Presentation - Chernobyl Children`s Life Line

European Action Week:
For a future after Chernobyl and
Fukushima
Liquidators Visit
April 2013
Mr Anatolii Gubariev
Portsmouth & Hayling Island Link
Chernobyl Children’s Life Line
Liquidators
 14th – 28th April.
 Liquidator – Anyone who was directly involved in the
clean up following the Chernobyl disaster .
 Sponsored by Internationales Bildungs- und
Begegnungswerk (IBB).
 The group are here for a two weeks attending various
events in commemoration of the 27th Anniversary.
 Such as; Fire Stations
Universities, Schools & Colleges
Church’s & Local Community Groups
 Spread across 25 links in the UK.
Where is Chernobyl
Nuclear power plant is
located 11 miles north
of the city of Chernobyl
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
 Plant consisted of 4 reactors and construction started in 1970
 The completion of the first reactor in 1977 was followed by reactor
No. 2 (1978), No. 3 (1981), and No. 4 (1983).
 Two more reactors No 5 & 6, were under construction at the time
of the accident.
 Reactor No. 5 was about 70% complete and was scheduled to
start operating on November 7, 1986.
http://www.rotten.com/library/history/nuclear-incidents/chernobyl
What happened?
Saturday, April 26, 1986:
•
Reactor 4 was undergoing a test to
check the backup power supply in
case of a power loss.
• The power fell too low, allowing the
concentration of xenon-135 to rise.
• The workers continued the test, and
in order to control the rising levels
of xenon-135, the control rods were
pulled out.
http://www.ukrainianweb.com/images/chernobyl/chernobyl_reactor.jpg
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
• On 26th April 1986, reactor 4 exploded.
• More explosions followed, causing the
fallout to increase to 400 times that of
Hiroshima, reaching as far as Ireland.
Play Chernobyl 1986 Clip
Reactor After the Explosion
• After the explosions, most of the plant was still
standing.
• Reactor 3 continued working through the night
although the operators only had respirators and
potassium Iodide tablets for protection
• What makes the Chernobyl disaster the worst in
history is the sheer volume of radioactive materials
that where spewed across the European continent.
• The explosion threw hot particles of the nuclear fuel
and also far more dangerous fission products in to
the air, radioactive isotopes such as caesium-137,
iodine-131, strontium-90 and other radionuclides
• The fallout was 400 times that of Hiroshima, it was
detected over all of Europe
UK Restrictions
• The UK was covered by restrictions
on movement of sheep following the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
• Under the "mark and release"
restrictions, sheep had to be tested
for levels of Caesium-137 prior to
being moved down from the fells for
sale.
• Radioactive particles became locked
in upland peat and accumulated in
the grazing sheep.
• The Food Standards Agency (FSA)
placed restrictions on 9,800 UK
farms.
• The last eight in Cumbria, and 327 in
Wales, were removed only last year
on the 1st June 2012
Evacuation
People evacuated:
•
50,000 people from Pripyat, Ukraine were
evacuated 2 days after the accident.
• Everyone was forced to leave their
possessions and lives behind.
• A month later 116,000 people in an 18 mile (30
km) radius of the plant were evacuated.
• Following the accident hundreds of thousands
of people had to be evacuated and between
1990 and 1995 an additional 210,000 people
were resettled.
May 2-3 (1 week later)
7 miles (10 km) area (45,000 people)
May 4
18 miles (30 km) area (116,000 people)
http://library.thinkquest.org/3426/data/emergency/evacuation.html
Exclusions Zone in Perspective
If the exclusions zone
were to cover our local
area the 18 miles (30 km)
radius could affect:
Portsmouth 210,000
Fareham 57,000
Havant 46,000
Gosport 70,000
IOW 140,000
Southampton 240,000
Petersfield 14,000
Plus all the other areas not
listed
Cycle of Radioactive Materials
Health impact
 Disadvantaged children around Chernobyl suffer from health problems that are
attributable not only to the Chernobyl accident, but also to the poor state of postSoviet health systems
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Thyroid
Leukaemia
Cataracts
Cardio-vascular
Mental Health
Reproductive Health
The population remains largely unsure of what the effects of radiation actually
are and retain a sense of foreboding.
 A number of adolescents and young adults who have been exposed to modest or
small amounts of radiation feel that they are somehow fatally flawed and there is
no downside to using illicit drugs or having unprotected sex.
 To reverse such attitudes and behaviours will likely take years although some
youth groups have begun programs that have promise
The Aftermath
 Due to an energy shortage in Ukraine, the other reactors
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continued to work until a fire in Reactor 2 in 1991
Reactor 1 was decommissioned in 1996, and Reactor 3
was shut down on 15th December 2000
Reactor 4 is covered by a Concrete sarcophagus
Today there is still an 18 mile exclusion zone surrounding
Chernobyl which is uninhabitable. Although a handful of
scientist still work in the sarcophagus
The effects on the Countries, the people both social and
health as well as the environment continue some 27
years after the disaster and will continue for many years
to come
Socio Economical impact
 The affected territories are mostly rural.
 The main source of income before the accident was
agriculture
 The agricultural sector was the area of the economy
worst hit by the effects of the accident.
 A total of 784 320 hectares of agricultural land was
removed from service in the three countries, and timber
production was halted for a total of 694 200 hectares of
forest.
The Sarcophagus
After the disaster, a huge cement box was built around the radioactive
material, but It is falling apart!
Back in 2003 a report by the Russian Atomic Energy Minister,
Alexander Rumyantsev, "the concrete shell surrounding the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor is in real danger of collapsing at any time."
A new Sarcophagus was scheduled to be completed in 2012, but has
been plagued with delays and funding issues and may now not be
completed until after 2015.
Differences of Chernobyl and Fukushima
 The most important difference between Chernobyl and
Fukushima is no deaths or illness among the public are
expected from the Fukushima incident.
 The Chernobyl accident emitted radioactive particles high
into the atmosphere, which spread downwind across
Europe, and a reactor fire continued this process for at least
10 days.
 Radiation from the Fukushima incident is mostly in the
form of liquid runoff into the ocean and low-altitude
particles that have frequently blown out into the ocean.
 At Fukushima, the reactor fuel remains inside the primary
containment structures, whereas the Chernobyl design did
not have a containment structure.
Similarities of Chernobyl and Fukushima
 Both governments did not release information immediately
 Local people appear not to have been provided with enough
information.
 The social and health affects
 Food contamination
 Both disasters will affect many generations to come.
The Liquidators
• Over 600,000 Civilian and Military Liquidators
were involved with the clean up of the Power Plant
and the surrounding area.
• Some of the volunteers were only allowed to be in
the power station for 90 seconds or less.
• The tasks included:
• A reinforced concrete slab with a built-in
cooling system beneath the reactor. This
involved digging a tunnel from underneath
Reactor 3. About 400 people worked on this
tunnel which was completed in 15 days
• Decontamination of the reactor block, site and
roads
• Burying the Worm Wood Forest ‘Red Forest’
• Construction of the Sarcophagus and the
town for the reactor personnel.
The Human Cost
 The amount of radiation the `dose' received by people is measured in
millisieverts (mSv).
 Natural radiation annual average dose = 0.46 mSv
 One chest X ray = 0.1 mSv of radiation dose.
 The International Atomic Energy Agency defines safe dose limits for the public
of:
 1 mSv in a year, or in special circumstances up to 5 mSv in a single year provided
that the average dose over five consecutive years does not exceed 1 mSv per year
 The Liquidators are estimated to have received an average exposure of 165
millisieverts
After and since that day
• The heroes who went to fight the blaze
were awarded a Chernobyl Clean-up
Medal.
• There is still an exclusion zone
surrounding Chernobyl of 18 miles
which is uninhabitable.
• Everyone was forced to leave their
possessions and lives behind.
• The Liquidators were considered Hero's
but not have to fight for recognition and
some would say are now forgotten
Hero's.
Play Fire fighters Clip
Mr Anatolii Gubariev
Fire and Rescue Engineer
Liquidators Visit
15 April 2013
Interpreter - Irina Ilchenko
Anatolii Story
In May – June 1986, plant engineer of
the fire battalion vehicle fleet. Fought
fires in cable wells between the 3rd and
the 4th Reactors units, pumped out the
“heavy” [contaminated] water from
under the reactor. Fighting fires in 30
km zone, involved in the deactivation
of villages in the contaminated area.
Questions
Portsmouth & Hayling Island Link
(PHIL)
The Charity
 CCLL now has more than 160 links across the UK.
 Each Link arranges for groups of children to the UK for
a respite holiday.
 During the month they are here, we take the children
on many trips.
 These can be as simple as a trip to feed the ducks, Lego
land or the not so favourite dentist!
 We try to give them as many experiences as possible.
The CCLL Aim
CCLL was conceived in 1991 by Victor Mizzi, MBE with
the following aim:
“To relieve the need and sickness of children affected by
radiation following the explosion at the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor on the 26th April 1986.”
The CCLL Objectives
All of CCLL’s work is relative to the after effects of the
Chernobyl Disaster which incorporates Belarus and Ukraine.
The objectives of CCLL are:
 To bring children suffering from the after-effects of the
Chernobyl disaster to the UK for recuperative breaks of 28
days.
 To work with Belarusian partners in Belarus and Ukraine to
locate children who are in need of recuperative care.
 To help children too sick to travel by providing appropriate
support where needed.
 To support CCLL initiated projects in all regions.
The Children
• The children brought over are from Belarus
or Ukraine.
• The children come over pre-puberty as this
is most effective time for their health.
• The four week recuperative break, away
from contaminated food, water and air
boosts their immune systems to make a real
difference to their health and lives.
The Children
 Do not speak English.
 They like to learn, play and have fun.
 In the UK we have social care which allows
families and children who would suffer
hardship to receive the help they need.
This is not necessarily the case in Belarus
or Ukraine
The Hardships
 Some families with sick children live on very restricted diets.
 Often one parent families or families with an adult or child that
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needs full time care.
Many of these families live in the villages in wooden homes and
some have no running water or heating.
Some live in tower blocks in just one or two rooms with shared
facilities, sometimes sixteen families will have to share a kitchen
and toilet.
These families are hardworking; unfortunately most of the work
in the villages is on the collective farm and is seasonal, with a
salary of only £15.00 per week when work is available.
The families work long and hard for up to 12 hours a day in harsh
conditions. The temperature can drop as low as -40 degrees in
the winter
Our Link
 Portsmouth and Hayling Island Link has been
established for over 10 years.
 Our Link is made up of our Committee, Host
Families, Buddy Families and Supporters.
 We are always looking for more supporters to our
group and are open to ideas from everyone.
 PHIL are hosting12 Children this year; 6 Girls and 6
Boys.
How much it costs
 £500 per Child
 + Visas
 + Trips
 + Insurances
 + Costs throughout the visit
£8000 per Visit
How you can help
 Sponsor a child’s visit
 Raise money
 Support our events
 Use the Easy Fundraising Website
 Collect clothes and toiletries for the children
 Donate anything for us to sell
Just spreading the word!
Items we need
Returning home
During the Visit
•
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Good Condition Second Hand
Children’s Clothes (Age 9 – 16 years)
New Vests, Socks ,Knickers and Pants
age 10-12
•
Shampoo and Conditioner ( 2 in 1)
•
Shower Gel and Deodorants for boys
and girls
•
Girls Hair accessories
•
Ruck Sacks and Lunch Boxes (6 Boys &
6 Girls)
•
Beach towels / Hand Towels
•
Vitamins
•
Plasters, Sanitary items
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Sewing Kits
•
Wind up torches
•
Cosmetics e.g. lipstick (for
their mums and aunties)
•
Seeds (Vegetables)
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Lightweight plastic kitchen
utensils, tin openers
•
Packets of soups and noodles,
Tea/coffee/sugar sachets (
need to ensure dates last to
after July 2013)
The Children’s Visits
We arrange the visits during June each year
Fundraising & Awareness
During the year we host events to raise the funds and raise awareness
For more information please visit our
website or email:
portsmouth@ccll.org.uk
http://www.phil-ccll.org.uk
Thank-you!
Portsmouth & Hayling Island Link
(PHIL)