{"id":1354,"date":"2022-03-23T09:31:13","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T09:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/forest-fires-near-russian-held-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-raise-radiation-fears-ukraine-says-the-washington-post\/"},"modified":"2022-03-23T09:31:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T09:31:13","slug":"forest-fires-near-russian-held-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-raise-radiation-fears-ukraine-says-the-washington-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/23\/forest-fires-near-russian-held-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-raise-radiation-fears-ukraine-says-the-washington-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest fires near Russian-held Chernobyl nuclear plant raise radiation fears, Ukraine says – The Washington Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forest fires have broken out around the Chernobyl nuclear site<\/a>, Ukraine\u2019s parliament said Monday, raising fears that radiation could spread from the defunct facility.
At least seven fires within the closed-down plant\u2019s exclusion zone were observed on satellite imagery from the European Space Agency, the parliament said in a statement<\/a>. The lawmakers blamed the blazes on Russian forces that captured the site in February.
U.S. experts, using NASA satellite imagery, spotted three recent fires in the area. One remains isolated on an island along the Pripyat River, while another has been burning for about a week 20 miles to the west of the site.
Timothy Mousseau, a professor of biological sciences at the University of South Carolina, said in an email that the fire that had been burning for several days was \u201cconsiderably larger\u201d and was probably being fed by \u201cdead organic matter\u201d stemming from previous fires in these forests and grasslands. Based on time-lapse satellite imagery, however, Mousseau said, \u201cIt appears that this fire has decreased in size considerably over the past week.\u201d
Doug Morton, chief of the Biospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in an email that a third, smaller new fire was detected Tuesday that \u201ccould continue to spread into forests along the southern extent of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.\u201d
\u201cSmoke from all three fires can be seen spreading south from the Chernobyl region\u201d in the NASA satellite imagery collected Tuesday, he added.
Ukrainian officials and firefighters could not carry out their usual functions in the area to extinguish the fires because of Russian control of the plant, the parliamentary update added. It also warned that fires within \u201ca 10-kilometer radius [6.2 miles] of significant radioactive waste and contamination could pose a \u201cparticular danger.\u201d
Nuclear energy experts said the fires could also threaten critical electricity transmission lines, which were recently repaired. \u201cThe facilities themselves\u2019 greatest vulnerability is a loss of power,\u201d said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
What\u2019s at risk in Chernobyl<\/a><\/span>
Forest fires<\/a> have occurred before <\/a>near the defunct power plant, the scene of a 1986 catastrophe<\/a>. Large quantities of radioactive material contaminated the land around the Chernobyl nuclear site <\/b>after the disaster, and a nearby city was evacuated. Today, an \u201cexclusion zone,\u201d where radioactive contamination is highest, covers about 1,000 square miles around the site.
Energoatom, Ukraine\u2019s state-run nuclear company, said Monday that Russia\u2019s seizure of the area <\/b>meant crews were no longer able to monitor radiation levels there. It said the forest firefighting service was not able to work under Russian control.
\u201cThere is no data on the current state of radiation pollution of the exclusion zone\u2019s environment, which makes it impossible to adequately respond to threats,\u201d Energoatom said, according <\/a>to Reuters. \u201cRadiation levels in the exclusion zone and beyond, including not only Ukraine, but also other countries, could significantly worsen.\u201d
Ukrainian Natural Resources Minister Ruslan Strelets said Tuesday, however, that radiation levels in the Chernobyl area are within the norms, according to the AP.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has been trying in vain to negotiate \u201ca framework\u201d that would allow IAEA experts into all of Ukraine\u2019s nuclear facilities \u201cto help maintain safety and security of the sites.\u201d
Scientists say<\/a> seasonal forest fires, which typically occur in spring and summer, can release radiation trapped in the upper layers of soil around the nuclear site. Lyman said that tree roots have also taken up radioactive cesium, which could \u201cget liberated in a plume of smoke from the fires.\u201d
Research from the Center for Security Studies published last year<\/a> found that the smoke from forest fires can carry radioactive material, presenting a \u201ccause for international concern.\u201d
\u201cSuch wildfires produce uncontainable, airborne, and hazardous smoke, which potentially carries radioactive material,\u201d the research found. \u201cGiven the half-lives of certain radioisotopes, this problem will not disappear in the lifetimes of all living generations,\u201d it added.
With the onset of climate change, \u201cnuclear wildfires present a pressing yet little discussed problem\u201d that requires urgent attention, the study said.
\u201cFires are more and more frequent because of drier weather,\u201d said Kate Brown, professor in the history of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The dry weather was \u201cstarkly noticeable\u201d over the past decade, she added.
On Monday the U.N. nuclear watchdog said <\/a>that a \u201clong-delayed\u201d rotation of technical staff at the Chernobyl plant site <\/b>has been completed, allowing staff to return home for the first time since Russian forces occupied the site last month.
Seizing the Chernobyl plant <\/a>was among Moscow\u2019s first strategic gains, after the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that Russian forces<\/a> had taken control of the area near the site as part of Russia\u2019s wider invasion of Ukraine in February, sparking global alarm<\/a>. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant<\/a> in southeastern Ukraine, Europe\u2019s largest, has also been seized by Russian forces.
What you need to know about hypersonic missiles, which Biden says Russia used against Ukraine<\/a><\/span>
The Chernobyl zone, one of the most radioactively contaminated places in the world, has remained closed since 1986, although a small number of people still live in the area \u2014 mostly elderly Ukrainians who refused to evacuate or who returned after the evacuation of the area.
The building containing the exploded reactor from 1986 was covered in 2017 with an enormous shield meant to contain radiation still emanating from the plant. Robots inside the plant work to dismantle the destroyed reactor and gather up radioactive waste. It is expected to take until 2064 to finish safely dismantling the reactors.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday in a call with reporters that there are no immediate safety risks posed by Ukraine\u2019s nuclear reactors, which the international community continues to monitor.
\u201cIt is really important to note that despite Russia\u2019s reckless military activity, there has been no near-term risk to public safety involving Ukraine\u2019s nuclear facilities,\u201d Granholm said. \u201cThe containment structures in the nuclear power plants are really very robust. They\u2019re built to withstand accidents, as well as external assaults. And we continue obviously to monitor, along with the IAEA, everything that is happening.\u201d
Maxine Joselow contributed to this report<\/i>.
The latest: <\/b>President Biden confirmed Monday that Russia has used hypersonic missiles<\/a>, which travel faster than five times the speed of sound<\/a>, in Ukraine. Frustrated with its lack of gains on the ground<\/a>, the Kremlin could also seek to escalate the war by using biological and chemical weapons<\/a>, Biden said.
The fight: <\/b>Russia \u2014 which has launched more than 1,000 missiles so far \u2014 is increasingly relying on \u201cdumb\u201d bombs to wear cities and civilians down<\/a>. Russia\u2019s assault on Ukraine has been extensive with strikes and attacks across the entire country<\/a>, and Russia has been accused of committing war crimes<\/a>.
The weapons: <\/b>Ukraine is making use weapons like Javelin antitank missiles<\/a> and Switchblade \u201ckamikaze\u201d drones<\/a> from the United States and other allies to combat the superior numbers and heavier weaponry of the Russian military.
Oil prices: <\/b>Sanctions on Russia are helping gas prices hit new highs. Here\u2019s why \u2014 and how long the surge could last.<\/a>
In Russia: <\/b>Putin has locked down the flow of information within Russia, where the war isn\u2019t even being called a war<\/a>. \u201cInformation warriors\u201d from around the world are working to penetrate Putin\u2019s propaganda wall<\/a>.
How you can help:<\/b> Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people<\/a> as well as what people around the world have been donating<\/a>.
Read our full coverage of the <\/i>Russia-Ukraine crisis<\/i><\/a>. Are you on Telegram? <\/i>Subscribe to our channel<\/i><\/a> for updates and exclusive video.<\/i>
Analysis\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span><\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forest fires have broken out around the Chernobyl nuclear site, Ukraine\u2019s parliament said Monday, raising fears that radiation could spread from the defunct facility.At least seven fires within the closed-down plant\u2019s exclusion zone were observed on satellite imagery from the European Space Agency, the parliament said in a statement. The lawmakers blamed the blazes on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}