Hey 👋 I have added titles to this video, please understand that this was my last resort on this my third attempt at posting the video. I will always post my reaction without titles first but unfortunately sometimes this happens. Hope you still enjoy it! My original version is on my Patreon for all tiers to watch!
We still have radiation in mushrooms here in Finland, in some areas. Not dangerously high, but it's there. Quite far from Ukraine, but winds brought us some fall out pollution. Following couple of years after the disaster it was recommended by officials that people should not eat mushrooms at all here in FIN. I remember this very well.
The helicopter hit the chain of a crane with its blades because it lost the radio connection due to radiation, which perhaps also damaged the controls of the helicopter itself
One thing you must understand about the United Soviet Socialist Republic is their ideology is a perfect society. ANYTHING that threatens that ideology is classified (information) or jailed or killed (people).
I was 15 years old when this happened, living in Arizona in the USA, going to high school, and I remember watching the news and then talking about it in classes right after it happened. Around 10 years ago I was able to visit Pripyat/Chernobyl while on holiday in Ukraine. It was the most sobering place I have ever visited, and I have visited the killing fields in Cambodia, and a few of the concentration camps in Germany and Poland. This is one of my favorite mini-series.
Radiation doesn't spread from person to person like a disease as such - even though further episodes of this series do suggest it does. It's radioactive materials that do the damage - a person who has absorbed a lot of radiation and is dying won't be dangerous to others if any and all particles have been washed off. But their own cells will continue to degrade if the exposure was high enough.
Radioactive contamination goes deep. Even your own sweat can be radioactive and damaging to others. You can't simply wash radiation off. In Moscow hospital, the victims' matrasses had to be changed all the time.
This is largely true. But I have been told that in the Soviet Union at the time they believed it did spread that way and so in that sense the show is realistic. Someone else pointed out in the first episode comments that keeping the visitor away was really to protect the victim whose immune system was collapsing.
Hi Marley first time on your channel. I just saw your Episode 1.. Yes the series is Historically accurate. The only thing which they take filmakers license is about radiation. If your at the spot where an atomic bomb explodes your vaporized from the heat. Radiation works much more slowly. Its effects take days, weeks, months , years to show effect, depending on level of exposure. Also you cannot get radiation sick from a person once their clothing has been removed and the body washed. Well only from their blood, but not by touch. Yes you get radiation from the cloths. In the evacuation notice they are saying ""An Unpleasant level or radiation has been detected. Take documents, medicines food and clothing for a few weeks"". The big problem with info here was the Soviet Nuclear Industry was classified as ""Secret" by the KGB (Soviet Secret Police) thats why there no safety equipment, procedures, no training. The helicopter which crashed hit its blades on cables hanging from a crane. The series gets emotionally worse, and worse. Be ready to cry. You wont find out what and how the accident happened till episode 5. Oh yes if the Soviets were unable to shut this down you and I would NOT be alive right now, nor most of the people in the world. Oh keep on with it. I don't want to give you spoilers.
In this episode, there were a few things the makers of the show changed for various reasons. For one thing, the character who said that they should close off the city in the first episode and is evacuated in this one, did not exist...he was added for dramatic purposes. Also, the helicopter crash did not happen so soon after the explosion...it really happened months later in October, 1986, and had little to do with radiation. As I mentioned in my comment to episode 1, once you are done with the series, the History vs Hollywood article on the show is a must read.
According to a 1996 article, the helicopter crash happened within the first two weeks of the disaster. Here is the entire content of the article from FlightGlobal: *Operation Chernobyl* 30 July 1996 Ten years ago, helicopters played a major part in preventing greater catastrophe at a nuclear reactor in Chernobyl. Tony Booth/MINSK ON 26 APRIL, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, began to melt down after a turbogenerator experiment went wrong. A sudden power surge caused the graphite core to burn fiercely - threatening to ignite the neighbouring number three reactor. A similar graphite fire had occurred at the Windscale nuclear-power station in the UK in 1957, but that fire was quenched by a massive wave of water. This option was not possible at Chernobyl because not enough water could be pumped into the reactor core - and too little would cause an even greater catastrophe. The decision was taken, within 36h of the accident, to employ helicopters to drop a mixture of sand, lead, clay and boron directly on to the exposed reactor core. The boron was to absorb the neutrons in the core and prevent the fire from re-igniting, and the lead was to stem the flow of radiation which was shooting 3,000ft (900m) into the sky. The sand, dolomite and clay were used to bind the mixture together. Soviet air force and civilian helicopters from as far afield as Siberia, more than 3,000km (1,600nm) away, were scrambled in an effort to seal the cracked reactor. Five Mil helicopter types were used for the clean-up operation: the Mi-2 (Hoplite), Mi-6 (Hook), Mi-8 (Hip), the combat Mi-24R (Hind) and the heavylift Mi-26 (Halo). They were also used to provide liaison capabilities, for humanitarian missions and to drop supplies to the thousands of "liquidators" on the ground, assisting in the clean-up operation and preventing the fire and radiation from spreading The versatile Polish-built Mi-2 light-utility helicopter fulfilled one of its military roles as a reconnaissance aircraft when used to measure radiation levels some distance from the main reactor. It was also used for messenger liaison, but was not flown in the reactor area until radiation levels had significantly diminished. The 42,500kg Mi-6 heavylift helicopter, with its payload capability of 12,000kg was used to drop sand, lead and boron on to the cracked reactor. Debris, smoke and the reactor chimney all posed hazards for the pilots trying to reach the drop site. They were assisted by ground controllers who timed their approach paths and instructed the crews on exactly when to drop their loads. Military Mi-8s were used to lower supplies to ground workers. Later, fitted with external spray systems, they helped drop a bonding mixture over the reactor area to prevent contaminated dirt from spreading. Aeroflot-supplied versions executed precise drops of the chemical in bulk form, using their own pilots who were trained for Arctic oil-pipe laying and fire-fighting control in the former Soviet Union. The Mi-8's four-axis autopilot gives it added yaw, pitch and roll stabilisation under any flight conditions. This made it ideal for precision flying close to the exploded reactor. The Mi-24R had been designed for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and was first identified by the West through its missions at Chernobyl. Col Etuev Vassilivich says: "The Mi-24R is specially designed for this kind of deployment. The nose-mounted machine gun can be replaced by a highly accurate dosimeter [radiation monitor], which is a standard variant on this type of combat helicopter. These Mi-24 variants were then used to assess radiation levels, take ground samples and find the safe paths needed to lead civilians out of the area." The bulk of work at Chernobyl was carried out by Mi-26s, as only they could withstand the tremendous heat and radiation above the exposed reactor core for any length of time. All drop missions were monitored by closed-circuit cameras, standard equipment in this type, allowing the pilot to observe the target and slung payloads on a television screen. This equipment gave the Mi-26 the edge over the Mi-6, as the former could be hovered over the crater for longer, executing drop loads with a 100% success rate. The Mi-6s could not hover and loads had to be dropped at speeds of about 110kt [60km/h] over the reactor. The Mi-6 crews had only a couple of seconds to complete their drop missions - achieving a success rate of about 50%. *Radiation dose* Vassilivich flew from 27 April until 1 May, by which time he had received his permitted radiation dose. This, for all helicopter crews, was 25 roentgens in three days. Once at this level, crews were never allowed to fly over Chernobyl again. "There were 30 Mi-26s altogether, seven from my unit," says Vassilivich, "and between sunrise and sunset we flew missions from a sector 15km from the reactor. We could not fly at night as it was too dangerous going so close to the rector without adequate light." On the first day, crews dropped sand through the open door of the helicopter, one sack at a time, but then technicians developed a way of using containers attached to small brake parachutes to make the job more effective. The new containers were dropped from a specially mounted quick-release mechanism from a height of 1,650-2,000ft. Up to eight sacks at a time were then able to be dropped from a net slung beneath the helicopter. On the first day of operations, 96 missions were flown. On day two, this number had almost doubled, to 186. The Mi-26 can carry an internal or external maximum payload of 20,000kg - but only about 2,000-3,000kg could be dropped at a time. A full payload dropped from a safe hovering position would have further damaged the crippled reactor and run the risk of more leakage. The full crew on the first missions of two pilots, flight engineer and navigator was soon cut to two pilots and the flight engineer. The other crew members were quickly considered unnecessary for these types of missions. From 28 April, Mi-26 crews were instructed to also drop lead on the open reactor. This was first delivered as pellets and shrapnel and later as heavy sheets. The crews first used some of the lead to cover the flooring in their helicopters - thus cutting down their own exposure levels by two and a half times. Col Oleg Chichcov (now retired) was serving as an Mi-26 instructor in Siberia when the disaster happened. By 3 May, 1986, he had trained ten new crews for Mi-26 operations over Chernobyl, hand-picked from existing Mi-6 personnel. Chichcov says: "The problem was not training the Mi-6 crews to fly the Mi-26, as it is a relatively easy conversion, only taking 4h flying time, but it was harder training crews to deal with its external payload capabilities." He arrived near Chernobyl on 4 May. Chichcov adds: "Helicopters were flying from four or five sites at different safe distances around the reactor. At least ten Aeroflot Mi-8s flew from my base which was further back than the others." The Mi-8s were loaded with many litres of the bonding agent to douse the whole Chernobyl site after the military helicopters had covered the reactor with their payloads. So much was needed that a specially constructed railway was laid from the main track to the improvised base. This enabled the substance to be piped straight into tankers and then directly into the Aeroflot Mi-8s. In all the dangerous missions flown in those critical two weeks, only one helicopter was lost. Chichcov recalls: "There were very large cranes around the reactor, and when the blast occurred some of them were swinging free. I was assigned a mission to fly over this area, but I refused to do so until the cranes were fixed." The crew that relieved Chichcov agreed to take the mission. Unfortunately, it took the helicopter too close. The wind carried the crane and - coming out of the Sun - the crew did not see its arm swing into them. The arm clipped the machine's main rotor. It shattered, killing all the crew instantly when the helicopter hit the ground. *Contaminated helicopters* Helicopters were washed down at the end of each day's operations, but large amounts of radioactive debris had been sucked into the engines. In addition, the undersides of each machine became highly contaminated. Vassilivich says: "Some of the first helicopters used were grounded on 1-2 May and in just those two days the grass around them had turned yellow from the radiation from the aircraft." By the time the main clean-up operations ended, on 13 May, 1986, more than 5,000t of mixture had been dropped on to the reactor. A fire-fighting tactic which had never been used before was pronounced successful to the world's press in Vienna on 13 May , but helicopters continued to be flown on missions over Chernobyl until the end of 1986. All machinery and vehicles used in those crucial two weeks were dumped in purpose-built machine graveyards to await destruction and burial, as they were considered to be too contaminated for continued use. Helicopters were no exception. The Air Force Ministry in Belarus claims that, since 1986, every machine used has now been destroyed and buried as radiation damage caused to the engines and lower fuselages deemed them unfit to ever be flown again. _Source: Flight International_
I think I can somewhat answer your contamination questions. The ionizing radiation that is damaging to your body is emitted by the material that is supposed to be only inside the core of the reactor. So in normal operation unless you open the cover of it and go inside you are fine. Here the cover was destroyed and the core materials ejected to the immediate area plus set on fire. So the dust from the explosion contained particles emitting radiation and the smoke coming from the fire too. So now you have basically three ways to get contaminated: - go very near the destroyed reactor and get a direct dose of the radiation from it, those 15000 roentgen per hour the army guy measured with the dosimeter on the truck - get the dust and/or the smoke on your clothes and your sking where they continue emitting radiation to you even after you leave the area - breathe the dust and/or smoke into your lungs so then the radioactive particles in it get right inside your body pretty close to your organs and they keep on damaging you until they spend all the radiation in them The first think only applies to people who got really close. The firemen for example. The second and third to everyone else. If you are in the group than never got too close to the reactor then removing your clothes and washing yourself takes care of a very significant portion of the problem - you are no longer being irradiated from the outside. Depending on how much you got inside of you your risk of cancer or other diseases is increased. One of the reasons it is so hard to estimate how many people this killed is that this increase in health risk might be so small it would be hard to prove being near Chernobyl actually directly caused it. Like if you get cancer 20 years later, was it really just from this or half from this or would you get it anyway? Since this affected so many people statistics can help here but even so the estimate will have very large uncertainty. Unless you got such a high dose that it will kill you in weeks you are no danger to anyone around you after your contaminated clothes were removed and your skin washed.
Actually the evacuation was not official because no one wanted to say publicly: Yes we evacuate Pripjat, a model city in the Soviet Union. Ukrain leaders decided on their own hoping Moscow would agree. They pulled ALL buses out of Kief and other neighboring cities to do this (People had no public transport that day)
A quality reaction! It is obvious you are emotionally invested in the story/event. It IS a very well done series. The dynamic of how the relationship of the two lead characters changes is powerful. That being said this is an episode where some liberties were taken for dramatic effect. For example the helicopter crash. We are lead to assume it was due to the plume of radiation being released above the damaged core. The crash did happen (that was a recording of the actual crash), however it occurred a significant time after the initial explosion and was the result of the helicopter hitting the wires used to support the primary stack of the reactor. Also radiation is unseen…and the fire produced very little smoke but the production team added the thick smoke to show how the winds moved the radiation toward the city, etc., (the later is a valid effect imho, the former is a bit deceptive). This accident happened just a few years after I had graduated…with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. Needless to say it caused a lot of interest from those of us in the US industry. With regard to your question about those being contaminated by radiation going home and contaminating their spouses etc., it is/was possible but not in the way someone would pass on a virus…any radiation transferred would come from radioactive particles/materials attached to their clothes or skin. And the severity of the radiation would depend on the type of radioactive materials involved (there are different types of radiation…some can be shielded with a piece of paper…others require a significant thickness of lead). This is why the nurse instructed the firefighters clothes be removed and dumped in the basement. Those clothes were covered in particles and materials (including particles from the reactor core itself) that were highly radioactive and giving off large doses of radiation. Again overall a very well done series and they get the “big picture “ mostly correct…just some of the “smaller pictures” are provided for dramatic effect. And of course detailed explanations of some things aren’t provided because most of the audience would be bored and fall asleep. I will be watching your continued reactions and weigh in when you have specific questions (like I did above…though I’ll try to use less words). Have a blessed week.
Wow that’s so interesting about the helicopter and the effects they added I suppose it’s for visual interest and for people to *get* it who like you say may not be so glued to the real situation as it was. Was the environment you were in at the time frightened of the event overall? Like did it shake people up? Thank you for your support and the information, you don’t need to restrict your comment length I enjoy reading it!
I recall the scene of the helicopter crash, and I definitely remember seeing the prop hitting the cable. The cable is actually from the crane around the reactor, and happened within two weeks of the disaster. I found an article from 1996 that states: *Operation Chernobyl* 30 July 1996 Ten years ago, helicopters played a major part in preventing greater catastrophe at a nuclear reactor in Chernobyl. Tony Booth/MINSK ON 26 APRIL, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, began to melt down after a turbogenerator experiment went wrong. A sudden power surge caused the graphite core to burn fiercely - threatening to ignite the neighbouring number three reactor. A similar graphite fire had occurred at the Windscale nuclear-power station in the UK in 1957, but that fire was quenched by a massive wave of water. This option was not possible at Chernobyl because not enough water could be pumped into the reactor core - and too little would cause an even greater catastrophe. The decision was taken, within 36h of the accident, to employ helicopters to drop a mixture of sand, lead, clay and boron directly on to the exposed reactor core. The boron was to absorb the neutrons in the core and prevent the fire from re-igniting, and the lead was to stem the flow of radiation which was shooting 3,000ft (900m) into the sky. The sand, dolomite and clay were used to bind the mixture together. Soviet air force and civilian helicopters from as far afield as Siberia, more than 3,000km (1,600nm) away, were scrambled in an effort to seal the cracked reactor. Five Mil helicopter types were used for the clean-up operation: the Mi-2 (Hoplite), Mi-6 (Hook), Mi-8 (Hip), the combat Mi-24R (Hind) and the heavylift Mi-26 (Halo). They were also used to provide liaison capabilities, for humanitarian missions and to drop supplies to the thousands of "liquidators" on the ground, assisting in the clean-up operation and preventing the fire and radiation from spreading The versatile Polish-built Mi-2 light-utility helicopter fulfilled one of its military roles as a reconnaissance aircraft when used to measure radiation levels some distance from the main reactor. It was also used for messenger liaison, but was not flown in the reactor area until radiation levels had significantly diminished. The 42,500kg Mi-6 heavylift helicopter, with its payload capability of 12,000kg was used to drop sand, lead and boron on to the cracked reactor. Debris, smoke and the reactor chimney all posed hazards for the pilots trying to reach the drop site. They were assisted by ground controllers who timed their approach paths and instructed the crews on exactly when to drop their loads. Military Mi-8s were used to lower supplies to ground workers. Later, fitted with external spray systems, they helped drop a bonding mixture over the reactor area to prevent contaminated dirt from spreading. Aeroflot-supplied versions executed precise drops of the chemical in bulk form, using their own pilots who were trained for Arctic oil-pipe laying and fire-fighting control in the former Soviet Union. The Mi-8's four-axis autopilot gives it added yaw, pitch and roll stabilisation under any flight conditions. This made it ideal for precision flying close to the exploded reactor. The Mi-24R had been designed for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and was first identified by the West through its missions at Chernobyl. Col Etuev Vassilivich says: "The Mi-24R is specially designed for this kind of deployment. The nose-mounted machine gun can be replaced by a highly accurate dosimeter [radiation monitor], which is a standard variant on this type of combat helicopter. These Mi-24 variants were then used to assess radiation levels, take ground samples and find the safe paths needed to lead civilians out of the area." The bulk of work at Chernobyl was carried out by Mi-26s, as only they could withstand the tremendous heat and radiation above the exposed reactor core for any length of time. All drop missions were monitored by closed-circuit cameras, standard equipment in this type, allowing the pilot to observe the target and slung payloads on a television screen. This equipment gave the Mi-26 the edge over the Mi-6, as the former could be hovered over the crater for longer, executing drop loads with a 100% success rate. The Mi-6s could not hover and loads had to be dropped at speeds of about 110kt [60km/h] over the reactor. The Mi-6 crews had only a couple of seconds to complete their drop missions - achieving a success rate of about 50%. *Radiation dose* Vassilivich flew from 27 April until 1 May, by which time he had received his permitted radiation dose. This, for all helicopter crews, was 25 roentgens in three days. Once at this level, crews were never allowed to fly over Chernobyl again. "There were 30 Mi-26s altogether, seven from my unit," says Vassilivich, "and between sunrise and sunset we flew missions from a sector 15km from the reactor. We could not fly at night as it was too dangerous going so close to the rector without adequate light." On the first day, crews dropped sand through the open door of the helicopter, one sack at a time, but then technicians developed a way of using containers attached to small brake parachutes to make the job more effective. The new containers were dropped from a specially mounted quick-release mechanism from a height of 1,650-2,000ft. Up to eight sacks at a time were then able to be dropped from a net slung beneath the helicopter. On the first day of operations, 96 missions were flown. On day two, this number had almost doubled, to 186. The Mi-26 can carry an internal or external maximum payload of 20,000kg - but only about 2,000-3,000kg could be dropped at a time. A full payload dropped from a safe hovering position would have further damaged the crippled reactor and run the risk of more leakage. The full crew on the first missions of two pilots, flight engineer and navigator was soon cut to two pilots and the flight engineer. The other crew members were quickly considered unnecessary for these types of missions. From 28 April, Mi-26 crews were instructed to also drop lead on the open reactor. This was first delivered as pellets and shrapnel and later as heavy sheets. The crews first used some of the lead to cover the flooring in their helicopters - thus cutting down their own exposure levels by two and a half times. Col Oleg Chichcov (now retired) was serving as an Mi-26 instructor in Siberia when the disaster happened. By 3 May, 1986, he had trained ten new crews for Mi-26 operations over Chernobyl, hand-picked from existing Mi-6 personnel. Chichcov says: "The problem was not training the Mi-6 crews to fly the Mi-26, as it is a relatively easy conversion, only taking 4h flying time, but it was harder training crews to deal with its external payload capabilities." He arrived near Chernobyl on 4 May. Chichcov adds: "Helicopters were flying from four or five sites at different safe distances around the reactor. At least ten Aeroflot Mi-8s flew from my base which was further back than the others." The Mi-8s were loaded with many litres of the bonding agent to douse the whole Chernobyl site after the military helicopters had covered the reactor with their payloads. So much was needed that a specially constructed railway was laid from the main track to the improvised base. This enabled the substance to be piped straight into tankers and then directly into the Aeroflot Mi-8s. In all the dangerous missions flown in those critical two weeks, only one helicopter was lost. Chichcov recalls: "There were very large cranes around the reactor, and when the blast occurred some of them were swinging free. I was assigned a mission to fly over this area, but I refused to do so until the cranes were fixed." The crew that relieved Chichcov agreed to take the mission. Unfortunately, it took the helicopter too close. The wind carried the crane and - coming out of the Sun - the crew did not see its arm swing into them. The arm clipped the machine's main rotor. It shattered, killing all the crew instantly when the helicopter hit the ground. *Contaminated helicopters* Helicopters were washed down at the end of each day's operations, but large amounts of radioactive debris had been sucked into the engines. In addition, the undersides of each machine became highly contaminated. Vassilivich says: "Some of the first helicopters used were grounded on 1-2 May and in just those two days the grass around them had turned yellow from the radiation from the aircraft." By the time the main clean-up operations ended, on 13 May, 1986, more than 5,000t of mixture had been dropped on to the reactor. A fire-fighting tactic which had never been used before was pronounced successful to the world's press in Vienna on 13 May , but helicopters continued to be flown on missions over Chernobyl until the end of 1986. All machinery and vehicles used in those crucial two weeks were dumped in purpose-built machine graveyards to await destruction and burial, as they were considered to be too contaminated for continued use. Helicopters were no exception. The Air Force Ministry in Belarus claims that, since 1986, every machine used has now been destroyed and buried as radiation damage caused to the engines and lower fuselages deemed them unfit to ever be flown again. Source: Flight International
11:47 one of the reasons why there is such a fear of nuclear power in germany. that wind blew west and where ever it rained, all that nuclear waste got in the ground. google: chernobyl fallout map there was an antinuclear movement in germany even before chernobyl, but that event basically brought the entire poplation behind the idea that nuclear power is too dangerous in such a densely populated country. also the part with the thermal explosion is basically the only controversial part of the series, some say that the explosion would be way smaller and depending on how big the explosion would have been, the result would vary extremely. but thats not important, the explosion obviously didnt happen and if it had happend the results would be on a scale between terrible and unimaginably terrible.
Democracy is messy, and it seems many think authoritarianism will work better. But, the governance that led to Chernobyl is inevitable in any authoritarian system where you either woroship the state (left) or worship a man or idea (right). Democracy is still best for actually meeting people's needs--the uncomfortable part is that it can be messy. But it's messy in a good way--and sometimes we forget that.
Hey 👋 I have added titles to this video, please understand that this was my last resort on this my third attempt at posting the video. I will always post my reaction without titles first but unfortunately sometimes this happens. Hope you still enjoy it! My original version is on my Patreon for all tiers to watch!
We still have radiation in mushrooms here in Finland, in some areas. Not dangerously high, but it's there. Quite far from Ukraine, but winds brought us some fall out pollution.
Following couple of years after the disaster it was recommended by officials that people should not eat mushrooms at all here in FIN. I remember this very well.
Same in Germany (and probably many other countries as well) . You can still detect radiation from this event in mushrooms until this day,
The helicopter hit the chain of a crane with its blades because it lost the radio connection due to radiation, which perhaps also damaged the controls of the helicopter itself
One thing you must understand about the United Soviet Socialist Republic is their ideology is a perfect society. ANYTHING that threatens that ideology is classified (information) or jailed or killed (people).
This is my fav episode. Each gathering speeches are amazing
Title of episode “Please Remain Calm”.
Love it cause this episode is one “holy fuck” moment after another each worse than the one before.
I was 15 years old when this happened, living in Arizona in the USA, going to high school, and I remember watching the news and then talking about it in classes right after it happened. Around 10 years ago I was able to visit Pripyat/Chernobyl while on holiday in Ukraine. It was the most sobering place I have ever visited, and I have visited the killing fields in Cambodia, and a few of the concentration camps in Germany and Poland. This is one of my favorite mini-series.
Radiation doesn't spread from person to person like a disease as such - even though further episodes of this series do suggest it does. It's radioactive materials that do the damage - a person who has absorbed a lot of radiation and is dying won't be dangerous to others if any and all particles have been washed off. But their own cells will continue to degrade if the exposure was high enough.
Radioactive contamination goes deep. Even your own sweat can be radioactive and damaging to others. You can't simply wash radiation off. In Moscow hospital, the victims' matrasses had to be changed all the time.
This is largely true. But I have been told that in the Soviet Union at the time they believed it did spread that way and so in that sense the show is realistic.
Someone else pointed out in the first episode comments that keeping the visitor away was really to protect the victim whose immune system was collapsing.
Hi Marley first time on your channel. I just saw your Episode 1.. Yes the series is Historically accurate. The only thing which they take filmakers license is about radiation. If your at the spot where an atomic bomb explodes your vaporized from the heat. Radiation works much more slowly. Its effects take days, weeks, months , years to show effect, depending on level of exposure. Also you cannot get radiation sick from a person once their clothing has been removed and the body washed. Well only from their blood, but not by touch. Yes you get radiation from the cloths.
In the evacuation notice they are saying ""An Unpleasant level or radiation has been detected. Take documents, medicines food and clothing for a few weeks"". The big problem with info here was the Soviet Nuclear Industry was classified as ""Secret" by the KGB (Soviet Secret Police) thats why there no safety equipment, procedures, no training.
The helicopter which crashed hit its blades on cables hanging from a crane. The series gets emotionally worse, and worse. Be ready to cry. You wont find out what and how the accident happened till episode 5.
Oh yes if the Soviets were unable to shut this down you and I would NOT be alive right now, nor most of the people in the world. Oh keep on with it. I don't want to give you spoilers.
Thank you!! That’s actually really helpful information - I am looking forward to watching the rest although I know it’s going to be a lot worse!!!
Excellent reaction Marley! Your work doesn’t go unnoticed ❤
In this episode, there were a few things the makers of the show changed for various reasons. For one thing, the character who said that they should close off the city in the first episode and is evacuated in this one, did not exist...he was added for dramatic purposes. Also, the helicopter crash did not happen so soon after the explosion...it really happened months later in October, 1986, and had little to do with radiation. As I mentioned in my comment to episode 1, once you are done with the series, the History vs Hollywood article on the show is a must read.
According to a 1996 article, the helicopter crash happened within the first two weeks of the disaster. Here is the entire content of the article from FlightGlobal:
*Operation Chernobyl*
30 July 1996
Ten years ago, helicopters played a major part in preventing greater catastrophe at a nuclear reactor in Chernobyl.
Tony Booth/MINSK
ON 26 APRIL, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, began to melt down after a turbogenerator experiment went wrong. A sudden power surge caused the graphite core to burn fiercely - threatening to ignite the neighbouring number three reactor. A similar graphite fire had occurred at the Windscale nuclear-power station in the UK in 1957, but that fire was quenched by a massive wave of water. This option was not possible at Chernobyl because not enough water could be pumped into the reactor core - and too little would cause an even greater catastrophe.
The decision was taken, within 36h of the accident, to employ helicopters to drop a mixture of sand, lead, clay and boron directly on to the exposed reactor core.
The boron was to absorb the neutrons in the core and prevent the fire from re-igniting, and the lead was to stem the flow of radiation which was shooting 3,000ft (900m) into the sky. The sand, dolomite and clay were used to bind the mixture together.
Soviet air force and civilian helicopters from as far afield as Siberia, more than 3,000km (1,600nm) away, were scrambled in an effort to seal the cracked reactor. Five Mil helicopter types were used for the clean-up operation: the Mi-2 (Hoplite), Mi-6 (Hook), Mi-8 (Hip), the combat Mi-24R (Hind) and the heavylift Mi-26 (Halo). They were also used to provide liaison capabilities, for humanitarian missions and to drop supplies to the thousands of "liquidators" on the ground, assisting in the clean-up operation and preventing the fire and radiation from spreading
The versatile Polish-built Mi-2 light-utility helicopter fulfilled one of its military roles as a reconnaissance aircraft when used to measure radiation levels some distance from the main reactor. It was also used for messenger liaison, but was not flown in the reactor area until radiation levels had significantly diminished.
The 42,500kg Mi-6 heavylift helicopter, with its payload capability of 12,000kg was used to drop sand, lead and boron on to the cracked reactor. Debris, smoke and the reactor chimney all posed hazards for the pilots trying to reach the drop site. They were assisted by ground controllers who timed their approach paths and instructed the crews on exactly when to drop their loads.
Military Mi-8s were used to lower supplies to ground workers. Later, fitted with external spray systems, they helped drop a bonding mixture over the reactor area to prevent contaminated dirt from spreading. Aeroflot-supplied versions executed precise drops of the chemical in bulk form, using their own pilots who were trained for Arctic oil-pipe laying and fire-fighting control in the former Soviet Union.
The Mi-8's four-axis autopilot gives it added yaw, pitch and roll stabilisation under any flight conditions. This made it ideal for precision flying close to the exploded reactor.
The Mi-24R had been designed for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and was first identified by the West through its missions at Chernobyl. Col Etuev Vassilivich says: "The Mi-24R is specially designed for this kind of deployment. The nose-mounted machine gun can be replaced by a highly accurate dosimeter [radiation monitor], which is a standard variant on this type of combat helicopter. These Mi-24 variants were then used to assess radiation levels, take ground samples and find the safe paths needed to lead civilians out of the area."
The bulk of work at Chernobyl was carried out by Mi-26s, as only they could withstand the tremendous heat and radiation above the exposed reactor core for any length of time. All drop missions were monitored by closed-circuit cameras, standard equipment in this type, allowing the pilot to observe the target and slung payloads on a television screen.
This equipment gave the Mi-26 the edge over the Mi-6, as the former could be hovered over the crater for longer, executing drop loads with a 100% success rate. The Mi-6s could not hover and loads had to be dropped at speeds of about 110kt [60km/h] over the reactor. The Mi-6 crews had only a couple of seconds to complete their drop missions - achieving a success rate of about 50%.
*Radiation dose*
Vassilivich flew from 27 April until 1 May, by which time he had received his permitted radiation dose. This, for all helicopter crews, was 25 roentgens in three days. Once at this level, crews were never allowed to fly over Chernobyl again. "There were 30 Mi-26s altogether, seven from my unit," says Vassilivich, "and between sunrise and sunset we flew missions from a sector 15km from the reactor. We could not fly at night as it was too dangerous going so close to the rector without adequate light."
On the first day, crews dropped sand through the open door of the helicopter, one sack at a time, but then technicians developed a way of using containers attached to small brake parachutes to make the job more effective. The new containers were dropped from a specially mounted quick-release mechanism from a height of 1,650-2,000ft. Up to eight sacks at a time were then able to be dropped from a net slung beneath the helicopter.
On the first day of operations, 96 missions were flown. On day two, this number had almost doubled, to 186. The Mi-26 can carry an internal or external maximum payload of 20,000kg - but only about 2,000-3,000kg could be dropped at a time. A full payload dropped from a safe hovering position would have further damaged the crippled reactor and run the risk of more leakage. The full crew on the first missions of two pilots, flight engineer and navigator was soon cut to two pilots and the flight engineer. The other crew members were quickly considered unnecessary for these types of missions.
From 28 April, Mi-26 crews were instructed to also drop lead on the open reactor. This was first delivered as pellets and shrapnel and later as heavy sheets. The crews first used some of the lead to cover the flooring in their helicopters - thus cutting down their own exposure levels by two and a half times.
Col Oleg Chichcov (now retired) was serving as an Mi-26 instructor in Siberia when the disaster happened. By 3 May, 1986, he had trained ten new crews for Mi-26 operations over Chernobyl, hand-picked from existing Mi-6 personnel. Chichcov says: "The problem was not training the Mi-6 crews to fly the Mi-26, as it is a relatively easy conversion, only taking 4h flying time, but it was harder training crews to deal with its external payload capabilities." He arrived near Chernobyl on 4 May.
Chichcov adds: "Helicopters were flying from four or five sites at different safe distances around the reactor. At least ten Aeroflot Mi-8s flew from my base which was further back than the others." The Mi-8s were loaded with many litres of the bonding agent to douse the whole Chernobyl site after the military helicopters had covered the reactor with their payloads. So much was needed that a specially constructed railway was laid from the main track to the improvised base. This enabled the substance to be piped straight into tankers and then directly into the Aeroflot Mi-8s.
In all the dangerous missions flown in those critical two weeks, only one helicopter was lost. Chichcov recalls: "There were very large cranes around the reactor, and when the blast occurred some of them were swinging free. I was assigned a mission to fly over this area, but I refused to do so until the cranes were fixed."
The crew that relieved Chichcov agreed to take the mission. Unfortunately, it took the helicopter too close. The wind carried the crane and - coming out of the Sun - the crew did not see its arm swing into them. The arm clipped the machine's main rotor. It shattered, killing all the crew instantly when the helicopter hit the ground.
*Contaminated helicopters*
Helicopters were washed down at the end of each day's operations, but large amounts of radioactive debris had been sucked into the engines. In addition, the undersides of each machine became highly contaminated. Vassilivich says: "Some of the first helicopters used were grounded on 1-2 May and in just those two days the grass around them had turned yellow from the radiation from the aircraft."
By the time the main clean-up operations ended, on 13 May, 1986, more than 5,000t of mixture had been dropped on to the reactor. A fire-fighting tactic which had never been used before was pronounced successful to the world's press in Vienna on 13 May , but helicopters continued to be flown on missions over Chernobyl until the end of 1986.
All machinery and vehicles used in those crucial two weeks were dumped in purpose-built machine graveyards to await destruction and burial, as they were considered to be too contaminated for continued use.
Helicopters were no exception. The Air Force Ministry in Belarus claims that, since 1986, every machine used has now been destroyed and buried as radiation damage caused to the engines and lower fuselages deemed them unfit to ever be flown again.
_Source: Flight International_
I think I can somewhat answer your contamination questions. The ionizing radiation that is damaging to your body is emitted by the material that is supposed to be only inside the core of the reactor. So in normal operation unless you open the cover of it and go inside you are fine. Here the cover was destroyed and the core materials ejected to the immediate area plus set on fire. So the dust from the explosion contained particles emitting radiation and the smoke coming from the fire too. So now you have basically three ways to get contaminated:
- go very near the destroyed reactor and get a direct dose of the radiation from it, those 15000 roentgen per hour the army guy measured with the dosimeter on the truck
- get the dust and/or the smoke on your clothes and your sking where they continue emitting radiation to you even after you leave the area
- breathe the dust and/or smoke into your lungs so then the radioactive particles in it get right inside your body pretty close to your organs and they keep on damaging you until they spend all the radiation in them
The first think only applies to people who got really close. The firemen for example. The second and third to everyone else.
If you are in the group than never got too close to the reactor then removing your clothes and washing yourself takes care of a very significant portion of the problem - you are no longer being irradiated from the outside. Depending on how much you got inside of you your risk of cancer or other diseases is increased. One of the reasons it is so hard to estimate how many people this killed is that this increase in health risk might be so small it would be hard to prove being near Chernobyl actually directly caused it. Like if you get cancer 20 years later, was it really just from this or half from this or would you get it anyway? Since this affected so many people statistics can help here but even so the estimate will have very large uncertainty.
Unless you got such a high dose that it will kill you in weeks you are no danger to anyone around you after your contaminated clothes were removed and your skin washed.
thank you Captain Wikipedia
Actually the evacuation was not official because no one wanted to say publicly: Yes we evacuate Pripjat, a model city in the Soviet Union.
Ukrain leaders decided on their own hoping Moscow would agree.
They pulled ALL buses out of Kief and other neighboring cities to do this (People had no public transport that day)
The helicopter crashed because its rotors hit cables from the construction crane.
Glad you were able to get this episode on. This is a great series and I'm glad you are doing it.
I am really enjoying it - not in a fun way obviously but I find it fascinating and it wasn’t that long ago either!!!
A quality reaction! It is obvious you are emotionally invested in the story/event. It IS a very well done series. The dynamic of how the relationship of the two lead characters changes is powerful. That being said this is an episode where some liberties were taken for dramatic effect. For example the helicopter crash. We are lead to assume it was due to the plume of radiation being released above the damaged core. The crash did happen (that was a recording of the actual crash), however it occurred a significant time after the initial explosion and was the result of the helicopter hitting the wires used to support the primary stack of the reactor. Also radiation is unseen…and the fire produced very little smoke but the production team added the thick smoke to show how the winds moved the radiation toward the city, etc., (the later is a valid effect imho, the former is a bit deceptive).
This accident happened just a few years after I had graduated…with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. Needless to say it caused a lot of interest from those of us in the US industry. With regard to your question about those being contaminated by radiation going home and contaminating their spouses etc., it is/was possible but not in the way someone would pass on a virus…any radiation transferred would come from radioactive particles/materials attached to their clothes or skin. And the severity of the radiation would depend on the type of radioactive materials involved (there are different types of radiation…some can be shielded with a piece of paper…others require a significant thickness of lead). This is why the nurse instructed the firefighters clothes be removed and dumped in the basement. Those clothes were covered in particles and materials (including particles from the reactor core itself) that were highly radioactive and giving off large doses of radiation.
Again overall a very well done series and they get the “big picture “ mostly correct…just some of the “smaller pictures” are provided for dramatic effect. And of course detailed explanations of some things aren’t provided because most of the audience would be bored and fall asleep. I will be watching your continued reactions and weigh in when you have specific questions (like I did above…though I’ll try to use less words). Have a blessed week.
Wow that’s so interesting about the helicopter and the effects they added I suppose it’s for visual interest and for people to *get* it who like you say may not be so glued to the real situation as it was. Was the environment you were in at the time frightened of the event overall? Like did it shake people up?
Thank you for your support and the information, you don’t need to restrict your comment length I enjoy reading it!
I recall the scene of the helicopter crash, and I definitely remember seeing the prop hitting the cable. The cable is actually from the crane around the reactor, and happened within two weeks of the disaster. I found an article from 1996 that states:
*Operation Chernobyl*
30 July 1996
Ten years ago, helicopters played a major part in preventing greater catastrophe at a nuclear reactor in Chernobyl.
Tony Booth/MINSK
ON 26 APRIL, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, began to melt down after a turbogenerator experiment went wrong. A sudden power surge caused the graphite core to burn fiercely - threatening to ignite the neighbouring number three reactor. A similar graphite fire had occurred at the Windscale nuclear-power station in the UK in 1957, but that fire was quenched by a massive wave of water. This option was not possible at Chernobyl because not enough water could be pumped into the reactor core - and too little would cause an even greater catastrophe.
The decision was taken, within 36h of the accident, to employ helicopters to drop a mixture of sand, lead, clay and boron directly on to the exposed reactor core.
The boron was to absorb the neutrons in the core and prevent the fire from re-igniting, and the lead was to stem the flow of radiation which was shooting 3,000ft (900m) into the sky. The sand, dolomite and clay were used to bind the mixture together.
Soviet air force and civilian helicopters from as far afield as Siberia, more than 3,000km (1,600nm) away, were scrambled in an effort to seal the cracked reactor. Five Mil helicopter types were used for the clean-up operation: the Mi-2 (Hoplite), Mi-6 (Hook), Mi-8 (Hip), the combat Mi-24R (Hind) and the heavylift Mi-26 (Halo). They were also used to provide liaison capabilities, for humanitarian missions and to drop supplies to the thousands of "liquidators" on the ground, assisting in the clean-up operation and preventing the fire and radiation from spreading
The versatile Polish-built Mi-2 light-utility helicopter fulfilled one of its military roles as a reconnaissance aircraft when used to measure radiation levels some distance from the main reactor. It was also used for messenger liaison, but was not flown in the reactor area until radiation levels had significantly diminished.
The 42,500kg Mi-6 heavylift helicopter, with its payload capability of 12,000kg was used to drop sand, lead and boron on to the cracked reactor. Debris, smoke and the reactor chimney all posed hazards for the pilots trying to reach the drop site. They were assisted by ground controllers who timed their approach paths and instructed the crews on exactly when to drop their loads.
Military Mi-8s were used to lower supplies to ground workers. Later, fitted with external spray systems, they helped drop a bonding mixture over the reactor area to prevent contaminated dirt from spreading. Aeroflot-supplied versions executed precise drops of the chemical in bulk form, using their own pilots who were trained for Arctic oil-pipe laying and fire-fighting control in the former Soviet Union.
The Mi-8's four-axis autopilot gives it added yaw, pitch and roll stabilisation under any flight conditions. This made it ideal for precision flying close to the exploded reactor.
The Mi-24R had been designed for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and was first identified by the West through its missions at Chernobyl. Col Etuev Vassilivich says: "The Mi-24R is specially designed for this kind of deployment. The nose-mounted machine gun can be replaced by a highly accurate dosimeter [radiation monitor], which is a standard variant on this type of combat helicopter. These Mi-24 variants were then used to assess radiation levels, take ground samples and find the safe paths needed to lead civilians out of the area."
The bulk of work at Chernobyl was carried out by Mi-26s, as only they could withstand the tremendous heat and radiation above the exposed reactor core for any length of time. All drop missions were monitored by closed-circuit cameras, standard equipment in this type, allowing the pilot to observe the target and slung payloads on a television screen.
This equipment gave the Mi-26 the edge over the Mi-6, as the former could be hovered over the crater for longer, executing drop loads with a 100% success rate. The Mi-6s could not hover and loads had to be dropped at speeds of about 110kt [60km/h] over the reactor. The Mi-6 crews had only a couple of seconds to complete their drop missions - achieving a success rate of about 50%.
*Radiation dose*
Vassilivich flew from 27 April until 1 May, by which time he had received his permitted radiation dose. This, for all helicopter crews, was 25 roentgens in three days. Once at this level, crews were never allowed to fly over Chernobyl again. "There were 30 Mi-26s altogether, seven from my unit," says Vassilivich, "and between sunrise and sunset we flew missions from a sector 15km from the reactor. We could not fly at night as it was too dangerous going so close to the rector without adequate light."
On the first day, crews dropped sand through the open door of the helicopter, one sack at a time, but then technicians developed a way of using containers attached to small brake parachutes to make the job more effective. The new containers were dropped from a specially mounted quick-release mechanism from a height of 1,650-2,000ft. Up to eight sacks at a time were then able to be dropped from a net slung beneath the helicopter.
On the first day of operations, 96 missions were flown. On day two, this number had almost doubled, to 186. The Mi-26 can carry an internal or external maximum payload of 20,000kg - but only about 2,000-3,000kg could be dropped at a time. A full payload dropped from a safe hovering position would have further damaged the crippled reactor and run the risk of more leakage. The full crew on the first missions of two pilots, flight engineer and navigator was soon cut to two pilots and the flight engineer. The other crew members were quickly considered unnecessary for these types of missions.
From 28 April, Mi-26 crews were instructed to also drop lead on the open reactor. This was first delivered as pellets and shrapnel and later as heavy sheets. The crews first used some of the lead to cover the flooring in their helicopters - thus cutting down their own exposure levels by two and a half times.
Col Oleg Chichcov (now retired) was serving as an Mi-26 instructor in Siberia when the disaster happened. By 3 May, 1986, he had trained ten new crews for Mi-26 operations over Chernobyl, hand-picked from existing Mi-6 personnel. Chichcov says: "The problem was not training the Mi-6 crews to fly the Mi-26, as it is a relatively easy conversion, only taking 4h flying time, but it was harder training crews to deal with its external payload capabilities." He arrived near Chernobyl on 4 May.
Chichcov adds: "Helicopters were flying from four or five sites at different safe distances around the reactor. At least ten Aeroflot Mi-8s flew from my base which was further back than the others." The Mi-8s were loaded with many litres of the bonding agent to douse the whole Chernobyl site after the military helicopters had covered the reactor with their payloads. So much was needed that a specially constructed railway was laid from the main track to the improvised base. This enabled the substance to be piped straight into tankers and then directly into the Aeroflot Mi-8s.
In all the dangerous missions flown in those critical two weeks, only one helicopter was lost. Chichcov recalls: "There were very large cranes around the reactor, and when the blast occurred some of them were swinging free. I was assigned a mission to fly over this area, but I refused to do so until the cranes were fixed."
The crew that relieved Chichcov agreed to take the mission. Unfortunately, it took the helicopter too close. The wind carried the crane and - coming out of the Sun - the crew did not see its arm swing into them. The arm clipped the machine's main rotor. It shattered, killing all the crew instantly when the helicopter hit the ground.
*Contaminated helicopters*
Helicopters were washed down at the end of each day's operations, but large amounts of radioactive debris had been sucked into the engines. In addition, the undersides of each machine became highly contaminated. Vassilivich says: "Some of the first helicopters used were grounded on 1-2 May and in just those two days the grass around them had turned yellow from the radiation from the aircraft."
By the time the main clean-up operations ended, on 13 May, 1986, more than 5,000t of mixture had been dropped on to the reactor. A fire-fighting tactic which had never been used before was pronounced successful to the world's press in Vienna on 13 May , but helicopters continued to be flown on missions over Chernobyl until the end of 1986.
All machinery and vehicles used in those crucial two weeks were dumped in purpose-built machine graveyards to await destruction and burial, as they were considered to be too contaminated for continued use.
Helicopters were no exception. The Air Force Ministry in Belarus claims that, since 1986, every machine used has now been destroyed and buried as radiation damage caused to the engines and lower fuselages deemed them unfit to ever be flown again.
Source: Flight International
11:47 one of the reasons why there is such a fear of nuclear power in germany. that wind blew west and where ever it rained, all that nuclear waste got in the ground.
google: chernobyl fallout map
there was an antinuclear movement in germany even before chernobyl, but that event basically brought the entire poplation behind the idea that nuclear power is too dangerous in such a densely populated country.
also the part with the thermal explosion is basically the only controversial part of the series, some say that the explosion would be way smaller and depending on how big the explosion would have been, the result would vary extremely. but thats not important, the explosion obviously didnt happen and if it had happend the results would be on a scale between terrible and unimaginably terrible.
I believe increased radiation was detected as far away as Wales.
Democracy is messy, and it seems many think authoritarianism will work better. But, the governance that led to Chernobyl is inevitable in any authoritarian system where you either woroship the state (left) or worship a man or idea (right). Democracy is still best for actually meeting people's needs--the uncomfortable part is that it can be messy. But it's messy in a good way--and sometimes we forget that.
How about episode 3? Will you upload it?
Yes - please see my community tab, I am currently on holiday and will be back soon!