EFFECTS OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR MELTDOWN

PLANTS AND ANIMALS WITHIN A 50KM (30 MILE) RADIUS

WERE AFFECTED BY THE FALLOUT RADIATION

GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE CLOSER YOU GOT TO THE

DESTROYED REACTOR, RATES OF MORTALITY BEGAN TO

RISE AND RATES OF REPRODUCTION DIPPED

EVEN TODAY, ALMOST 30 YEARS LATER, SOME OF THE

INITIAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION ARE STILL FELT AND

VARIOUS GENETIC ANOMALIES ARE STILL BEING

DOCUMENTED

FORTUNATELY, MOST OF THESE ACUTE EFFECTS WERE

CONTAINED WITHIN THE 50KM RADIUS

LAKES AND RIVERS SURROUNDING THE DISASTER ZONE

WERE ALSO FILLED WITH HARMFUL RADIATION

SOME RADIATION ACTUALLY DID ESCAPE THE EXCLUSION

ZONE. ONE WAY THIS HAPPENED WAS VIA THE

AQUATIC FOOD CHAIN AS RADIATION WAS MEASURED

IN FISH AS FAR AS GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA

THANKS TO RELATIVELY RAPID RADIOACTIVE DECAY THE

EFFECTS OF THIS MORE DISTANT AQUATIC RADIATION

QUICKLY DECREASED AND IT NEVER POSED A SIGNIFICANT

THREAT TO HUMANS

WHAT DID HAVE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS, HOWEVER,

WAS THE ACCUMULATION OF RADIATION IN FORESTS,

PARTICULARLY IN BERRIES AND FRUITS

THIS LED TO THE CONTAMINATION OF ANIMAL SPECIES

SUCH AS DEER