for concern, as the Soviets’ design did not include containment shells and left a large vulnerability to loss of control when the cooling water is lost.

The U.S. even had experience with nuclear disasters, after a reactor in Three Mile Island partially melted down in 1979. It is believed that if the Americans’ reactor did not have the safety features that they were recommending to the Soviet Union, then the accident would have had much more adverse effects on the surrounding environment. Inevitably, that which could go wrong eventually did go wrong in the middle of the night on April 26, 1986. It is understood that operators wanted to perform an unauthorized experiment testing the emergency functions in a controlled system. What followed this reckless idea was several mistakes, that when made together, and only together, would prove fatal. The biggest of these being to disable the coolant

system and remove the control rods. In order for their tests to work, the crew needed the reactor in operation. As soon as they began the experiment however, the reactor began to lose power. In an attempt to restore its productivity and increase the rate of fission, the coolant system was disabled so that the power level rose again. Proving unsuccessful, the energy output continued to decline. In one of the most costly decisions in history, the crew proceeded to remove the control rods that managed the rate of fission further. Power rose quickly, and the crew realized that the rods would need to be manually reinserted. However the unchecked heat in the core had melted the channels for the control rods. The operators were not able to correctly drop in the rods, which allowed the power to keep rising out of control. The temperature rose until the top of the reactor exploded as the initial reaction. Later, another explosion occurred, however it is unclear what caused it. Scientists have theorized however, that the molten core from the first explosion caused a literal “bomb-like” second explosion to occur.

Exodus

The death count would total as 31 after two weeks, with near 300 injured. The displacement of 135,000 people from the “exclusion zone” destroyed life as many knew it.

200,000 more people were soon forced to move as well, leaving the town abandoned as the government dealt with the nuclear fallout.

Or as many would say, as the government failed to deal with the nuclear fallout. The disaster was left unrecognized officially until after foreign countries picked up signs of radiation in winds two days later. And it was in a four sentence report by the Soviet news network that the world learned of the worst nuclear accident that has happened still to date. “An accident has occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant as one of the reactors was damaged. Measures are

being taken to eliminate the consequences of the accident. Aid is being given to those affected. A

Government commission has been set up.” (Schememann) But before the Soviet Union lay the largest remediation task in history. With the liquidators, a term for the people tasked with cleaning up the world’s biggest mess, and most residents exposed to near 100,000 times the background radiation rate, health problems were predictably most prevalent in these people.

(“Health Effects”). The effects of the explosion were both long and short-term. Cases of thyroid cancer erupted as radioactive iodine consumed by cows as it rained down in their pastures contaminated the milk that was in turn consumed by children at the time. Scientists are also continuing to monitor the occurrence of leukaemia diagnosis, with the survivors of the atomic bombs in Japan found to be at high risk for cases of leukaemia. Increases in other types of cancer however, are difficult to identify, however it is believed that there may be a slight correlation with exposure to radiation. The World Health Organization also reported that “134 liquidators received radiation doses high enough to be diagnosed with acute radiation sickness (ARS).

Among them, 28 persons died in 1986 due to ARS. Other liquidators have since died but their deaths could not necessarily be attributed to radiation exposure.” (“Health Effects”). Due to the multitude of problems that radiation causes within the human body, an overall increase in mortality is to be expected, especially in an incident of this magnitude. Additional health issues reported include cataracts, cardiovascular disease, psychological damage, and reproductive and genetic malfunctions. Reported death tolls did not take into account the radiation sickness that continued to kill civilians long after the incident.

Plants were unable to be harvested as they were contaminated by radiation, and farm animals had to be disposed of so that no one consumed contaminated meat. Food had to be

imported from safe zones. 20 and even 30 years later, the products from the area are still too high in level of radiation to be safe for consumption or export. A study done by Dr Anders Moller from France and Prof. Timothy Mousseau from the University of Southern California as referenced in Sarah Shearman’s “Radiation Continuing to Affect Chernobyl Wildlife”, contradicted claims that the biodiversity in the area was flourishing with a lack of humans, and instead was on decline. With radiation present on the surface of the soil invertebrates were exposed to higher levels and experienced reproductive and genetic problems (Shearman). The implications of this sudden decrease in biodiversity are quite alarming. With a disruption this large continuing as long as it has, the ecosystems surrounding may also be affected. In this way, the global scale still may be harmed as positive feedback loops multiply the effects of the explosion.

The USSR

Liquidators, professionals ordered by the government to begin cleanup on their mess were either ordered to work on the site for a set time or volunteered to help. With little experience in such a hostile environment for humans, they were often exposed to extremely high levels of radiation, despite their protective gear. Despite their documented suffering, many were never truly recognized, although the job was viewed as heroic. Teams worked for years to clean up debris, construct a “sarcophagus” to contain the reactor, decontaminate, build infrastructure, and bury buildings designated as contaminated. All these efforts ultimately ended up temporarily reducing the problems. The burial of contaminated buildings perhaps serves as one of the most accurate metaphors for the remediation of the site.

The Soviet Union fell in 1991, relatively recently in terms of the remediation process.

Chernobyl may very well have had something to do with this, after it was discovered that officials were attempting to withhold information from the citizens. This is already evident in the public’s first knowledge of the event, during the news statement, saying that a reactor had been damaged without informing people the potential health risks. There was little services offered to those exposed to the radiation as they were forced to move from their hometown as life continued as normal even in Kiev, which was just South of Chernobyl. As people learned that the government had knowingly tried to keep them and everyone else in the dark, there became a severe lack of trust between the government and its outraged constituents. Valery Legasov, an important member of a investigation commission who was tasked with analyzing the facts and telling the entire truth, committed suicide, demonstrating the Soviets’ lack of control over the situation (Kurylo). The decision not to inform the public of health risks and provide sufficient aid demonstrated the need for a new policy based on transparency and communication between the government and the people.

Opportunity Within Difficulty

Despite all the negative connotations that come with study after study done on the site, scientists are already using the event as as learning experience. New safety technology has been and is being developed as awareness has been brought to the field. The design in use in

Chernobyl during 1986 is now considered out of date. Plants today are not dependent on the perfection of every worker, and are instead protected by extensive procedures that must be carefully followed. Mistakes, unlike 30 years ago, are intolerable. It would be unthinkable to perform an unauthorized test of emergency features with the knowledge now of what such a

decision can do. There are many layers of defense, but as Lawrence Lidsky writes, “The redundancy built in to reactors gives a false sense of security” (Lidsky). Most importantly however, with this knowledge, environmental regulation has become more strict to prevent disasters of the kind. The formation of organizations that monitor the sustainable production of energy benefit both the environment and the population.

An unexpected discovery in the exclusion zone also proved that opportunity can still be born from such a disaster. National Geographic’s Nick Lunn wrote about species that had selected to be radiation-resistant. In his article he also talked to Professor Mousseau about the study of species that can circumvent the effects of radiation and how it can be used to benefit astronauts. The gamma radiation present in Chernobyl is not unlike that which they would experience from cosmic radiation. (Lunn) Additionally, USA Today’s Kim Hjelmgaard described how the exclusion zone not only provides scientific research opportunity, but an unexpected sanctuary from the chaos of the world. Understandably, the site attracts visitors fascinated with the story behind the land. The hidden danger that scares us so much. Stalkers, as

Hjelmgaard writes, disobey prohibitions from the government and enter the zone, mostly for the sake of adventure. It started as something that criminals did to escape punishment, but now it’s for thrill seekers, and those looking to simply spend the night. As long as you don’t take anything home, most will be able to leave safely, says stalker Oleg Shalashov, who has stayed in the abandoned apartments in Pripyat overnight. In this way, we see that despite the adversity and controversy that came with the accident, humans are able to take something positive from it and learn so that the future of the planet can be ensured.

With this being said however, it is important that we not only say that we learned from this mistake, but to hold the mistakes in our memories, and remember the consequences. The

Earth simply cannot afford to have mistakes like this happen as our population grows more and more out of control. With the greater power that comes with more people, there is great responsibility put on every inhabitant of this planet to sustain it for as long as possible. After all, the only reason that we are able to exist today is the forgiveness that nature has. We have not made one large mistake yet, perhaps because we are not meant to be able to. Instead, if we were to be in a position where Earth is no longer able to sustain us, it would likely be a series of mistakes, that when made together and only together, would prove to be fatal. But as long as we continue to damage and misuse resources, our accident draws ever closer.

Ghost Town

Death comes.

Draped in invisible rags,

It forces mother from son, father from daughter.

The elementary school stands defiant, but alas,

The laughter of children, now absent.

Apartment buildings, jutting from the ground,

No longer home.

The pride of a city,

Reduced to a symbol of consequences

A reminder of a mistake

Where does it lie?

In the ground, the roots beneath my feet,

The land which raised me.

In my bread, mixed in the milk,

The meal that made me stronger.

The buildings, the air which I breathe,

He suffocates.

My world is a Ghost Town.

National Hero

The air burned. Grigori Medvedev advanced towards the rubble, suddenly aware of a greater power surrounding the building. Over him, the looming pile of concrete dwarfed him, making him feel less significant than he already did. All around, men were picking up debris by hand.

“If only they knew.” Flashes of worry darted across his mind as he remembered his readings all but 10 minutes ago. 1,000 millisieverts in some locations. Enough to cause acute radiation sickness, an ailment he knew all too well.

Having been exposed to high levels of radiation in a laboratory accident, he considered himself lucky to only be hospitalized for months. Thus, seeing the liquidators without sufficient equipment was concerning.

Responsible for the some of the construction of the reactor 10 years ago now, he had been put in charge of the Central Directory for Power Station Construction in Moscow. Ordered by higher-ups to investigate, Medvedev had solemnly followed orders. He was unaware of exactly how high radiation levels would be, but his boss told him, “We believe that radiation has leaked from the core and contaminated the town. We have selected you to take readings from the area and report back with a conclusion.”

Upon arrival in Pripyat, the deathly emptiness of the town came out to greet him.

Buildings had simply been abandoned, some possessions strew across the road, others still lay in the buildings he peered in. It was obvious, the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong.

He detected levels of radiation that exceeded background rates, and so he decided to put on his protective gear and continue. Seeing everything simply left behind was unsettling. Everything he

saw once had held value to someone, and now it was nothing, almost as if it had never existed, a dream. At points during his trip through the empty city, he encountered dazed farm animals, cows that wandered up to his car, starving and clearly suffering. Driving away, he knew that there was no food to be had for the pitiful animal for miles around.

It was weird to him, experiencing the eerie isolation of the town and suddenly happening upon a scene of destruction with humans crawling all over it. The soldiers charged with cleaning up were even less protected than he was, and with a sick feeling to his stomach, he knew that they were probably in grave danger. Greeted by a fatigued man in what looked like his 30’s, his premonition became suddenly very real. He was aware that they had been working for a long time now - it was May 8, 12 days after the explosion - but he was also aware of the feeling of tiredness and nervousness that put those exposed to radiation on edge.

Somewhat infuriated by what these men had been tasked with, Grigori continued with his assignment, taking measurements that demonstrated cause for concern. It seemed unfair, the massive burden immediately placed on his shoulders. He knew that he had come here with a purpose given to him, but he realized that he had discovered new purpose within his exploration of the exclusion zone. He had the responsibility of telling the story which no one wanted to hear, the one that would tell of inevitable death, and the one that would bring down those who tried to cover it up.

With a heavy conscience, Grigori entered the reactor.

Immediately he felt the burning sensation on his eyelids from what he expected to be extremely ionized air. Every breath he drew in was a battle, and the heat began to creep across his body, a cold sweat suddenly emerging. Grigori, after collecting his thoughts, realized that

whatever he was about to see would change the legacy of the disaster. Moving slowly through the complex, he reached the reactor room. Buttons and switches glared at the intruder from panels on the wall and the console before him. The powerless room possessed the aura of a sleeping beast, once the heart of a system with unimaginable capability. Having heard that an unauthorized test combined with the malfunction of control rods led to the explosion, it occurred to the scientist to check the position of the control rods at the time of the explosion. His heart now racing, he became uncomfortable under all of his equipment. If only it wasn’t the only thing separating him from his biggest fear. An inspection of the various displays told him that the rods were most likely inserted the full length of the core prior to the accident. It occurred to him that the operators probably panicked and had carelessly put the rods back in. Whipping out his measuring instruments, he read 6,104 millisieverts. A fatal dose. This told him all he needed to know.

As he exited the reactor, leaving the fateful room behind, another feeling washed over him. The sight of workers around him, exposed unknowingly to their own death, gripped him.

Men were now vomiting, overcome by the feelings of nausea and dizziness. One looked young, couldn’t have been over 20. He acknowledged the silent Grigori with a nod. Stunned by what he had witnessed, the physicist walked away with the weight of the country on his shoulders.

The air still burned.

Paul Hill-Gibbins Interview

Mr. Hill Gibbins was contacted via e-mail and responded to the following questions about his experience in Chernobyl.

Q: How did you become interested in the site? A: I've had a fascination with photographing derelict buildings for many years, mostly in the UK, mental hospitals, power stations etc. Pripyat has a whole city full of empty buildings so it just seemed like the next logical place to go.

Q: How many times have you visited? A: I've visited 3 times for a total of 8 days.

Q: How have you seen the town change over time? A: There is a great deal of metal recycling going on in the Zone so some cranes had been cut up. The weather continues to take its toll on the buildings, one of the schools partially collapsed between visits. Progress on new safe confinement building over reactor 4 was also very obvious. The iconic red and white chimney of the reactor was removed to ensure it could fit.

Q: How involved is the government in human activity at the site? A: You have to have an official pass to enter the Zone and you must have a registered guide with you at all times. There are patrols within the Zone. I, and my guide, were told off for being spotted on a roof top at one point. There are also checkpoints as you enter the Zone and Pripyat.

Q: What safety measures, if any, did you have to take before visiting? A: None really, just followed the advice of my guide. Cleaned my hands before eating anything. Tried to stay off the moss as it absorbs radiation and not fall through any floors!

Q: Do you think the current level of remediation is sufficient? A: Yes, I think funding for the new safe confinement building was crucial along with the ongoing work associated with it. The rest of the Zone I think should be left to nature to reclaim.

Q: Is there a particular photo that you took that stands out to you? A: I'm not sure I have one favourite but I have good memories of visiting the dockyard as it was a beautiful crisp morning and we'd sneaked out without our guide on that occasion.

Interview Report

To conduct primary research, I chose to interview someone who has visited the site multiple times and has captured the essence of Chernobyl through photography. I reached out over email to several different people who possess a wealthy knowledge of the history of the event. I received three responses, one being from Dr. Pierpaolo Mittica, an award-winning Italian photographer/videographer based in Venice. Unfortunately, Dr. Mittica said that he was currently quite busy and would love to help, but he did not send responses to my questions in time to include in the report. The manager of Gerd Ludwig, a German photographer with an extensive portfolio now working for National Geographic, informed me that Mr. Ludwig would not be able to be respond to questions at the moment, but provided me with a transcript of a previous interview. Finally, Paul Hill-Gibbins, an amateur photographer, responded with answers to all seven of my questions. From his website, The Chernobyl Gallery, he is not a photographer, but found the Exclusion Zone both “frustrating and fascinating” (Hill-Gibbins). The first question of the interview asked “How did you become interested in the site?” I wanted to know why someone from a small town in England would chose to make a trip to such a location. I suspected that his interest in the area was not kindled unlike mine. Personally, I come from a family of scientists and am passionate about the environment, but Mr. Hill-Gibbins responded that “I've had a fascination with photographing derelict buildings for many years, mostly in the UK, mental hospitals, power stations etc. Pripyat has a whole city full of empty buildings so it just seemed like the next logical place to go.” (E-mail Interview). He’s not wrong about the empty buildings part. With a city that had a population of roughly 50,000 people, there were a lot of buildings left behind to photograph. His website includes photographs from a variety of

different locations ranging from the children’s holiday camp to the cooling towers. The second question asked how many times he had visited, to which he responded that he had visited three times for a total of eight days. The fact that he had been multiple times was important to me as part of the purpose of the interview was to gain some first hand insight into how the site has changed over time, which I directly asked in my third question, “How have you seen the town change over time?” Mr. Hill Gibbins responded, saying, “There is a great deal of metal recycling going on in the Zone so some cranes had been cut up. The weather continues to take its toll on the buildings, one of the schools partially collapsed between visits. Progress on new safe confinement building over reactor 4 was also very obvious. The iconic red and white chimney of the reactor was removed to ensure it could fit.” (E-mail Interview). It was sad to hear that the town remains abandoned, but it is understandable, with levels of radiation in the town still relatively high to the point where it is uninhabitable. It would seem however, that purposeful progress has been made in terms of remediation managed by the government. Curious about how regulated the zone is now, I also asked if the government was involved in any way in the city and if they had to take safety measures to enter the Exclusion Zone. He said that there was basically some checkpoints and patrols, and that you needed a pass along with an approved guide, but there were no background checks, pat-downs, or bag searches. It seemed to be a quite popular tourist destination even. He also mentioned that they did not need to wear any protective equipment when wandering through the city and even when near the cooling towers and the reactors. I also wondered what he thought about how the government was handling it now, and he seemed satisfied, responding, “ I think funding for the new safe confinement building was crucial along with the ongoing work associated with it. The rest of the Zone I think should be left

to nature to reclaim.” (E-mail Interview). And with the Ukrainian officials now in charge of the site, the stalling of progress during the downfall of the Soviet Union is a topic of the past. The location is far from being habitable again, but there is distinct improvement in the area. Finally, I was interested to find out if he had a single photograph that stuck with him, that carried a certain weight. It was a tough question, but he answered that his experiences in the dockyard were remembered most fondly. It was this response, contrasting with my expectation of a photograph loaded with emotion, that made me realize that his resounding optimism serves as an example of how humans will inevitably repair and move on. No matter how long we want to dwell on the past, it is important to remember the consequences of our mistakes and make decisions for the future based on our learnings.

Liqvidator - Russian verb - “to elimnate”, “to eliminate the consequences of an accident”

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http://chernobylgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/chernobyl-gallery-liquidators.jpg

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“Nuclear power.” Environmental Encyclopedia, edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield, Gale, 2011. Science In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644150965/SCIC?u=s0973&sid=SCIC&xid=ae1

d2a3a. Accessed 31 May 2018.

Schememann, Serge. “Soviet Announces Nuclear Accident at Electric Plant.” The New York Times [New York City], 28 Apr. 1986, p. 1. The New York Times Learning Network, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0426.html.

Accessed 5 June 2018.

Shearman, Sarah. “Radiation continuing to affect Chernobyl wildlife.” Geographical, June 2009, p. 9. Environmental Studies and Policy Collection, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A201801354/PPES?u=s0973&sid=PPES&xid=44c6d

a78. Accessed 8 May 2018.

“Thomas Malthus.” University of California Museum of Paleontology, Regents of the University of California, www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/malthus.html. Accessed 1 June 2018.

Additional interview with Dr. Pierpaolo Mittica. - https://www.pierpaolomittica.com/bio/, who responded after the project was completed “Dr. Pierpaolo Mittica, Italian humanist photographer and videomaker, is an award - winning photographer based in Venice (Italy). He received the Masters Program at CRAF diploma in conservation, technique and history of photography in 1990, studying with Charles – Henri Favrod, Naomi Rosenblum and Walter Rosenblum, who is his spiritual father in photography. His photographs have been exhibited all over Europe, United States and China, and published in Italian and international newspapers and magazines among them: l'Espresso, Alias del Manifesto, Vogue Italia, Repubblica, Panorama, Il Sole 24 ore, Oggi, Le Scienze, Photomagazine, Daylight Magazine, Days Japan International, Asahi Shinbum, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Spiegel, Wired USA, Asian Geo, National Geographic USA.

His photographs about Fukushima were included in two movies: “Fukushame” (Teatro Primo Studio, 2012) directed by Alessandro Tesei "A Nuclear Story, inside Fukushima", (Teatro Primo Studio, 2014) directed by Matteo Gagliardi and Pio d’Emilia.

He is author of two movies together with Alessandro Tesei and Michele Marcolin:

Living Toxic, Russia (Produced by Sydonia, 2014) Broadcast on TVN 24 (Poland) SOCIETE RADIO CANADA (Canada) Al JAZEERA DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL (MENA - Middle East & North Africa) SLOVAKIA 1 E 2 (Slovakia)

Behind the Urals (Produced by Mondo in Cammino, 2015)”

hi Jetson I send you the answer I hope it is enough for you! good luck with your work

Pierpaolo

How did you become interested in the site? I became interest in Chernobyl in 2002 when I met in my country the director of an NGO working in the contaminated lands in Belarus. I was very interested about her stories so I decided to go there to see.

How many times have you visited? from 2002 i did more than 20 trips till now in Ukraine and Belarus

How have you seen the town change over time, if at all? everything changed in all those years except the levels of radiaton tnat will last for more than 200 thousand years. The city of Pripyat began to crumbling and many buildings now collapsed. Also when I went there the first years was a ghost town, I was alone wandering in the city, but from 2011 the ukraine government open the doors of the exclusion zone to tourism and today you can find hundreds of tourists in the city and it looks like an amusement park

How involved is the government in human activity at the site?

there are very few helps from the governments to the victims of chernobyl and to the people living in contaminated lands. And every year the government cuts the funds for the victims. Most helps come from NGO

What safety measures, if any, did you have to take before visiting? there are some really important rules to follow to not be contaminated. One of the most important is to wear a mask to protect to not inhaling radioactive particles and to not touch with bare hands around the places

Do you think the current level of remediation is sufficient? it is not sufficient and it will be never sufficient because contamination is really high and dangerous for people, the only remedy is to not live in contaminated lands

Is there a particular photo that you took that stands out to you? there are many pictures that I feel linked because there are many special stories in chernobyl so for me it is very difficult to say just one