The calamity is considered the most disastrous nuclear power plant accident in history, and the area itself is still suffering in its aftermath. "They took off their clothes, but not like it was shown in the film, not right down to nothing," Mr Breus insists, also pointing out that their role was ultimately not significant to the story. [4] Toptunov and Akimov received bone marrow transplants in attempt to restore their immune systems. While viewers may have difficulty grasping the scale of the war being waged inside the Exclusion Zone, its impossible to miss the human sacrifices it required. He was portrayed by actor Volodya Stepanenko in the 2004 Zero Hour TV series. Dr. Gale treated patients who had suffered such a high exposure to radiation that even a bone marrow transplant could not save them. The explosion occurred. Firefighters sent from neighbouring Pripyat did not know of any radiation exposure and Ignatenko died of acute radiation syndrome on 13 May 1986. Their skin had a bright red colour. In this article, we will tell you about the supervisor of the shift, Aleksandr Akimov, and his role in the accident. Youll burn together. I followed them around them like a dog I stood by the door for hours, asking and begging. "The operators were afraid of him," Mr Breus agrees. The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. .] According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. When I finished my shift, my skin was brown, as if I had a proper suntan all over my body. After two episodes, with the initial fire extinguished and early panic beginning to subside, the focus shifts to questions about why the reactor exploded and who was responsible for the disaster. But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". The roles of three key personalities lie at the heart of the story: Plant director Viktor) Bryukhanov, chief engineer Nikolai Fomin and deputy chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov. It was supposed to shut down the reactor, but the result turned out to be the exact opposite. Some Chernobyl leaders built their defense on their bones. ', 'The worst cases are brought to hospital No. He points to a few inaccuracies in the TV portrayal. [] It was a kind of torture I would have never even contemplated. [4], While the initial Soviet investigation put almost all the blame on the operators and management, later findings by the IAEA found that the reactor design and how the operators were informed of safety information was more significant. "A thin stream the firemen poured probably evaporated before it even reached reactor.". "I've never heard there was a crowd of people who went to watch the fire at night," he says. Once more his temperature increases and then he falls into coma. "', 'In Moscow, doctors are trying to save Alexander Akimov's life. The dogs are tagged and their radiation exposure studied. He and his colleagues who died from ARS suffered a prolonged and agonising death as the very chromosomes of their bodies were destroyed and organ failure escalated." The bones of your body, he says, "decompose as you become a seeping, foul smelling soup of human material". Its no better now than it was 28 years ago. "My chances are small", he told his colleagues "But if I survive this, one thing is sure: I will never work in a power plant again. "When he was present at the block, it created tension for everyone. The control rods had graphite moderators to speed up reaction and the other part of the rods were made of boron to decrease reaction. [4], In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[5]. DYATLOV (to the room) This is an emergency. All three men were sentenced to 10 years in a labour camp for their role in the disaster and series creator Craig Mazin maintains that Dyatlov in particular was a "real bully", who later made statements that were not credible. The missing containment wasn't mentioned either', 'It is the morning of the 10th May. At least 5,000 people were badly affected at the time, while women who were pregnant were simply told to have abortions. I can guarantee that nothing other than necrosis of the skin took place. In 1976, Akimov graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, with the degree of specialist in engineering and automation of heat and power processes. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This later became known as the "Bridge of Death" after reports that those who stood there allegedly died from radiation sickness. It is the worst human-induced accident that the Earth has ever seen, to say the least of it. He was talking about another operator Brazhik. Most of the liquidators were military reserves, and the army did not have enough uniforms suitable for working in radioactive conditions. Its unknown if this incident caused his sons illness, but screenwriters considered using memories of this personal tragedy as a way to explain Dyatlovs questionable decisions during the Chernobyl disaster. Firefighters were also asked to help clear radioactive debris from the roof after the fire was extinguished. [11] They were found guilty of gross violation of safety regulations which led to an explosion. "It was just our work. People that are usually blamed for the explosion are the plant employees who worked at the night of the explosion: Aleksandr Akimov, the supervisor of the shift; Leonid Toptunov, the senior reactor control chief engineer; and Anatoly Dyatlov, deputy chief engineer of the power plant. At first, our commanders didnt know what to do. Hes not a man anymore, but a reactor. The roles of three key personalities lie at the heart of the story: Plant director Viktor) Bryukhanov, chief engineer Nikolai Fomin and deputy chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov. moustache is a struggling, wispy version of Akimov's. TOPTUNOV No, that's not--Akimov signals Toptunov not to argue. And the atmosphere was radioactive.[3]. Although it has been more than three decades since the Chernobyl disaster, there are many still suffering the consequences today. The Emmy-winning HBO mini-series "Chernobyl," which is a dramatized account of the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster, has rekindled conversation about the accident, its subsequent cleanup and the long-term impacts on people living near the power plant. We dont think of our own death. One of the most dramatic scenes in the miniseries shows three power plant workers volunteering to go into an underground tunnel beneath the damaged reactor to open a vital drainage valve. There was a comment on a post about him. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. 0000000016 00000 n Lyuba tries to cheer her husband up, she brings him pictures that their children drew. The School in Sperizh'e pictured in 2016. Their skin had a bright red colour. At least one of the survivors ended up with permanently reddened, damaged skin. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. During the test, Akimov called for the AZ-5 (scram) button to be pressed to shut down the reactor, and Toptunov operated the button. Read about more radioactive calamities on 10 Modern Radiation Accidents Involving Civilians and 10 Famous Incidences of Death by Radiation. Identical. He died of radiation sickness two weeks after the accident at the age of 33. When the situation got out of control, the AZ-5 button was pressed. So from that Im assuming those could be pretty true about him, especially skin being so delicate because of the radiation. 0000001545 00000 n I havent seen this one yet, looking forward to watching! At 9:25 time mark, do you think it might be Khodemchuk? Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. [5], In 2008, Toptunov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[6]. Instead, reserves made their own protective clothing using lead sheets up to 4 millimeters thick as aprons to help protect the spine and bone marrow. "The reactor looked so damaged, it seemed there was nothing else to do there.". Its a little like if you were in a skyscraper, and you said to yourself, This is solid! [] You just feel safe within it. The communications networks were suddenly flooded with calls and information. In the weeks immediately after the explosion, 29 power plant workers and firefighters died from ARS, caused by exposure to high doses of ionising radiation, according to Soviet officials. In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with what they called the 3rd degree Order for Courage. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. https://i.imgur.com/gfghbDQ.jpg. Alexander Akimov (Sam Troughton) was the night crew shift supervisor during the early . 2023 BBC. Residents started to panic when there was a metallic smell in the air, and the atmosphere appeared different. 1953. Months after the Chernobyl disaster, the radioactivity had spread to Galsjo Forest in Sweden. When confronted with confusing reactor indications, he initiated an emergency shutdown of Unit 4 of the large electricity . We flew out to see what was happening, then returned and flew back in the morning.[2], The amount of radiation the Chernobyl disaster released into the atmosphere was 50 million curiesequivalent to around 500 Hiroshima bombs. The miners finished their work ahead of schedule, but by then the molten core had cooled itself. At first, they also tried to reason with me, saying, Youre young. But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series. The original footage was probably taken at reactor 4 control room during the time our guys were on crew, that's why many of them can be seen. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. He is reported to have stated that he believed he had done everything correctly. 43 0 obj<>stream They pumped water into the reactor core, which was the right thing to do at the moment but the wrong thing to do in a long run. The actor playing Alexander Akimov, for instance, was never even put in makeup to depict the loss of his face. Undeservedly condemned, professionally slandered. There was one in particular where the floor sloped down, so it was lower than the entrance to the door, and the idea was that youd go into that room, and they would fill it with water, up to your knees or so, so you couldnt sleep. The city held its annual May Day parades as the government assured citizens everything was normal. The Chernobyl cases have taught us that much needed (and still needs) to be improved in the clinical management of ARS in accident sit-uations generally complicated by radiation injury to the skin and injuries that are not radia-tion related. Some of the events he witnessed that morning were realistically depicted in the show, he says, but others he describes as fiction. Leg burns are a given, as pretty much everyone who worked on coolant supply in the morning had them. In 1986, Dr. Gale and the director of the Soviet Unions Central Institute for Advanced Medical Studies signed an agreement to monitor the 100,000 people who were residents in the danger zonea 30-kilometer (18.7 mi) radius surrounding the site which ultimately became the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.