UkraineRadiation levels have dropped below unsafe levels on large farms near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to survey results in the region.
Farm land that has been classified as contaminated and abandoned since the 1986 nuclear disaster can be used to grow crops again, Interesting Engineering reported on June 21. This could help meet Ukraine’s increased need for arable land, especially during a time of war with Russia that turned a large part of arable land into a battlefield.
The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant 38 years ago marked a tragedy in human history. The toxic cloud spread across the Soviet Union, exposing approximately 8.4 million people to nuclear radiation. More than 250,000 people get cancer and about 100,000 die, according to Greenpeace.
In addition to the damage to humanity that remains to this day, the Chernobyl disaster also caused heavy damage to the surrounding environment, destroying crops, trees and infrastructure. Decades later, several surveys were conducted at the plant using robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and many other methods to understand the amount of radiation in the area. These surveys aim to explore the effects of radiation on flora and fauna and determine the amount of residual radiation.
According to researcher Valery Alexandrovich Kashparov from the National University of Environmental and Life Sciences of Ukraine, more than 80% of the land surveyed around the disaster area can be reused for agricultural activities. Kashparov’s team surveyed the area for more than a decade and based their conclusions on the amount of radiation they found in the area.
According to the report, the biggest threat to health after the disaster comes from the isotope iodine-131. However, this isotope has a half-life of just 8 days and has declined to extremely low levels in the years since. However, other isotopes such as cesium-137 and strontium-90 with half-lives of more than three decades still exist in the region, although their concentrations have more than halved. It is an area far away from the disaster site. Radiation levels remain high in the restricted zone surrounding the nuclear reactor site. This place has become a forest and may be classified as a natural reserve in the next few years.
Previously, in 2023, researcher Volodymr Illienko, also from the National University of Environmental and Life Sciences, conducted a survey to measure the amount of radiation on 2,600 hectares of land around Narodychi and Vyazivka but did not find high concentrations. more than allowed. However, other researchers found high levels of radiation in some areas but did not transfer to crops or agricultural products.
If authorities allow cultivation to resume, survey results need to be confirmed by direct food inspection. Ukraine has much stricter regulations on radioactive contamination in food than in the UK or the European Union. Those regulations are in place to ensure people do not accumulate dangerous amounts of radiation over time.