Chernobyl Forest Fire Radionuclide Emissions Deemed Not Dangerous to Humans

ROSTOV-ON-DON, May 14. /TASS/. Radionuclides emitted into the atmosphere by the fire in the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant exclusion zone are at concentrations that are not dangerous to humans, Alexander Ivanov, a leading engineer at the Ural Federal University’s Physics and Engineering Institute’s Department of Rare Metals and Nanomaterials, told TASS. Earlier, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported that the country’s State Emergency Service has been trying to extinguish a forest fire over an area of 1,100 hectares in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in the Kiev Region since May 7. As of May 10, the fire had burned through 1,200 hectares and is currently contained, but isolated pockets of smoldering remain, particularly in peat. According to the ministry, radiation levels remain within normal limits. "The main hazard in the Chernobyl nuclear accident aftermath is posed by radionuclides such as cesium-137 and strontium-90. Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years, but they will continue to be hazardous for another 270 years. <…> If a tree contained radionuclides that entered it from the soil, they could indeed be released into the atmosphere during a fire. This isn’t good, but they spread over a large area, so even if a single atom of a radionuclide hits a person, he won't notice. Nothing serious will happen," Ivanov said. Because of the large dispersion area, the level of contamination in the area is reduced, the expert noted. Therefore, from an environmental safety standpoint, there is no serious danger to either nature or humans. For an accurate assessment, specific forests need to be studied for isotope content. If the trees are not radioactive, there is nothing to worry about. As the expert noted, a significant part of the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl NPP has been cleared.