Nuclear Radiation Threat: 3 Most Radioactive Locations on Earth

Nuclear Radiation Threat: 3 Most Radioactive Locations on Earth
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Tiia Monto)

Radioactive places are dangerous because large doses of ionizing radiation can damage human cells.

The most radioactive places on Earth are former nuclear test sites and areas where radioactive accidents happen. These areas are strictly no-go and have been abandoned. Here are the three most radioactive places that one should be wary of.

1. The Semipalatinsk Test Site

The site, known as "The Polygon," is in Kazakhstan. The Semipalatinsk test site was a vast experiment on the consequences of nuclear explosions on humans, animals, and soil that lasted for 40 years.

At the Semipalatinsk test site, 456 nuclear explosions were conducted over a four-decade period. The cumulative yield of explosives was 250 times more than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

Thousands of people reside close to the test site boundaries. Many suffer from ailments that physicians believe are related to the contamination of the test site since they reside on polluted land. Living in the contaminated region entitles residents to government benefits, but many argue that these benefits do not support their daily needs.

The town was destroyed with the use of heavy machines. CCTV cameras keep an eye on the no-go area surrounding the mountain.

2. Fukushima

A huge tsunami hit the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan in 2011 and destroyed it, resulting in the power plant releasing large amounts of radiation. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was regarded as one of the biggest calamities of the twenty-first century. But, ten years after the catastrophe, scientists found that wildlife is still present in the area and is even flourishing in the absence of humans, proving that nature has once again found a way.

Following the incident, some locals left for locations far more radioactively contaminated than they had originally been, and the government was criticized for not informing the public.

Due to the lack of humans in the area, the wild boars were left roaming. The radioactive boars have reproduced with domestic pigs, creating a new hybrid species. However, the researchers recommend future studies to examine the hybrids and better characterize their environmental niche.

Meanwhile, Japan released the treated nuclear water from Fukushima last year after receiving the green light from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, the country received harassing phone calls from China after doing so.

There are still deadly radiation levels in the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant. However, visitors to the exclusion zone usually disregard the warnings and put their lives in danger.

ALSO READ: Chernobyl Vs. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plants: Why the Latter is Safer and Doesn't Spread Too Much Radiation?

3. Chernobyl

The Chernobyl disaster is probably the worst of the three listed here. On April 26, 1986, a low-power test went wrong with the Number Four RBMK reactor. This resulted in an explosion and fire that destroyed the reactor building and released a significant amount of radiation into the atmosphere. The "exclusion zone," which is the 20-mile radius around Chernobyl, is still radioactive today. It is no longer inhabited by people.

Chernobyl was situated in Pripyat, Ukraine, a part of the Soviet Union. The explosion resulted in a mass evacuation of over 50,000 people and the deaths of more than 30 individuals.

In a study published earlier this year, Princeton University evolutionary scientist Cara Love and her research team set out to determine how animals from Chernobyl resist radiation that causes cancer. They monitored the wolves' whereabouts and radiation exposure levels in real time and fitted them with radiation dosimeter-equipped GPS collars.

The researchers examined the genetic differences in the DNA of mutant wolves residing inside and outside of the 1,000-square-mile CEZ. The results showed that the wolves appeared to be remarkably immune to the effects of radiation, even after they were regularly exposed to potentially lethal concentrations of radiation.

Meanwhile, US researchers collected DNA samples from 200 free-breeding canines from various regions of Ukraine and other nations. They found out that the Chernobyl dogs were genetically different from the others.