Question: Is it definate that Chernobyl is unreactive and safe for tourist to travel there? Where is people from Chernobyl evacuate too?

Dilwar Hussain answered on 16 Nov 2013:

Hi Sagana04,

That’s a very good question. Chernobyl town in the country Ukraine and borders Russia. The accident at the Chernobyl reactors occurred because the reactor went out of control during a test which which then caused the explosion. The damage would not have been so bad if the reactor had a containment building outside it like all other nuclear reactors in the world do. Because of the explosion, radioactive elements like plutonium, iodine, strontium and caesium were scattered in the open air and environment which is dangerous as they can be spread by the wind and the raging fire from the reactor.
The nearby town called Pripyat (population of 49,000) was evacuated in 36 hours. Over many months, some 200,000 people were evacuated to areas far from the reactor like in other cities and towns. Not that many people died thankfully but many thousands did develop cancer over many years.
It is safe to travel to Chernobyl as the radiation levels are within acceptable limits but are still higher than other areas of Ukraine. That’s because there are still some elements of strontium and caesium still in the air. But they are not life-threatening. Some people have returned to their homes in Chernobyl and living their normal lives. As for the reactors have been closed off to the public and probably will be for a very long time. I’m not sure if Chernobyl would be an ideal tourist destination as there’s not much there to visit.
Having said this, nuclear reactors in the world today are very safe and in the UK, we have some of the most strictest laws in the world when it comes to safety as this will always be number 1 when it comes to nuclear.