Heros
Twenty years ago next week the Number 4 Reactor at Chernobyl exploded. The naturally unstable cesium/uranium reaction generated so much heat that the reactive metals caught fire. The radioactive materials were actually burning and belching out radioactive smoke. The potential death toll was unspeakably huge. The only way to prevent mass death all over the world was to put out the fire, and encapsulate the radioactive debris from the exploded reactor.
And into that man-made Hell, a group of brave volunteers, the Liquidators, marched. These were not prisoners or soldiers. They were the expert steel and concrete workers from across the Soviet Union. They had volunteered AFTER having been briefed about the situation: That is, a worker in this area would reach a lethal dose of radiation in about 1 hour, but could continue working for about 5 days before becoming too disabled to continue. In other words, if you went into that inferno and left 61 minutes later, you would die of radiation poisoning within about 6 months. If you stayed there and worked after the first hour you could continue working, but would get progressively weaker and probably die in about 5 days. It was a total suicide mission. But someone had to do it to stop the emission of radioactive smoke.
And over 3,000 construction workers went into the fire and build a steel and concrete vault around the reactor. Coal miners came in from the Urals to tunnel underneath. Pilots flew over the fire and dropped loads of sand, clay and lead to put out the fire. And the concrete and steel guys built the building... and they all died where they worked.
It happened twenty years ago next week. Think about those guys and drink a toast (of vodka).
Peace out.
And into that man-made Hell, a group of brave volunteers, the Liquidators, marched. These were not prisoners or soldiers. They were the expert steel and concrete workers from across the Soviet Union. They had volunteered AFTER having been briefed about the situation: That is, a worker in this area would reach a lethal dose of radiation in about 1 hour, but could continue working for about 5 days before becoming too disabled to continue. In other words, if you went into that inferno and left 61 minutes later, you would die of radiation poisoning within about 6 months. If you stayed there and worked after the first hour you could continue working, but would get progressively weaker and probably die in about 5 days. It was a total suicide mission. But someone had to do it to stop the emission of radioactive smoke.
And over 3,000 construction workers went into the fire and build a steel and concrete vault around the reactor. Coal miners came in from the Urals to tunnel underneath. Pilots flew over the fire and dropped loads of sand, clay and lead to put out the fire. And the concrete and steel guys built the building... and they all died where they worked.
It happened twenty years ago next week. Think about those guys and drink a toast (of vodka).
Peace out.