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The safety and value of nuclear power is a topic worthy of debate.

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Those who argue for it cite that it’s clean, sustainable energy that has a far smaller [Two men debating at podiums]

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carbon footprint than alternate energy sources.

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Those who argue against it…usually just say the word “Chernobyl” and then drop

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the mic.

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In 1986, just north of Kiev in Ukraine, the Chernobyl power plant boasted four active [Cherobyl highlighted on a map]

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nuclear reactors, with a fifth under construction.

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In April of that year, one of the nuclear reactors did what everyone working at a nuclear [Satellite images of Chernobyl]

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power plant fears most—it exploded. [The power plant explodes]

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Big time.

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The power plant was in Soviet territory, and reactors were designed from faulty models.

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The reactors lacked containment structures, or a failsafe that would automatically deactivate

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the reactor if it got too hot.

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Even a giant potholder would’ve been a start. [Knitted potholder appears]

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But nooo…

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The immediate cause of the accident was a failed experiment.

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Engineers were attempting to see if they could draw energy from the turbine generator of

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one of the reactors to supply emergency power in case of a power loss.

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The experiment was poorly executed…to say the least.

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When engineers didn’t get results they were gunning for… [Engineers in the control room]

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…they started messing with the safety features of the reactor to amplify the amount of energy

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needed to conduct the experiment.

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With the safety controls and backup generator disabled, the engineers realized they were [Sirens go off and flashing red lights in the control room]

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in trouble…deep, deep doggy doo-doo.

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The energy level began to spike majorly, and before long the reactor's core was drawing

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in elements of the reactor's structure.

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The added mass increased the power of the nuclear reaction until the reactor exploded. [Diagram of reactor explosion]

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Like a piñata full of... what's it called... oh yeah, hellfire.

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Not that you’d want at your child’s tenth birthday party although it would like kinda cool.

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Eyewitnesses recall flames and burning objects flying through the air. [Flames flying off from the power plant]

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Flaming shrapnel from the explosion caused even more fires around the facility. [Footage from a helicopter of the reactor on fire]

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The reactor itself resembled a crater, burned to evaporation.

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Experts have estimated that the nuclear fallout of the explosion was equivalent to ten Hiroshimas. [Ten nuclear bombs appear]

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And as non-experts, we can tell you that even one Hiroshima… is not good. [Mushroom cloud from explosion forming]

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People hightailed it out of Chernobyl pretty quickly after the disaster. [People running away]

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The government evacuated 115,000 residents that year, and another 220,000 in subsequent

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years.

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Having seen what happened in Hiroshima, people knew they didn't want to stick around for [Footage of devastation in Hiroshima]

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the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.

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Anyway, the force of the explosion, combined with wind, blew radioactive gas and dust over

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a much larger area than just Chernobyl. [Map of radioactive gas spreading]

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Yeah…the nuclear debris got the full Euro-tour.

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The toxic clouds made their way to Finland, Sweden, and much of central and southern Europe. [The trail of gas shown across Europe]

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So what was the death toll?

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Two plant workers died the night of the explosion.

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Luckily, the plant was mostly empty of employees, since it was such a late hour. [A dark night with a full moon]

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Within the first few months following the accident, 29 recovery workers died from acute radiation

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syndrome.

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However, the immediate population of Chernobyl was largely spared from extreme doses of immediate radiation. [Man asks a woman if she is dead from the radiation yet]

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There’s been a ton of speculation about the long-term cancer-causing effects of the

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explosion.

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The total increase in cancer looks to be 2 to 3% for the most heavily contaminated areas…

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…decreasing for outlying areas that were better contained.

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Perhaps the biggest concern came from the increase in thyroid cancer and disorders, [Graph showing the cases of thyroid cancer]

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particularly among children who consumed milk from radiation-affected cows. [Glass of milk and a cow, glow in the dark]

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After the accident, the Chernobyl power plant was gradually abandoned. [Tumbleweed blows past the power plant]

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At first, the remaining reactors were restarted, but by the year 2000, all had been shut down.

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Interestingly, the abandoned plant has since become a tourist destination. [Photos of people at the plant]

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Guided tours provide background and even a free radiation screening upon exiting the

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facility.

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We don't know what could be more romantic… than possible radiation exposure on your honeymoon… [People wearing face masks outside the power plant]

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