War in Ukraine: What will happen to Greece if Chernobyl leaks radioactivity
The Ukrainians announced that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant no longer has electricity. The generators that will stop reacting to them after 48 hours.
This means, according to Energoatom, the management of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants, that radioactive substances are likely to escape from the plant, because the used nuclear fuel can not be cooled after the power outage.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency points out that due to the time period since the nuclear accident in 1986, “the thermal load of the spent nuclear fuel storage pool and the volume of cooling water are capable of ensuring the release of heat without electricity” .
This sounds reassuring for the whole of Europe but also for our country, which in 1986, when the Chernobyl reactor No. 4 exploded, was hit, albeit not immediately.
Hellas
The Hellenic Atomic Energy Commission, however, also appears reassuring. He points out that the competent Greek authorities have recently drawn up a new, fully revised national emergency plan in the event of a serious accident at a nuclear facility abroad.
The design and ι iodine pills
According to her announcement, Chernobyl is far away and in no case is it necessary to take drastic measures such as evacuating the population or administering iodine pills.
The statement said: “It is a fact that the security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities is threatened by war. The Hellenic Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) is actively and continuously monitoring the situation in Ukraine regarding nuclear safety. To date, based on the most reliable data available, the state of environmental radioactivity in Ukraine as well as in all neighboring countries is reported to be normal.
Regarding the possible consequences in our country, in the unfortunate case of a radiological or nuclear incident in Ukraine, it is stressed that, due to the long distance, a state of danger can not be caused in Greece that would require measures to protect life or health from radiation. .
It is recalled that GAEC, under its coordination General The Civil Protection Secretariat has recently drawn up a new, fully revised national emergency plan due to a serious accident at a nuclear facility abroad.
According to the most up-to-date scientific data, based on this specific plan, the possible response measures for the case of our country include an extensive program of controls in food and feed and, as a maximum, possible restriction to the specific locally produced species. Under no circumstances should drastic measures, such as the evacuation of the population or the administration of iodine pills, be made necessary.
Especially with regard to the latter, GAEC explicitly and unequivocally states that in no case will it become necessary to administer fixed iodine pills in Greece and there is absolutely no reason to supply iodine tablets “preventively” and “just in case”.
It is noted that these tablets are a drug whose arbitrary administration of medicine without justification can have serious side effects. Iodine administration in the event of a nuclear accident affects only the population directly affected, near the accident site, where the prescribed dose of radioactivity to the thyroid gland is above a certain level. “This protection measure does not concern areas that are hundreds of kilometers away, such as our country.”