Chernobyl

Link: Crumbling Chernobyl Shelter Poses Danger.

It’s pretty frightening what’s happening to Chernobyl and everyone should be talking about it. Best case scenario, radiation leaks out a little bit every day and poisons more of the land surrounding Chernobyl. Worst case scenario, there’s a possibility of another explosion happening and sending radioactive dust worldwide.

It’s been nearly 20 years since the meltdown occurred on April 26, 1986. The Russian government contained the radiation by building a concrete and steel shelter over the mess, but that has proved to be a poor decision since the concrete is starting to crumble from water damage (both inside and outside).

HBO aired a special called Chernobyl Heart in 2003 which dealt with some of the human effects of the meltdown. People who were children then are now 20-something adults with health problems, cancer, thyroid issues, you name it. There are children being born today that suffer from all sorts of birth defects, which scientists are certain are a direct result of what happened in Chernobyl. It’s a really heart-breaking thing to see and should anger and motivate people to ask questions that it seems nobody wants to ask.

Recently, people have been posting photo tours of Chernobyl online so everyone can see how bad things still are, 20 years on. Here’s one, another and a third. It’s hard to see stuff like this and still whine about how things are here, in the land of opportunity and excess.

Chernobyl