I saw a video that said that Chernobyl will not be habitable for another 20,000 years. I was curious as to why it takes so long to clean up radioactive contamination? Also for Chernobyl specifically as technology progresses couldn’t we find new methods that significantly reduce the amount it takes for Chernobyl to be habitable again?
Sorry for bad Grammer.
In: Chemistry
I work as an engineer at a radiation based medical center and deal with low level waste daily. The short answer is that there really isn’t a short answer, there’s a lot of nuance and specifics that prevent blanket answers. That said I’ll do my best.
Essentially the problem with radiation is that it’s invisible and undetectable without a meter. This makes it difficult to find the radiation or to know if you’ve received a dangerous does or not. There is no safe dose so minimizing dose is critical.
The way you use meters is also extremely important because not all meters will pick up all forms of radiation and they’re specific about how they need to be used.
The problem with Chernobyl is not just the scale of the contamination, but the type of contamination. Lots of neutron radiative material was released and that specific form of radiation can activate other materials and turn them radioactive.
It’s incredibly hazardous and frankly it’s easier/cheaper to just call the area a loss and seal it up.
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