"A ghost wanders through Europe"
Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl power plant exploded on 26 April 1986. Radioactive
particles were released over 10 days. The resulting plume of smoke was blown in all
directions as the wind changed during this period.
ON 26 APRIL 1986, REACTOR NO. 4
AT THE CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT EXPLODED
Fragments of the reactor core were blown out through the roof of the reactor building.
A plume of smoke rose up into the air containing some of the core’s radioactive
material.
Helicopters quickly arrived at the scene to dump thousands of tons of sand, clay
and lead over the reactor to cover it. The releases stopped on 5 May. They lasted 10 days.
Radionuclides in the releases:
■ noble gases (xenon, krypton),
■ volatile particles (iodine, caesium, tellurium,
strontium, ruthenium),
■ heavy particles, such as plutonium, in
smaller quantities.
The heavy particles fell in the vicinity of the site.
The lighter particles were dispersed in the
atmosphere.
CHANGING WINDS PUSHED THE MASS OF POLLUTED AIR INTO SEVERAL
DIRECTIONS SO THAT MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WERE CONTAMINATED
TO VARYING DEGREES
The first plume of smoke released on 26 April
contained over 50% of the total radioactivity
released by the damaged reactor. It was
carried in a north-westerly direction.
On its arrival over the Scandinavian countries,
it turned east then south to release its
radioactive pollutants over Central Europe
and the Balkans
The releases from 27 April were driven
westwards. Those from the morning arrived
in France from the east (green arrow) and
those from the afternoon from the south
(blue arrow). They spread across the country
between 30 April and 5 May.
All releases after 27 April affected the eastern
and southern parts of Europe, sparing France.
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