Chernobyl: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Partially abandoned city in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine}}

[[fr:Tchernobyl]] [[de:Tschernobyl]] [[fi:Tsernobyl]] [[nl:Tsjernobyl]]

{{About|the city in Ukraine|the 1986 nuclear accident|Chernobyl disaster|the facility at which it occurred|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant|other uses|Chernobyl (disambiguation)}}

{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name =

| native_name_lang = uk

| native_name = {{lang|uk|Чорнобиль}} ([[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]])

| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Ukraine|City]]

| image_skyline = Administrative center, Radiation Control (11383715816).jpg

| imagesize = 250

| image_caption = Administrative Centre, Radiation Control (2013)

| image_shield = Herb Chornobyl.gif

| image_map =

| map_caption1 =

| pushpin_map = Ukraine Kyiv Oblast#Ukraine#Europe

| pushpin_label =

| pushpin_relief = y

| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ukraine's Kyiv Oblast##Location within Ukraine##Location within Europe

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Ukraine}}

| subdivision_type1 = [[Oblasts of Ukraine|Oblast]]

| subdivision_name1 = [[Kyiv Oblast]]

| subdivision_type2 = [[Raions of Ukraine|Raion]]

| subdivision_name2 = [[Vyshhorod Raion]]

| named_for = ''[[Artemisia vulgaris]]''

| parts_type = Control

| parts_style = para

| p1 =

| governing_body = [[Chernobyl Exclusion Zone#Administration|State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management]]

| established_title = First mentioned

| established_date = 1193

| established_title1 = City status

| established_date1 = 1941

| established_title2 = Abandoned

| established_date2 = 1986

| timezone1 = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]

| utc_offset = +2

| timezone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]

| utc_offset_DST = +3

| postal_code_type = Postal code

| postal_code = 07270

| area_total_km2 = 25

| area_code = +380-4593

| iso_code = UA

| coordinates = {{coord|51|16|20|N|30|13|27|E|region:UA|display=it}}

| elevation_m =

| website =

| footnotes =

| official_name = Chornobyl

| population_as_of = 2020

| population_total = ~150 (est.)

| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=10 |height=250 |stroke-width=2 | {{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}

}}

'''Chernobyl''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|tʃ|ɜːr|ˈ|n|oʊ|b|əl}} {{respell|chur|NOH|bəl}}, {{IPAc-en|UKalso|tʃ|ɜːr|ˈ|n|ɒ|b|əl}} {{respell|chur|NOB|əl}}; {{langx|ru|Чернобыль}}, {{IPA|ru|tɕɪrˈnobɨlʲ|IPA}}}} also known as '''Chornobyl''',{{efn|{{langx|uk|Чорнобиль}}, {{IPA|uk|tʃorˈnɔbɪlʲ|IPA|uk-чорнобиль.ogg}}}} is a [[Ghost town|partially abandoned city]] in [[Vyshhorod Raion]], [[Kyiv Oblast]], [[Ukraine]]. It is located within the [[Chernobyl exclusion zone|Chernobyl Exclusion Zone]], {{convert|90|km|mi|sigfig=1}} to the north of [[Kyiv]] and {{convert|160|km|mi|sigfig=1}} to the southwest of [[Gomel]] in neighbouring [[Belarus]]. Prior to being evacuated in the aftermath of the [[Chernobyl disaster]] in 1986, it was home to approximately 14,000 residents—considerably less than adjacent [[Pripyat]], which was completely abandoned following the incident.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mould|first=Richard|title=Chernobyl Record|publisher=[[Institute of Physics]]|___location=Bristol, England|page=105|chapter=Evacuation zones and populations|isbn=0-7503-0670-X|date=2000}}</ref> Since then, although living anywhere within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is technically illegal, Ukrainian authorities have tolerated those who have taken up living in some of the city's less irradiated areas; Chernobyl's 2020 population estimate was 150 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The people who moved to Chernobyl |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/moving_to_Chernobyl |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>

'''Chornobyl''' or '''Chernobyl''' (&#1063;&#1086;&#1088;&#1085;&#1086;&#1073;&#1080;&#1083; in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]) is a town in northern [[Ukraine]] not far from [[Kiev, Ukraine|Kyiv]]. The name ''Chornobyl'' means ''[[Wormwood]]''. The town is known primarily for the nuclear accident which occurred there in [[1986]].

First mentioned as a ducal hunting lodge in [[Kievan Rus']] in 1193, the city has changed hands multiple times over the course of its history. In the 16th century, [[History of the Jews in Eastern Europe|Jews]] began moving into Chernobyl, and at the end of the 18th century, it had become a major centre of [[Hasidic Judaism]] under the [[Twersky dynasty]]. During the early 20th century, [[Pogroms in Ukraine#Early 20th century|pogroms]] and associated emigration caused the local Jewish community to dwindle significantly. By [[Eastern Front (World War II)|World War II]], all remaining Jews in the city were murdered by [[Nazi Germany]] as part of [[The Holocaust in Ukraine|the Holocaust]].

== Chernobyl accident ==

In 1972, Chernobyl rose to prominence in the [[Soviet Union]] when it was selected as the site of the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]]; Pripyat was constructed nearby to house the facility's workers. Located {{convert|15|km|mi|sigfig=1}} to the north of Chernobyl proper, it opened in 1977. On 5 May 1986, nine days after Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, the Soviet government began evacuating the residents of both Chernobyl and Pripyat in preparation for the [[Chernobyl disaster management|liquidators' management of the disaster]]. Following their subsequent settlement in the newly purpose-built city of [[Slavutych]], most of the evacuees never returned. From 1923 onwards, Chernobyl had been the administrative centre of [[Chernobyl Raion]], which was dissolved and merged with [[Ivankiv Raion]] in 1988, owing to widespread radioactive contamination in the region. Ivankiv Raion, in turn, was dissolved and merged with Vyshhorod Raion during [[Development of the administrative divisions of Ukraine#Administrative reform of 2020|Ukraine's 2020 administrative reform]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 July 2020 |title=Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ. |url=http://www.golos.com.ua/article/333466 |access-date=3 October 2020 |website=Голос України |language=uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Нові райони: карти + склад |url=https://www.minregion.gov.ua/press/news/novi-rajony-karty-sklad/ |publisher=Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України |language=Ukrainian}}</ref>

In [[April 26]] [[1986]], the Chernobyl-4 [[nuclear reactor]] suffered a catastrophic [[nuclear meltdown]], resulting from a severely flawed reactor design. In addition, serious mistakes were made by the plant operators, who violated procedures intended to ensure safe operation of the plant.

[[File:ChernobylMIR.jpg|thumb|Photo of the town and Chernobyl Power plant from [[Mir|Mir station]], 1997]]

Workers on watch and administrative personnel of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are stationed in the city, which has two general stores and a hotel.<ref>{{cite book |last=Withington |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tE4tAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT328 |title=Disaster!: A History of Earthquakes, Floods, Plagues, and Other Catastrophes |date=2013 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Company, Inc. |isbn=978-1-62636-708-1 |page=328}}</ref> Though the city's atmosphere remained calm after the disaster was contained, the beginning of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]] in February 2022 sparked international concern about the [[Impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on nuclear power plants|stability of Ukrainian nuclear facilities]], especially pursuant to reports that [[Capture of Chernobyl|Russia's occupation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone]] until April 2022 had caused a spike in radiation levels.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kilner |first=James |date=2022-04-01 |title=Russian soldier dies from radiation poisoning in Chernobyl |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/01/russian-soldier-dies-radiation-poisoning-chernobyl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401181752/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/01/russian-soldier-dies-radiation-poisoning-chernobyl/ |archive-date=2022-04-01 |access-date=2025-05-12 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

The reactor was undergoing an experiment to test the electrical backup supply which allow the reactor to run safely during a power loss. The power output of the reactor was reduced from its normal capacity of 3200 MW to 1000MW in order to conduct the test at a safer, low power. The actual power output fell to only 30 MW, however, allowing the concentration of the [[neutron]] absorbing [[nuclear fission|fission]] product [[xenon]]-135 to rise; this product is typically burnt up in a reactor under higher power conditions. As the operators attempted to restore the power to the desired 1000 MW, the concentration of Xenon-135 limited the power output to around 200 MW. In order to overcome the neutron absorption of the Xenon-135, the [[control rod]]s were pulled out of the reactor farther than normally allowed under safety regulations.

==Etymology==

One of the major problems during the accident was insufficient communication between the operators in charge of the experiment and the safety officers. Several safety systems were bypassed and ignored in order to conduct the experiment. The coolant flow increased ''(not sure why, operator or physics?)'', and the coolant was heated rapidly so that much of it began to boil. As the coolant heated, pockets of steam formed in the coolant lines. The particular design of the [[RBMK]] graphite modified reactor at Chernobyl has a positive void coefficient, which means that the power of the reactor increases in the absence of the coolant. The power increase due to the steam voids combined with the retracted control rods caused the reactor power to quickly spike to around 30000 MW, ten times the normal operational output. The fuel rods began to melt and the steam pressure rapidly increased, rupturing the coolant tubes and then blowing a hole in the roof.

[[File:Chernobyl (11383710145).jpg|thumb|right|Chernobyl welcome sign]]

The city's name is the same as one of the [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] names for ''[[Artemisia vulgaris]]'', [[mugwort]] or common [[Artemisia absinthium|wormwood]]: {{Langx|uk|чорнобиль|chornóbyl'|label=none}} (or more commonly {{Lang|uk|полин звичайний}} {{transliteration|uk|polýn zvycháynyy}}, 'common artemisia').<ref name=melnychuk>Etymology from O. S. Melnychuk, ed. (1982–2012), ''Etymolohichnyi slovnyk ukraïnsʹkoï movy'' (Etymological dictionary of the Ukrainian language) v 7, Kyiv: Naukova Dumka.</ref> The name is inherited from {{proto|slavic|čьrnobylъ}} or {{proto|slavic|čьrnobyl}}, a compound of {{proto|slavic|čьrnъ|black}} + {{proto|slavic|bylь|grass}}, the parts related to {{Langx|uk|чорний|chórnyy|black|links=no}} and {{Lang|uk|било}} {{transliteration|uk|byló}}, 'stalk', so named in distinction to the lighter-stemmed wormwood ''[[Artemisia absinthium|A. absinthium]]''.<ref name=melnychuk />

The name in languages used nearby is:

In another design failure of the Chernobyl plant, the reactor was not encased in a heavy containment vessel, as most modern reactors are. This allowed the [[radioactivity|radioactive]] contaminants to escape into the atmosphere. After part of the roof blew off, the inrush of oxygen combined with the extremely high temperature of the reactor fuel and [[graphite]] moderator sparked a graphite fire.

* {{langx|uk|Чорнобиль|Chornobyl′}}, {{IPA|uk|tʃorˈnɔbɪlʲ|pron|uk-чорнобиль.ogg}}

* {{langx|be|Чарнобыль|Čarnobyĺ}}, {{IPA|be|t͡ʂarˈnɔbɨlʲ|pron}}

* {{Langx|ru|Черно́быль|Chernobyl′}}, {{IPA|ru|tɕɪrˈnobɨlʲ|pron}}.

The name in languages formerly used in the area is:

203 people were hospitalized immediately, of which 31 died. Most of these were fire and rescue workers trying to bring the accident under control, and not fully aware of how dangerous the [[radiation]] exposure was. 135,000 people were evacuated from the area, including 45,000 from the nearby town of [[Pripyat, Ukraine]]. Health officials have predicted that over the next 70 years there will be a 2% increase in cancer rates in much of the population which was exposed to the 80 [[curie|MegaCuries]] released from the reactor. An additional 10 individuals have already died of cancer as a result of the accident.

* {{langx|pl|Czarnobyl}}, {{IPA|pl|tʂarˈnɔbɨl|pron}}

* {{langx|yi|טשערנאָבל|Tshernobl}}, {{IPA|yi|tʃɛrˈnɔbl̩|pron}}.

In English, the Russian-derived spelling ''Chernobyl'' has been commonly used, but some style guides recommend the spelling ''Chornobyl'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Guardian and Observer style guide |url=https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-c |date=2021-04-30 |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=The Guardian and Observer style guide |language=en |quote='''Chornobyl''' not Chernobyl, for the site of the nuclear disaster in Ukraine}}</ref> or the use of romanized Ukrainian names for Ukrainian places generally.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The ABC Style Guide |url=https://about.abc.net.au/abc-editorial/the-abc-style-guide/ |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=About the ABC |quote=Use Ukrainian romanisations for place names from that country}}</ref>

The region may be a reference to [[Chernobog and Belobog|Chernobog]], a deity in [[Slavic paganism]], who is referred to as the "Black" or "Dark" God.

In [[January]] [[1993]], the [[IAEA]] issued a revised analysis of the Chernobyl accident, attributing the main root cause to the reactor's design and not to operator error. The IAEA's [[1986]] analysis had cited the operators' actions as the principal cause of the accident.

==History==

[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] scientists have reported that the Chernobyl Unit 4 reactor contained about 190 metric tons of [[uranium dioxide]] fuel and fission products. Estimates of the amount of this material that escaped range from 13 percent to 30 percent.

[[File:Свято-Іллінська церква в Чорнобилі.jpg|thumb|Orthodox Church of St. Elijah]]

[[File:Tabula VIII Europae.jpg|thumb|A 1525 European Sarmatia map after Ptolemy's ''Geography''. Azagarium is marked on the west bank of the Boristhenes river (Dnieper), below the "Sarmatia Europe" inscription, east (right) of the lake captioned "Amodora palus". "Paludes Meotides" ([[Maeotian Swamp]]) is the [[Sea of Azov]], "Ponti Euxini pars" marks the [[Black Sea]], and the [[Carpathians]] are drawn in the bottom left (southwest) corner as "Carpatus mons".]]

The Polish [[Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland]] of 1880–1902 states that the time the city was founded is not known.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_I/750 |chapter=Czarnobyl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313095112/http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_I/750 |archive-date=13 March 2021 |title=Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1880–1902) |volume=I |page=750 |access-date=2 September 2020}}</ref>

Contamination from the Chernobyl accident was not evenly spread across the surrounding countryside, but scattered irregularly depending on weather conditions. Reports from Soviet and Western scientists indicate that [[Belarus]] received about 60 percent of the contamination that fell on the former Soviet Union. But a large area in the [[Russian Federation]] south of [[Bryansk]] was also contaminated, as were parts of northwestern Ukraine.

===Identity of Ptolemy's "Azagarium"===

== Short-term impact ==

Some older geographical dictionaries and descriptions of modern [[Eastern Europe]] mention "Czernobol" (Chernobyl) with reference to [[Ptolemy's world map]] (2nd century AD). Czernobol is identified as {{ill|Azagarium|uk|Азагаріум}} "oppidium Sarmatiae" (Lat., "a city in Sarmatia"), by the 1605 ''Lexicon geographicum'' of [[Filippo Ferrari]]<ref>{{cite book |last= Ferrari |first=Filippo |author-link= Filippo Ferrari |chapter= Chernobol |title= Lexicon geographicum |year= 1670 |volume= 2 |edition= 1670 (reprint of 1605 first edition) |___location= Paris |quote= ''Czernobol'', Azagarium, ''oppidium Sarmatiae''. (''lit.'' "''Czernobol'', Azagarium, ''city in Sarmatia''.") |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-pREAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA396 |access-date= 2 September 2020 |archive-date= 5 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220305100032/https://books.google.com/books?id=-pREAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA396 |url-status= live }}</ref> and the 1677 ''[[Lexicon Universale]]'' of Johann Jakob Hofmann.<ref>{{cite book |last= Hofmann |first=Johann Jakob Hofmann |title= Chernobol – Lexicon universale historico-geographico-chronologico-poetico-philologicum |year= 1677 |quote= ''Czernobol'', oppidium Sarmatiae, ''Azagarium''. (''lit.'' "''Czernobol'', city in Sarmatia, ''Azagarium''.") |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zSxfck1ntLYC&pg=RA1-PA36 |access-date= 2 September 2020 }}</ref> According to the ''Dictionary of Ancient Geography'' of [[Alexander Macbean]] (London, 1773), Azagarium is "a town of [[Sarmatia Europaea]], on the [[Borysthenes]]" ([[Dnieper]]), 36° East longitude and 50°40' latitude. The city is "now supposed to be ''Czernobol'', a town of Poland, in Red Russia [<nowiki/>[[Red Ruthenia]]], in the Palatinate of Kiow [<nowiki/>[[Kiev Voivodeship]]], not far from the Borysthenes."<ref>{{cite book |last=Macbean |first=Alexander |author-link=Alexander Macbean |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EqwBAAAAYAAJ&q=Czernobol&pg=RA7-PA18 |chapter=Azagarium |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028002500/https://books.google.ca/books?id=EqwBAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA7-PA18&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Czernobol&f=false |archive-date=28 October 2020 |title=A Dictionary of Ancient Geography |___location=London |year=1773 |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref>

Whether Azagarium is indeed Czernobol is debatable. The question of Azagarium's correct ___location was raised in 1842 by [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg]]-[[Slovaks|Slovak]] historian, [[Pavel Jozef Šafárik]], who published a book titled "Slavic Ancient History" ("Sławiańskie starożytności"), where he claimed Azagarium to be the hill of Zaguryna, which he found on an old Russian map "Bolzoj czertez" (Big drawing){{dubious|Azagarium|reason=What is this "Big drawing"? The name of the map, or what?|date=September 2020}} near the city of [[Pereiaslav]], now in [[central Ukraine]].<ref name=Slavic>{{cite book |last=Šafárik |first=Pavel Jozef |author-link=Pavel Jozef Šafárik |title= Sławiańskie starożytności |page= 660 |publisher= Wydanie i druk W. Stefańskiego |___location= Poznan |volume= 1 |year= 1842 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=m6x5wrdxackC&pg=PA660 |access-date=2 September 2020}}</ref>

Workers involved in the recovery and cleanup after the accident received high doses of radiation. In most cases, these workers were not equipped with individual dosimeters to measure the amount of radiation received, so experts can only estimate their doses. Even where dosimeters were used, dosimetric procedures varied. Some workers are thought to have been given more accurate estimated doses than others. According to Soviet estimates, between 300,000 and 600,000 people were involved in the cleanup of the 30-kilometer evacuation zone around the reactor, but many of them entered the zone two years after the accident. (Estimates of the number of "liquidators"-- workers brought into the area for accident management and recovery work-- vary; the [[World Health Organization]], for example, puts the figure at about 800,000.) In the first year after the accident, the number of cleanup workers in the zone was estimated to be 211,000, and these workers received an estimated average dose of 165 [[Sievert|millisievert]] (16.5 [[rem]]).

In 2019, Ukrainian architect Boris Yerofalov-Pylypchak published a book, ''Roman Kyiv or Castrum Azagarium at Kyiv-[[Podil]]''.<ref name=Yerofalov>{{cite book |last= Yerofalov-Pylypchak |first= Boris |title= Римский Киев: или Castrum Azagarium на Киево-Подоле (Roman Kyiv or Castrum Azagarium at Kyiv-Podil) |publisher= A+C |year= 2019 |isbn= 9786177765010 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YWg2ywEACAAJ |access-date=2 September 2020}}</ref>

Some children in the contaminated areas were exposed to high [[thyroid]] doses (up to 5,000 rad) because of an intake of [[radioiodine]], a relatively short-lived isotope, from contaminated local milk. Several studies have found that the incidence of [[thyroid cancer]] among children in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia has risen sharply (see World Health Organization, page 154; Ivanov, Tsyb Studies, page 159; European Commission Program, page 159; Ukrainian Studies, page 160; and Swiss-Belarussian Paper, page 162). The childhood thyroid cancers that have appeared are of a large and aggressive type, and if detected early, can be treated. Treatment entails surgery followed by [[iodine-131 therapy]] for any [[metastases]]. To date, such treatment appears to have been successful in all diagnosed cases.

=== Kievan Rus' and post-medieval era (880–1793) ===

== Longer-term impact ==

The archaeological excavations that were conducted in 2005–2008 found a cultural layer from the 10–12th centuries AD, which predates the first documentary mention of Chernobyl.<ref>Pereverziev, S.V. ''[http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/83442 Exploring of Chernobyl hillfort. Problems and perspectives of medieval archaeology in exclusion zone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708162014/http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/83442 |date=8 July 2020 }}''. Archaeology and old history of Ukraine. Collection of scientific works. Kyiv, 2010</ref>

Around the 12th century Chernobyl was part of the land of [[Kievan Rus′]]. The first known mention of the settlement as Chernobyl is from an 1193 charter, which describes it as a hunting lodge of [[Knyaz]] [[Rurik Rostislavich]].<ref name="ND">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Davies |title=[[Europe: A History]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1996 |isbn=0-19-820171-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.Chernobyl.in.ua/en/Chernobyl.htm |title=Chernobyl ancient history and maps}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> In 1362<ref name=hcvu>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Tronko |first=Petro |author-link=Petro Tronko |url=http://imsu-kyiv.com/msta-sela-kivsko-oblast/chornobylskyj-rajon/chornobyl.html |title=Chornobyl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222184456/http://imsu-kyiv.com/msta-sela-kivsko-oblast/chornobylskyj-rajon/chornobyl.html |archive-date=22 February 2020 |encyclopedia=[[The History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR]]}}</ref> it was a crown village of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Around that time the town had own castle which was ruined at least on two occasions in 1473 and 1482.<ref name=hcvu/> The Chernobyl castle was rebuilt in the first quarter of the 16th century being located nearby the settlement in a hard to reach area.<ref name=hcvu/> With revival of the castle, Chernobyl became a county seat.<ref name=hcvu/> In 1552 it accounted for 196 buildings with 1,372 residents, out of which over 1,160 were considered city dwellers.<ref name=hcvu/> In the city were developing various crafts professions such as blacksmith, cooper among others.<ref name=hcvu/> Near Chernobyl has been excavated [[bog iron]], out of which was produced iron.<ref name=hcvu/> The village was granted to [[Filon Kmita]], a captain of the royal [[cavalry]], as a [[fiefdom]] in 1566. Following the [[Union of Lublin]], the province where Chernobyl is located was transferred to the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland]] in 1569.<ref name=hcvu/> Under the Polish Crown, Chernobyl became a seat of eldership ([[starostwo]]).<ref name=hcvu/> During that period Chernobyl was inhabited by [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] [[peasant]]s, some [[Polish people|Polish]] people and a relatively large number of Jews.<ref>{{Cite web|title= The Situation of Ethnic Minorities|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a80718.html|website=Refworld|language=en|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308155009/https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a80718.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Jews were brought to Chernobyl by [[Filon Kmita]], during the Polish campaign of colonization. The first mentioning of Jewish community in Chernobyl is in the 17th century.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://eleven.co.il/diaspora/communities/14672/ |title=Chernobyl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813112054/https://eleven.co.il/diaspora/communities/14672/ |archive-date=13 August 2020 |encyclopedia=Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia}}</ref> In 1600 the first Roman Catholic church was built in the town.<ref name=hcvu/> Local population was persecuted for holding Eastern Orthodox rite services.<ref name=hcvu/> The traditionally [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] Ukrainian peasantry around the town were forcibly converted, by Poland, to the [[Ruthenian Uniate Church]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Serhii|first=Plokhy|title=Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|year=2018|isbn=9780241349038}}</ref> In 1626, during the [[Counter-Reformation]], a [[Dominican order|Dominican]] church and [[monastery]] were founded by Lukasz Sapieha. A group of [[Old Catholics]] opposed the decrees of the [[Council of Trent]].{{clarify|date=June 2017}} The Chernobyl residents actively supported the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]] (1648–1657).<ref name=hcvu/>

Right after the accident, the main health concern involved [[radioiodine]], with a half-life of eight days. Today, in addition to radioiodine, there is concern about contamination of the soil with [[cesium-137]], which has a half-life of about 30 years.

With the signing of the [[Truce of Andrusovo]] in 1667, Chernobyl was secured after{{dubious|What is the meaning of "was secured after the Sapieha family" in proper English?|date=September 2020}} the [[Sapieha family]].<ref name=hcvu/> Sometime in the 18th century, the place was passed on to the [[Chodkiewicz]] family.<ref name=hcvu/> In the mid-18th century the area around Chernobyl was engulfed in a number of peasant riots, which caused [[Nikolai Vasilyeich Repnin|Prince Riepnin]] to write from [[Warsaw]] to Major General [[Mikhail Krechetnikov|Krechetnikov]], requesting [[hussar]]s to be sent from [[Kharkiv]] to deal with the uprising near Chernobyl in 1768.<ref name=hcvu/> The 8th Lithuanian Infantry Regiment was stationed in the town in 1791.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gembarzewski|first=Bronisław|title=Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831|year=1925|language=pl|publisher=Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej|___location=Warszawa|page=35}}</ref> By the end of the 18th century, the town accounted for 2,865 residents and had 642 buildings.<ref name=hcvu/>

According to reports from Soviet scientists at the First International Conference on the Biological and Radiological Aspects of the Chernobyl Accident ([[September]] [[1990]]), fallout levels in the 10-kilometer zone around the plant were as high as 130,000 curies per square kilometer. The so-called "red forest" of pine trees killed by heavy radioactive fallout lies within the 10-kilometer zone.

===Imperial Russian era (1793–1917)===

Chernobyl was a secret disaster at first. The initial evidence that a major nuclear accident had occurred came not from Soviet sources, but from [[Sweden]], where on [[April 27]] workers at a nuclear power plant were found to have radioactive particles on their clothes. It was Sweden's search for the source of radioactivity, after they had determined there was no leak at the Swedish plant, that led to the first hint of a nuclear problem in the Soviet Union.

Following the [[Second Partition of Poland]], in 1793 Chernobyl was annexed by the [[Russian Empire]]<ref name="ND2">[[Davies, Norman]] (1995) [http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia/195/index.html "Chernobyl"], ''[[The Sarmatian Review]], vol. 15'', No. 1, Polish Institute of Houston at [[Rice University]], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304203059/http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia/195/index.html |date=4 March 2007 }}.</ref> and became part of [[Radomyshl]] county (''[[uezd]]'') as a [[supernumerary town]] ("zashtatny gorod").<ref name=hcvu/> Many of the [[Ruthenian Uniate Church|Uniate Church]] converts returned to [[Eastern Orthodox]]y.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Roudometof|first1=Victor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQRtAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153|title=Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age: Tradition Faces the 21st Century|last2=Agadjanian|first2=Alexander|last3=Pankhurst|first3=Jerry|date= 2005|publisher=Rowman Altamira|isbn=978-0-7591-1477-7|language=en|access-date=3 September 2020|archive-date=15 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015153031/https://books.google.com/books?id=mQRtAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1832, following the failed Polish November Uprising, the Dominican monastery was sequestrated. The church of the Old Catholics was disbanded in 1852.<ref name="ND" />

Soviet authorities started evacuating people from the area around Chernobyl within 36 hours of the accident. By [[May]] 1986, about a month later, all those living within a 30-kilometer (18-mile) radius of the plant-- about 116,000 people-- had been relocated.

Until the end of the 19th century, Chernobyl was a privately owned city that belonged to the [[Chodkiewicz]] family. In 1896 they sold the city to the state, but until 1910 they owned a castle and a house in the city.

According to reports from Soviet scientists, 28,000 square kilometers (10,800 sq.mi.) were contaminated by [[cesium|cesium-137]] to levels greater than five curies per square kilometer. Roughly 830,000 people lived in this area. About 10,500 square kilometers (4,000 sq.mi.) were contaminated by cesium-137 to levels greater than 15 curies per square kilometer. Of this total, roughly 7,000 sq.km. (2,700 sq.mi.) lie in Belarus, 2,000 sq.km. (800 sq.mi.) in the Russian Federation and 1,500 sq.km. (580 sq.mi.) in Ukraine. About 250,000 people lived in this area. These reported data were corroborated by the [[International Chernobyl Project]].

==== Hasidic Jewish dynasty of Chernobyl ====

The Chernobyl accident was a unique event, on a scale by itself. It was the only time in the history of commercial nuclear electricity generation that radiation-related fatalities occurred.

In the second half of the 18th century, Chernobyl became a major centre of [[Hasidic Judaism]]. The [[Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)|Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty]] had been founded by Rabbi [[Menachem Nachum Twersky]]. The Jewish population suffered greatly from [[pogrom]]s in October 1905 and in March–April 1919; many Jews were killed or robbed at the instigation of the Russian nationalist [[Black Hundreds]]. When the Twersky Dynasty left Chernobyl in 1920, it ceased to exist as a center of Hasidism.

Chernobyl had a population of 10,800 in 1898, including 7,200 [[Jews]]. In the beginning of March 1918<ref name=hcvu/> Chernobyl was occupied in [[World War I]] by German forces in accordance with the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]]<ref name="ND" />

Epidemiological studies have been hampered in the former Soviet Union by a lack of funds, an infrastructure with little or no experience in chronic disease [[epidemiology]], poor communication facilities and an immediate public health problem with many dimensions. Emphasis has been placed on screening rather than on well-designed epidemiological studies. International efforts to organize epidemiological studies have been slowed by some of the same factors, especially the lack of a suitable scientific infrastructure.

===Soviet era (1920–1991)===

An increased incidence of thyroid cancer among children in areas of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia affected by the Chernobyl accident has been firmly established as a result of screening programs and, in the case of Belarus, an established cancer registry. The findings of most epidemiological studies must be considered interim, say experts, as analysis of the health effects of the accident is an ongoing process.

[[Ukrainian People's Republic|Ukrainians]] and [[Bolsheviks]] fought over the city in the ensuing [[Ukraine after the Russian Revolution|Civil War]]. In the [[Polish–Soviet War]] of 1919–20, Chernobyl [[Battle of Czarnobyl (1920)|was taken first by the Polish Army]] and then by the cavalry of the [[Red Army]]. From 1921 onwards, it was officially incorporated into the [[Ukrainian SSR]].<ref name="ND"/>

====Holodomor====

The activities undertaken by Belarus and Ukraine in response to the accident--remediation of the environment, evacuation and resettlement, development of noncontaminated food sources and food distribution channels, and public health measures-- have overburdened the governments of those countries. International agencies and foreign governments have provided extensive logistic and humanitarian assistance. In addition, the work of the [[European Commission]] and World Health Organization in strengthening the epidemiological research infrastructure in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is laying the basis for major advances in these countries' ability to carry out epidemiological studies of all kinds.

Between 1929 and 1933, Chernobyl suffered from killings during [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]'s [[Collectivization in the Soviet Union|collectivization]] campaign. It was also affected by the [[Holodomor|famine]] that resulted from Stalin's policies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/stalin.htm|title=Genocide in the 20th Century: Stalin's Forced Famine 1932–33|website=www.historyplace.com|access-date=16 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224182059/http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/stalin.htm|archive-date=24 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The Polish and German community of Chernobyl was deported to [[Kazakhstan]] in 1936, during the [[Frontier Clearances]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet heartland|last=Brown|first=Kate|date=2004|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=0674011686|___location=Cambridge, Mass.|oclc=52727650}}</ref>

====World War II and the Holocaust====

In marked contrast to the human cost, the evacuation of the area surrounding the plant has created a lush and unique wildlife refuge.

During [[World War II]], Chernobyl was occupied by the [[Wehrmacht|German Army]] from 25 August 1941 to 17 November 1943. When the Germans arrived, only 400 Jews remained in Chernobyl;<ref>{{Cite book |last= Plokhy |first= Serhii |authorlink= Serhii Plokhy |year= 2018 |title= Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe |___location= New York|publisher= [[Basic Books]] |isbn= 978-1-541-61709-4 |pages=28–29}}</ref> they were murdered during the [[Holocaust]].<ref name="ND" />

====Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant====

See also: [[nuclear reactor]], [[radiation]]

In 1972, the Duga-1 radio receiver, part of the larger [[Duga radar|Duga]] [[over-the-horizon radar]] array, began construction {{convert|11|km|mi|abbr=on}} west-northwest of Chernobyl. It was the origin of the Russian Woodpecker and was designed as part of an [[anti-ballistic missile]] [[early-warning radar]] network.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Pavlo |last=Fedykovych|title=Duga radar: Enormous abandoned antenna hidden in forests near Chernobyl|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/duga-radar-chernobyl-ukraine/index.html|access-date=17 April 2021|website=CNN|date=March 2019 |language=en|archive-date=27 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627082623/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/duga-radar-chernobyl-ukraine/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 15 August 1972, the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]] (officially the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant) began construction about {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |first=Marc |last=Lallanilla. |url=https://www.livescience.com/39961-chernobyl.html |title=Chernobyl: Facts About the Nuclear Disaster |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419013251/https://www.livescience.com/39961-chernobyl.html |archive-date=19 April 2019 |website=Live Science |access-date=20 June 2019 |date=25 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.oecd-nea.org/rp/chernobyl/c01.html |title=Chernobyl: Assessment of Radiological and Health Impact (2002 Update of 'Chernobyl: 10 Years On) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021215100/https://www.oecd-nea.org/rp/chernobyl/c01.html |archive-date=21 October 2020 |author=Nuclear Energy Agency |year=2002 |isbn=92-64-18487-2}}</ref> northwest of Chernobyl. The plant was built alongside [[Pripyat]], an "[[atomograd]]" city founded on 4 February 1970 that was intended to serve the nuclear power plant. The decision to build the power plant was adopted by the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] and the [[Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union]] on recommendations of the [[DerzhPlan|State Planning Committee]] that the Ukrainian SSR be its ___location. It was the first nuclear power plant to be built in Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chernobyl Accident 1986 |publisher=World Nuclear Association |url=https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=world-nuclear.org}}</ref>

==External Links==

====26 April 1986: Chernobyl disaster====

* [http://www.chernobyl.info/en http://www.chernobyl.info - UN Chernobyl Site]

After the [[Chernobyl disaster|nuclear disaster]] at the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]]; the worst nuclear disaster in history, the city of Chernobyl was evacuated on 5 May 1986. Along with the residents of the nearby city of [[Pripyat]], built as a home for the plant's workers, the population was relocated to the newly built city of [[Slavutych]]. While Pripyat remains completely abandoned with no remaining inhabitants, Chernobyl has since hosted a small population.

===Independent Ukrainian era (1991–present)===

* http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm - World Nuclear Association account of the accident

{{More citations needed section|date=February 2022}}

With the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, Chernobyl remained part of [[Ukraine]] within the [[Chernobyl Exclusion Zone]] which Ukraine inherited from the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Davies |first=Thom |last2=Polese |first2=Abel |date=2015-01-01 |title=Informality and survival in Ukraine's nuclear landscape: Living with the risks of Chernobyl |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879366514000232 |journal=Journal of Eurasian Studies |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=34–45 |doi=10.1016/j.euras.2014.09.002 |issn=1879-3665}}</ref>

==== 2022 Russian occupation of Chernobyl ====

* http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chernobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm - First hand account of the wildlife preserve

{{Main|Capture of Chernobyl}}

During the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Russian forces [[Capture of Chernobyl|captured the city]] on 24 February.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Russia captures Chernobyl power plant after battle with Ukrainian forces|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/russia-captures-chernobyl-5692876-Feb2022/|date=24 February 2022|access-date=24 February 2022|work=[[TheJournal.ie]]|agency=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]]|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224202250/https://www.thejournal.ie/russia-captures-chernobyl-5692876-Feb2022/|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the capture of Chernobyl, the Russian army used the city as a staging point for attacks on Kyiv.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kramer |first1=Andrew E. |last2=Prickett |first2=Ivor |date=2022-04-08 |title=Russian Blunders in Chernobyl: 'They Came and Did Whatever They Wanted' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/world/europe/ukraine-chernobyl.html |access-date=2024-08-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Ukrainian officials reported that the radiation levels in the city had started to rise due to recent military activity causing radioactive dust to ascend into the air.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Polityuk|first1=Pavel|last2=Crellin|first2=Forrest|title=Ukraine reports higher Chernobyl radiation after Russians capture plant|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-nuclear-agency-reports-higher-chernobyl-radiation-levels-due-heavy-2022-02-25|access-date=26 February 2022|work=Reuters|date=25 February 2022|language=en|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226005304/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-nuclear-agency-reports-higher-chernobyl-radiation-levels-due-heavy-2022-02-25/|url-status=live}}</ref> Hundreds of Russian soldiers were suffering from [[radiation poisoning]] after digging trenches in a contaminated area, and one died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/01/russian-soldier-dies-radiation-poisoning-chernobyl/|work=The Telegraph|date=1 April 2022|accessdate=1 April 2022|first=James |last=Kilner|title=Russian soldier dies from radiation poisoning at Chernobyl}}</ref> On 31 March it was reported that Russian forces had left the exclusion zone.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3444941-russian-invaders-leaving-chornobyl-npp-energoatom.html|title=Russian invaders leaving Chornobyl NPP – Energoatom|date=31 March 2022 }}</ref> Ukrainian authorities reasserted control over the area on 2 April.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-04-2-22#h_8ced7c0e79f27958c6ce12f4895d5228|title = Ukrainian flag raised over Chernobyl, nuclear operator says|date = 2 April 2022}}</ref>

==Geography==

Chernobyl is located about {{convert|90|km|mi|sigfig=1}} north of [[Kyiv]], and {{convert|160|km|mi|sigfig=1}} southwest of the [[Belarus]]ian city of [[Gomel]].

===Climate===

Chernobyl has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Dfb]]) with very warm, wet summers with cool nights and long, cold, and snowy winters.{{Weather box

|___location = Chernobyl, 127 m asl (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1955–present)

|collapsed =

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 11.5

|Feb record high C = 17.0

|Mar record high C = 22.6

|Apr record high C = 26.6

|May record high C = 32.9

|Jun record high C = 34.0

|Jul record high C = 35.2

|Aug record high C = 36.3

|Sep record high C = 35.9

|Oct record high C = 26.3

|Nov record high C = 19.6

|Dec record high C = 11.3

|year record high C = 36.3

|Jan high C = -0.8

|Feb high C = 0.1

|Mar high C = 6.0

|Apr high C = 14.5

|May high C = 21.0

|Jun high C = 23.7

|Jul high C = 25.7

|Aug high C = 25.0

|Sep high C = 18.9

|Oct high C = 12.4

|Nov high C = 4.2

|Dec high C = -0.3

|year high C = 12.5

|Jan mean C = -3.5

|Feb mean C = -3.4

|Mar mean C = 1.5

|Apr mean C = 8.9

|May mean C = 14.9

|Jun mean C = 17.9

|Jul mean C = 19.9

|Aug mean C = 18.8

|Sep mean C = 13.4

|Oct mean C = 7.7

|Nov mean C = 1.4

|Dec mean C = -2.8

|year mean C = 7.9

|Jan low C = -6.1

|Feb low C = -6.7

|Mar low C = -2.3

|Apr low C = 3.9

|May low C = 9.1

|Jun low C = 12.3

|Jul low C = 14.5

|Aug low C = 13.3

|Sep low C = 8.7

|Oct low C = 3.8

|Nov low C = -1.1

|Dec low C = -5.2

|year low C = 3.7

|Jan record low C = -29.7

|Feb record low C = -32.8

|Mar record low C = -20.0

|Apr record low C = -9.0

|May record low C = -6.0

|Jun record low C = 2.2

|Jul record low C = 6.2

|Aug record low C = 0.0

|Sep record low C = -1.6

|Oct record low C = -10.5

|Nov record low C = -20.0

|Dec record low C = -30.8

|year record low C = -32.8

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 34.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 36.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 35.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 40.0

|May precipitation mm = 60.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 73.2

|Jul precipitation mm = 79.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 55.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 56.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 42.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 47.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 42.6

|year precipitation mm = 604.0

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 8.1

|Feb precipitation days = 8.9

|Mar precipitation days = 8.1

|Apr precipitation days = 7.5

|May precipitation days = 8.7

|Jun precipitation days = 10.2

|Jul precipitation days = 9.2

|Aug precipitation days = 7.1

|Sep precipitation days = 8.7

|Oct precipitation days = 7.4

|Nov precipitation days = 8.7

|Dec precipitation days = 9.1

|year precipitation days = 101.7

|Jan humidity = 83.5

|Feb humidity = 79.8

|Mar humidity = 74.7

|Apr humidity = 66.7

|May humidity = 66.0

|Jun humidity = 70.4

|Jul humidity = 72.8

|Aug humidity = 72.3

|Sep humidity = 77.8

|Oct humidity = 80.8

|Nov humidity = 85.3

|Dec humidity = 85.9

|year humidity = 76.3

|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210717143555/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Ukraine/12.6.%20WMO_Normals_Excel_Template%20%282%29.xls

| archive-date = 17 July 2021

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Ukraine/12.6.%20WMO_Normals_Excel_Template%20(2).xls

| format = XLS

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981–2010

| publisher = [[NCEI|National Centers for Environmental Information]]

| access-date = 17 July 2021}}</ref>

|source 2 = Météo Climat (extremes)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-1986.php|title=Weather extremes for Tchernobyl|publisher=Météo Climat|language=fr|access-date=17 July 2021|archive-date=13 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013210112/http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-1986.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

}}

==Aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster and evacuation==

[[File:Černobyl, 18.jpg|thumb|''[[Wormwood (Bible)|Wormwood Star]]'' Memorial Complex]]

<!------

This article describes the city of Chernobyl. Please include information on the Chernobyl accident in [[Chernobyl disaster]].

-------->

{{Main|Chernobyl disaster|Effects of the Chernobyl disaster}}

On 26 April 1986, one of the reactors at the [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]] exploded after a scheduled test on the reactor was carried out improperly by plant operators.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chernobyl Accident 1986 |url=https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident |website=World Nuclear Association |access-date=27 December 2024}}</ref> The resulting loss of control was due to design flaws of the [[RBMK]] reactor, which made it unstable when operated at low power, and prone to thermal runaway where increases in temperature increase reactor power output.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Chernobyl : the history of a nuclear catastrophe|last=Plokhy|first=Serhii|isbn=9781541617094|edition= 1st|___location=New York|oclc=1003311263|date = 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Producing power : the pre-Chernobyl history of the Soviet nuclear industry|last=Schmid|first=Sonja D.|year=2015|isbn=9780262321792|___location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|oclc=904249268|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/producingpowerpr0000schm}}</ref>

Chernobyl city was evacuated nine days after the disaster. The level of contamination with [[caesium-137]] was around 555 [[Becquerel|kBq]]/m² (surface ground deposition in 1986).<ref name="atlas">{{Cite report |title=The atlas of cesium-137 contamination of Europe after the Chernobyl accident |display-authors=3 |last1=Izrael |first1=Yu A |last2=De Cort |first2=M |last3=Jones |first3=A R |last4=Nazarov |first4=I M |last5=Fridman |first5=Sh D |last6=Kvasnikova |first6=E V |last7=Stukin |first7=E D |last8=Kelly |first8=G N |last9=Matveenko |first9=I I |last10=Pokumeiko |first10=Yu M |last11=Tabatchnyi |first11=L Ya |last12=Tsaturov |first12=Yu |date=July 1996 |url=https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/biblio/20112711 |at=fig. 2 |access-date=22 July 2019 |archive-date=21 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721225120/https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/biblio/20112711 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="UNSCEAR_J">{{cite web |author=UNSCEAR |author-link=UNSCEAR |title=UNSCEAR 2000 Report Vol. II Annex J Exposures and effects of the Chernobyl accident |year=2000 |url=https://www.unscear.org/docs/publications/2000/UNSCEAR_2000_Annex-J.pdf |access-date=22 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410170954/http://www.unscear.org/docs/publications/2000/UNSCEAR_2000_Annex-J.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Later analyses concluded that, even with very conservative estimates, relocation of the city (or of any area below 1500 [[Becquerel|kBq]]/m²) could not be justified on the grounds of radiological health.<ref>{{cite conference |title=Evaluation of countermeasures to be taken to assure safe living conditions to the population affected by the Chernobyl accident in the USSR |last1=Lochard |first1=J. |last2=Schneider |first2=T. |last3=Kelly |first3=N. |url=https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:36050233 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308155440/https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:36050233 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 March 2021 |conference=8. International congress of the [[International Radiation Protection Association]] (IRPA8) |year=1992 |volume=36 |issue=24 |isbn=1-55048-657-8 }} [http://www.irpa.net/members/OCR_IRPA_8_Proceedings.pdf Full conference pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722224516/http://www.irpa.net/members/OCR_IRPA_8_Proceedings.pdf |date=22 July 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite tech report |author1=Lochard, J. |author2=Schneider, T. |author3=French, S. |title=International Chernobyl project – input from the Commission of the European Communities to the evaluation of the relocation policy adopted by the former Soviet Union |url=https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=reportnumber:%22EUR--14543%22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308223428/https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=reportnumber:%22EUR--14543%22 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 March 2021 |institution=[[Commission of the European Communities]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Waddington |first1=I. |last2=Thomas |first2=P. J. |last3=Taylor |first3=R. H. |last4=Vaughan |first4=G. J. |date=1 November 2017 |title=J-value assessment of relocation measures following the nuclear power plant accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi |journal=Process Safety and Environmental Protection |volume=112 |pages=16–49 |doi=10.1016/j.psep.2017.03.012 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017PSEP..112...16W |issn=0957-5820|hdl=1983/f281150c-c2ab-4b06-8773-4aa2292f1991 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

This however does not account for the uncertainty in the first few days of the accident about further depositions and weather patterns.

Moreover, an earlier short-term evacuation could have averted more significant doses from short-lived isotope radiation (specifically [[iodine-131]], which has a half-life of eight days).

The [[Effects of the Chernobyl disaster#Long-term health effects|long-term health effects of the Chernobyl disaster]] are a subject of some controversy.

In 1998, average caesium-137 doses from the accident (estimated at 1–2 mSv per year) did not exceed those from other sources of exposure.<ref>{{cite report |title=Atlas of caesium deposition on Europe after the Chernobyl accident |first1=M |last1=De Cort |first2=G |last2=Dubois |first3=Sh D |last3=Fridman |first4=M G |last4=Germenchuk |first5=Yu A |last5=Izrael |first6=A |last6=Janssens |first7=A R |last7=Jones |first8=G N |last8=Kelly |first9=E V |last9=Kvasnikova |first10=I I |last10=Matveenko |first11=I M |last11=Nazarov |first12=Yu M |last12=Pokumeiko |first13=V A |last13=Sitak |first14=E D |last14=Stukin |first15=L Ya |last15=Tabachny |first16=Yu S |last16=Tsaturov |first17=S I |last17=Avdyushin |display-authors=3 |year=1998 |url=http://cricket.biol.sc.edu/chernobyl/UN-reports/Atlas.pdf |isbn=92-828-3140-X |oclc=48391311 |at=p. 31 |access-date=22 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722234251/http://cricket.biol.sc.edu/chernobyl/UN-reports/Atlas.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Current effective caesium-137 dose rates as of 2019 are 200–250 nSv/h, or roughly 1.7–2.2 mSv per year,<ref>{{cite web |title=Information on the radiation state of the environment of the exclusion zone |author=State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management |url=http://dazv.gov.ua/radiatsijnij-stan/informatsiya-pro-radiatsijnij-stan-dovkillya-zoni-vidchuzhennya.html |access-date=22 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720225856/http://dazv.gov.ua/radiatsijnij-stan/informatsiya-pro-radiatsijnij-stan-dovkillya-zoni-vidchuzhennya.html |archive-date=20 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

which is comparable to the worldwide average [[background radiation]] from natural sources.

The base of operations for the administration and monitoring of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was moved from Pripyat to Chernobyl. Chernobyl currently contains offices for the [[Chernobyl Exclusion Zone#Administration|State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management]] and accommodations for visitors. Apartment blocks have been repurposed as accommodations for employees of the State Agency. The length of time that workers may spend within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is restricted by regulations that have been implemented to limit radiation exposure. Today, visits are allowed to Chernobyl but limited by strict rules.

In 2003, the [[United Nations Development Programme]] launched a project, called the [[Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme (CRDP)]], for the recovery of the affected areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.undp.org.ua/?page=projects&projects=14|title=UNDP Ukraine|date=4 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704002250/http://www.undp.org.ua/?page=projects&projects=14|archive-date=4 July 2007}}</ref> The main goal of the CRDP's activities is supporting the efforts of the [[Government of Ukraine]] to mitigate the long-term social, economic, and ecological consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.

The city has become overgrown and many types of animals live there. According to census information collected over an extended period of time, it is estimated that more [[mammal]]s live there now than before the disaster.<ref>{{cite news |first=Victoria |last=Gill |date=5 October 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34414914 |title=Wild mammals 'have returned' to Chernobyl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817164332/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34414914 |archive-date=17 August 2018 |work=[[BBC News]] |department=Science & Environment}}</ref>

Notably, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], the final leader of the [[Soviet Union]], stated in respect to the Chernobyl disaster that, "More than anything else, (Chernobyl) opened the possibility of much greater freedom of expression, to the point that the (Soviet) system as we knew it could no longer continue."<ref>{{cite news |work=Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2006/04/21/commentary/world-commentary/turning-point-at-chernobyl/ |title=Turning point at Chernobyl |first= Mikhail |last=Gorbachev |author-link=Mikhail Gorbachev |date=21 April 2006 |___location=Moscow}}</ref>

==Notable people==

* [[Aaron Twersky of Chernobyl]] (1784–1871), rabbi

* [[Aleksander Franciszek Chodkiewicz]] (1776–1838), Polish politician and [[lithographer]]

* [[Alexander Krasnoshchyokov]] (1880–1937), politician

* [[Andriy Smalko]] (1981–), football player

* [[Arnold Lakhovsky]] (1880–1937), artist

* [[Chodkiewicz|Jan Mikołaj Chodkiewicz]] (1738–1781), Polish nobleman, father of Rozalia Lubomirska

* [[Ekaterina Scherbachenko]] (1977–), opera singer

* [[Grigory Irmovich Novak]] (1919–1980), Jewish Soviet weightlifter

* [[Joshua ben Aaron Zeitlin]] (1823–1888), scholar and philanthropist

* [[Markiyan Kamysh]] (1988–), novelist and son of a [[Liquidator (Chernobyl)|liquidator]]

* [[Rozalia Lubomirska]] (1768–1794), Polish noblewoman guillotined during the French Revolution

* [[Volodymyr Pravyk]] (1962–1986), firefighter and [[Liquidator (Chernobyl)|liquidator]]

==See also==

* [[List of Chernobyl-related articles]]

==Notes==

{{notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{commons category|Chornobyl}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190729030658/http://dazv.gov.ua/en State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management] – official information on public works, zone status, visits, etc.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190720225856/http://dazv.gov.ua/radiatsijnij-stan/informatsiya-pro-radiatsijnij-stan-dovkillya-zoni-vidchuzhennya.html Official radiation measurements] – State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190719223822/http://www.srp.ecocentre.kiev.ua/MEDO-PS/index.php?lang=ENG&online=1 Online map].

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130622165149/http://jewua.org/chernobyl/ Chernobyl] – History of Jewish Communities in Ukraine ''JewUa.org''

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140307123923/http://chernobylgallery.com/galleries/chernobyl/ The Chernobyl Gallery]

{{Chernobyl Exclusion Zone}}

{{Kyiv Oblast}}

{{Chernobyl disaster}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernobyl (City)}}

[[Category:Chernobyl, Ukraine| ]]

[[Category:1193 establishments in Europe]]

[[Category:12th-century establishments in Ukraine]]

[[Category:Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)|*]]

[[Category:Cities in Kyiv Oblast]]

[[Category:Cities of district significance in Ukraine]]

[[Category:Environmental disaster ghost towns]]

[[Category:Ghost towns in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone]]

[[Category:Holocaust locations in Ukraine]]

[[Category:Jewish Ukrainian history]]

[[Category:Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine]]