3/9/22 here’s a link to a short thread re: total loss of power at CHNPP: twitter.com/sci_phile/status/1501638851747475459?s=21 *Thanks for watching.* I believe this is the accurate, up-to-date picture of CHNPP and its personnel right now. By the way, at the end of the video, I said "until next time..." in Ukrainian.
And thank *you* for putting this information out there. You continue to demonstrate why you are one of the best science educators on the internet, and we're all thankful for you and the work you do.
I hope you won't delete this, even if it does become less accurate later. Videos like this can provide a great insight into what people were thinking at a certain time. I get that scientifically, up-to-date information is preferable; but historically, it's useful in countering hindsight bias to be able to refer to something contemporary.
Kyle, I unfortunately have never had the privilege of visiting CHNPP or meeting it's keepers, so I'm asking for you to pass my best wish on them first me. They're doing a very risky job elevated by the invasion, I know many of them wish to be with their families but cannot as it would mean leaving their post unattended. I, along with many others, are very grateful that they have chosen to stay put and continue their watch.
Excellent video, sir. I appreciate, so much, your apolitical dedication to sifting through the fog of war and discussing, without bias, simply what we know to be factual. As much as possible, at least. I would say it matters at this stage of history more than ever.
Do not delete this video if it becomes invalid. Put a disclaimer at the front if you need, but it is good for future generations to have an idea of what people are thinking right now.
I'm going to have to agree with this. This should stay up, even if it becomes less accurate in terms of the condition of the plant, because it shows the thinking of the day.
I agree with this. I watch SciShow and their coverage of Covid 19 comes with disclaimers before the video and they have it in a Playlist so you can get the newest up to date info. I hope Kyle does something similar keeping the evolving stories timeline with the most accurate account possible.
I agree. A strong disclaimer may be necessary at the beginning if things change, but these sorts of videos necessarily become historical artifacts because of the world they are made in.
@@kylehill I'm sure you'll make the right choice. You are the better version of thor after all Still how do you feel about th attacks of active Ukrainian reactors
As with any content creator, it is up to you to decide what you will do. If you so wish to make the movie of it, then by all means. On the other hand, it would technically be profiting off of the current tragedy. Ultimately, I will watch anything you post Kyle, Chernobyl or otherwise. You do your research and are a well-trusted source for me. Godspeed Thunder Science Man.
In the first 2 minutes of this video, I already have more respect for Kyle Hill than any major news source. You know exactly what you're about to hear and what he's going to do for you. We need this man
As a Nuclear professional I really appreciate this content. Context and relative risk are something that I find very difficult to communicate to the public. I found that you did a very good job and I applaud your efforts
I worked as a welder, so about as blue collar as you can get, but I'm not stupid. I understand how these thinks work, and I understand that if your risk starts out very small, increasing it by what seems like a large amount (say 100 or even 200 times) is not really all that much. You can tell someone that exposure to a given food additive will increase their chance of cancer 5 times and they freak out, but you can explain to them that they face a 100 times greater risk of death driving on a long road trip compared to flying, and they will still chose to drive.
Man, shit got serious when Kyle starts to talk about CURRENT events. This is no longer what happened, this is what's happening, and there's a lot of uncertainty…
@@Balin_James not months, days Russia seized the largest power plant in europe which is in Ukraine. They are placing explosive charges all throughout the plant as per the employees of the nuclear site. Theory is that they're( Russia or there allies) plan to use the plant as a bargaining chip or through means of blackmail, but that's just a theory a world theory. This information has been made public by several news stations in the USA aswell as other countries from reputable sources out of Ukraine including public officials as well as the employees of the nuclear plant that was seized. If you feel this information is not true please reference the public news outlets before looking uneducated. Thank you.
Chernobyl reactors 1, 2, and 3, have been completely de-fueled and the only radioactive material at the site is the molten corium in the ruins of reactor 4, which is contained underneath a massive lead-shielded containment structure. In fact, Chernobyl's last-running reactor was permanently shut down in the year 2000.
As someone who has been researching the CNPP disaster for over ten years, this video is a very welcome addition- a professional, calm approach to delivering relevant information. Keep up the good work, Kyle! My heart goes out to the plant workers, their families, and all civilians caught up in the attack. "-)
I appreciate you using this as a chance to finally explain how Sieverts work as a part of this series. Your Half-Life series has been the most educational I've ever seen on UA-cam and I look forward to every new episode in the series, and you give such respect and reverence when talking about radioactivity. As terrifying as the concept can be, you've helped me understand it better than anything else I've seen or read in my life of 30 years. You're the Coyote Peterson of nuclear physics (an odd comparison, I know) in that you've given me a newfound respect and realistic perspective that's stripped away my paranoia over nuclear disasters.
The biggest concern at the site isn't the reactor itself. Its the forest to the east. The dead underbrush hasn't biodegraded due to the high levels of radiation. If that caught on fire and the jet stream was in just the right position, almost all of Russia would become irradiated.
@Golden Hate Completly agreed. What Kyle and others aren't even attempting to talk about here is internal exposure to actual Alpha and Beta particles...not just external exposure from gamma radiation. They didn't scrape the top layer of soil off around Chernobyl like they did at Fukushima so any action around this site will cause radioactive particulates to become airborne and flow in the wind to be ingested. Fires would absolutely cause major issues resulting in an increase of internal exposures.
@@goldenhate6649 it isn't so much a lack of biodegradation, but of re-uptake of radioactive elements as vegetation dies, decays and new generations take up the same isotopes. It takes time to lock what's on the surface layers of the soil deeper into the ground, away from most foliage. A decent guide that's of historic note is the area contaminated by the Castle Bravo shot, as that remains a current contamination of foliage - especially in coconuts and in ground water.
@@paulmobleyscience Actually, they did scrape the top several feet off, but I don't know what they did. Some kind of burial I think. Also, I don't know how many hundreds of meters or how many kilometers radius they did.
I live 1100km from Chernobyl and the here the rate is about 0.2uS/h measured with an old soviet handheld instrument. I'm much more concerned about the other active reactors being attacked.
@@reahs4815 yes and no. Thunderfoot did a video on it, last thing they'd want is to be forced out of their home during these times needlessly to flee from any radiation from a meltdown similar to either Chernobyl or Fukushima, however that's assuming they would be inside said area to begin with.
@@dtibor5903 Wouldn't the other nuclear power plant that was attacked this morning show a much different result if bombed? I was anxious about it too, but then I read that Zaporizhzhia has a much different and more modern structure and tech, and it wouldn't create the devastation that the Chernobyl reactor did. I'm honestly more anxious about the ukranians remaining without energy than a possible meltdown tbh
I heard reports of Russians shelling an active one. Not sure if it's accurate, but I wouldn't be surprised. Seems like an easy way to nuke someone without nuking them.
What causes this is the water table. The corium at the bottom of the reactor including the elephant's foot is a sub critical mass BUT water is a neutron moderator. When you get heavy rains and the water table goes up the area around the elephant's foot begins to flood this begins moderating neutrons which shifts the equilibrium closer to criticality which causes the corium to become more radioactive. When the water recedes it quits moderating neutrons and chernobyl goes dormant again.
Yes and no. Water is a moderator and can cause increase in fission in U235, but the corium in a mass of everything that was in the core, the fuel, the fuel cladding, the core support structure, the water channels, the boron control rods and graphite are one mass. In a shutdown reactor, neutron radiation is virtually zero since the fission process is random. Water is a moderator at power, but it is also a shield to the little neutron radiation there is. Decreased water levels exposes more corium and removes the shielding properties. Since the photo images of the elephants foot shows that area of the basement is dry, so ground water isn’t a factor there.
@@LSuschena I saw a video from a Few months ago and would not be surprised if the foot is submerged. Many many levels were flooded. But you are dead on with your info!
More like Ukrainians were shelling the site , that's why Russia positioned troops there to prevent a second nuclear disaster at the hands of the Ukrainians and the regime that blew up the Nordstream gas pipeline.
I think it really was the best move to keep the names and images of people you met at Chernobyl anonymous, and I really hope that everyone you met there as well as all the other workers and scientists are able to stay as safe as they can be right now.
Well done! Thank you, Kyle! I hope your hard work and dedication to bringing quality education to a platform will be respected so that others can learn from this for years to come.
Except he demonstrated earlier that he doesn't know depleted uranium is radioactive, which makes me question if he is just reading a script written by people who know what they are talking about and has no grasp of the actual data he's informing us of.
A little scary that I trust UA-cam (and specifically channels like Kyle's) more for this kind of science-based analysis more than I do literally any news media outlet. That said, thank you for making this kind of content, Kyle. This whole situation is awful and terrifying enough without hitting the panic button over unconfirmed speculation. Science can keep us sane. Or... at least, sensible. LOL
because news is full of shit but you should not trust kyle either. he is right about allot of stuff but he knows nothing about this subject. he just like most other people over exaggerate how radiation and shit actually works. like chernobyl was only like 60%-70% as bad as people actually think it is. people just don't understand it therefore fear it. it's the same as why people fear nuclear plants. it's because they just don't actually understand how it works and how dangerous it really is. people also talk about the waste product being hard to store but it really isn't. like the super sophisticated way nuclear plants store their waste product is literally a overglorified swimming pool. there are some school/university that has reactors without any lid on so you can stand above them and just watch in to it while it's running.
If only all social media and mainstream media could follow such professional, unbiased, level-headed, informative and informed production. The Facility needs to start pumping out Kyle clones to be placed in all the other media outlets
Well, the media, pundits, and politicians spent six years screaming about Russia and blamed them for every ill, hack, and mishap. Since the invasion social media and tech have basically "Alex Jonesed" every Russian account and citizen possible to prevent propaganda and misinformation they say. This has only resulted in a lopsided propaganda, disinformation, and fearporning in favor of the Ukrainians despite actual reports and documentation that Russia may have been legitimately provoked. We need to go back to pure pursuit of the truth. If we did that this conflict would never have needed to start.
Unfortunately, professional, unbiased, level-headed, informative and informed production doesn't sell as much paper/ad clicks as what we have instead, nor does it help push ideological agendas. Dayum shame ....
@@GameTimeWhy The Trump impeachment if you can recall that far, was all about sending MORE missiles faster to Ukraine. According to the US government, Zelensky direly need more missile to negotiate with Putin. It was supposedly so important that the US president could have lost his job over this. Do you recall that ? The missiles were sent and no negotiation happened. And now the leaders of the worlds are trying to tell you that NATO never sent missiles to Ukraine and it's all in Putin head. All the lies we are being fed cannot be true at the same time.
I'm not particularly worried about chernobyl, its an inoperable, defunct 45-year-old hazard site turned into a tourist attraction with minimal military presence. It has no value as a military target and is an even bigger political liability. What DOES greatly concern me, however, is the active firing and shelling upon larger and currently operational facilities like Zaporizhzhia, which already had a fire that had to be put out. Even if the Russians target only the administrative buildings, all it takes is one stray bullet or artillery shell to turn any number of cooling or intake pipes into Swiss cheese and we all have a SERIOUS problem. You'd think they'd have learned to be more careful after one world changing nuclear disaster...
It might actually be in Putin's interest to cause a nuclear disaster. If his ultimate goal is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO/the EU, or more broadly from becoming an asset to them, scorched earth tactics would be an optimal solution. The west would either be forced to take on the burden of caring for an irradiated wasteland full of diseased, disabled survivors with no end in sight as the next generation are plagued by cancers and birth defects, or forcing them to leave Ukraine holding the bag, further damaging their already tarnished pretense of humanitarianism. The only reasons I can think of *not* to do this are if he still has ambitions on annexing the region, either de facto or de jure, or that doing something so blatantly cruel would cause enough backlash for other countries to start putting boots on the ground. Based on what I've read it seems unlikely that Putin has enough respect for the western powers to consider the latter much of a possibility (and they've certainly not given him any reason to). I think the worse the war goes for Russia/the longer it goes on, the more scorched earth we're going to see. We're already seeing the beginnings of it with the rampant looting. Russian troops were deliberately given insufficient supplies for a prolonged engagement in order to incentivize pillaging, thereby weakening Ukraine's resources further. That's what it's all about, weakening Ukraine so it can't be a rival to Russia or an asset to Russia's larger enemies. Worst case scenario, we'll see not only the use of nuclear weapons but the deliberate weaponization of nuclear fallout. Admittedly, this is probably unnecessary. There's enough nuclear material in the country that Russian forces could do major long-term devastation by targeting it and claiming it was only collateral damage. The west would probably even go along with it because doing otherwise could drag them into a full-blown nuclear war.
@@Anon26535 There is nothing remotely necessary about use of nuclear weapons in any capacity, and hearing the two words in the same sentence is appalling and horrifying. The only thing that is necessary is complete erasure of the planet's nuclear arsenal down to the last warhead. People are talking about nuclear war far more frequently than I would like; it's being casually bandied about, as if people don't understand the true hell a nuclear war would be. Unless you're at the epicenter, it's not boom, flash, you're dead, no big deal, dead is dead so nothing to be afraid of. It is actual literal hell on earth that you will live through, at least for a while, and suffer unbelievably through. Buried under rubble, burned, irradiated, injured and sick in any manner imaginable depending on where you were when it went off. _That's_ ignoring the collapse-of-society effects; no power, no running water, no food or supplies, no communication, roving gangs of looters and murderers. _And_ ignoring the needless mass death and suffering of countless birds and beasts and the natural ecosystem in general. I wish more people understood all this better. I wish people wouldn't casually throw around "nuclear war" like it's a lightweight term. Discussions involving it always focus on the tactical, strategic, government aspects, as though it's some kind of game. If I may speak freely, I personally believe anyone that fancies nuclear war should be packed into a Starship and sent off to the surface of Venus. It would be fitting, without harming those of us on Earth that would rather peacefully live and let live.
@@puck4801 yeah and Russia as everything that a nuke does if there goal was just to destory everything they could have razed pretty much everything nuke have evolved in the cold war so as conventional bomb we have the capacity to reign hell fire into the ground whitout the need to launch a bomb that will stop your advance
One of the best things about Kyle and his videos is he's more concerned with putting out accurate information with factual and scientific backings than views
Thank you for not spreading harmful and unnecessary alarmist misinformation. Especially during this conflict, we've been flooded with misinformation and it's refreshing to hear someone be impartial and honest
Just yesterday I was talking to a friend about the risen rates at Chernobyl, and I was explaining why I wasn't too concerned at this time, citing your previous videos on Chernobyl, and you just said almost everything I said to him. Just the way that tank tracks work would be enough to tear up the ground and cause a small increase in radiation.
I will say that, staying at the absolute hotzones, where you get like a tenth of a mS/h, that would not be healthy for prolonged times. But, its still relatively safe. Its not "oh god my face is going to melt" but it can potentially increase your risk of cancer later on in your life.
It's radioactive contamination that's being brought up from the ground not radiation. Two separate things that should of been explained. The invasion by Russia their tanks and vehicles will pick up the topsoil which had contamination on it making it airborne or just spreading it around.
Question. Is there enough radiation contamination for the troops passing through it to be contaminated? Cuz if so Putin isn't doing his forces any favors via radiation sickness
Thank you for making this video! I work at a nuclear waste facility in Sweden and i have to explain to friends and family everyday that, yes the activity is rising, but it's such low amounts that normal things you do or eat in your regular life gives you more dose than most of this will. I know there are lots of people who are concerned and this kind of video is very much needed!
I tend to use the oh-so-infamous 'banana scale' when explaining radiation stuff to my mom. She's not quite as 'spoopy science stuffs'-minded as I am, so it takes some unique break-downs to explain things to her. It bothers me how much disinformation gets spread about nuclear energy. How 'bout you? Dealing with the tail end of the process likely means you understand at least a good chunk of what the process involves.
My dad worked at Forsmark (nuclear plant in sweden) at the time when the Chernobyl accident happend and have told me about it and I just find it so intresting, how the radiation came all the way to sweden and how it still has lost of radiation left after all these years. Thank you for making videos about the topic, and please keep on doing them so we all get updated and we all get to learn about this accident. (sorry for any spelling errors)
6:22 human activity creates dust. Wheels, tank tracks, feet, shovels, everything humans do on or in dirt makes dust, the dust around chernobyl is radioactive, the radioactive dust floats past sensors, readings spike.
As someone who designs radiation emitting equipment, I think you did a great job here. Radiation, dosage, uptake, and risk in general, are very misunderstood topics. Even for professionals that deal with it. Please, no matter the outcome, leave this video up for posterity. It is important to catalog the history of situations like this for others in the future. Slava Ukraini
I don’t think he is a real professional considering this was one of his comments on a recent video about needing masks. “Here's the long and short of it. By masking up, its taking away our bodies ability to LEARN this virus and fight it. The door of evolution swings both ways. Humans need to evolve just like this virus is evolving. While humans evolve slowly, our immune systems evolve more rapidly .....on the order of 1 generation at times. What people need to realize is that death is a fact of life. And I am not about to put my mental health on the line and stop evolving as a human, just because of a virus that has a death rate of less than 1%.”
@@daniyal-syed Sounds like a smart guy academically and also has the cognitive ability to smell through the BS of covid. If anything this mask comment proves he’s even smarter.
I feel very lucky to have watched your previous in-person Chernobyl documentary the day before it got taken down. I hope it can be reinstated eventually, if not soon, then after this conflict
Whatever happens Kyle, please don't delete any of these videos about chernobyl 🙏🏻. Of course situations, information and facts can change drastically in a short time but you could always put a disclaimer in the description, and even then your content is still PACKED with useful information. You put a lot of time and work into this project so it would be sad to see any of it gone.
Kyle probably has countles hours of material regarding the CHNPP that he wants to show us, material he's probably really proud of (in fact, I think some of the aerial shots shown are his). He could have just mentioned this in the livestream, but instead of that he took the time to make this amazing video and decided to pospone some of the things he's been working in for months. Thank you, Kyle.
I really had to repeat the first few seconds before it processed that you are now covering real time events. Regardless of politics, this is both extraordinary and terrifying to see history being actively written on a subject of such scale like Chernobyl. Thank you for your dedication to education.
I love this more mature content. it was incredibly informative and it felt delicately put while also remaining neutral to the conflict at hand that may otherwise have tainted the objectivity of the video. I'd love to see more of this style of content from you!
Thank you for this unbiased, informative, and non-alarmist update of the situation. Your science communicator skills are commendable! Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦
Glory to those who defend their country against invaders. Glory to the resistance against an authoritarian government. Glory to the leader who stands with his people instead of hiding in a bunker. Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦
@@icanhazADHD while I am against the war and condemn Putin, I do need to ask you to please stop saying that. Those "Glory to Ukrain. Glory to heroes." slogans are nazi rhetoric. It is directly taken from the Third Reich rhetoric.
@@DonXardas Ehhhhhh I don't think I'm gonna fall for that propaganda. Nazi Germany wasn't being invaded by a foreign force trying to take away their land and heritage. Two groups can say the same thing, but their contexts can completely change the meaning and intention. Stop drawing false comparisons. Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦
As long as you're not in central Europe - nothing is preventing the Russians from damaging both sarcophagus shells when the wind is blowing towards Europe (just like it did on April 26, 1986, all over my country) and you've got a recipe for an "accident". I really wouldn't put it past FSB to make it happen.
Im especially worried about the stalkers, idk I guess its maybe easier to imagine myself in their place. Going somewhere you shouldn't be because of fascination, and then being stuck there because of this horrible situation
Man, I love that you're a champion for truth in nuclear information. Too many people hear the words "nuclear" or "radiation" and immediately freak out, yet another victim of disinformation campaigns and lobbyists. I wish more people were willing to learn what it's really all about. Thank you for yet another great video in a great series.
Well, that's good to hear. I'm hoping that radiation increases are indeed temporary due to incidental disruption of the environment. Willfully damaging the plant leading to a release of contamination would be one of the things that would practically force NATO into the battle on the side of Ukraine, as radioactive contamination is no respecter of mankind's political boundaries.
It's kinda wierd to think people gonna willfully release radiation on themselves, to then die and/or abandon the area. As for the Russians, why capture the station if you want to smoke it? Could have done that with long range armament... Don't want to speculate for the Ukranian side why they might want to destroy the station. It doesn't make sense to me either way, so we are probably fine if nothing crazy happens. I just want to calm people, who may be concerned about another nuclear disaster happening, it's gonna be ok.
You have really come into your own as a science communicator these last few years and you give me hope for the future of our species. Thank you for being you, Kyle ❤️
I looked at the gamma detectors in the first few days and they spiked up to 65535, which is the highest 16 bit integer. I'm thinking tanks were kicking up dust, but it could be issues with the sensors Putin has only succeeded in turning a literal clown into a war hero. Ukraine is inspiring
Too bad it didn't spike a little higher then Putin could tell the world how their random explosions actually caused negative radiation values, problem solved!
Saw that too, my take was that it's a mix of both. A tank causes a lot of vibration just by moving, this could have damaged some sensors and some detect the radiation due to agitating all the dust.
There is a fire in Chernikhov - can be spiking a little bit more. But scientist says it's going to Russia - well karma is a biatch - so for now it's ok.
@K B I think the fact that the sensors went back down is evidence. If the sarcophagus had been punctured, the levels would be steadily rising. The "tanks kicked up radioactive dust" explanation is consistent with the readings and timing.
I hope Kyle and his team is eventually able to re-upload his videos he did at Chernobyl. I was never able to catch them and when I finally tried to watch them, they were copystriked by some organization.
Fun fact, the overhead crane inside Chernobyl to help cleanup and construction was built in Minnesota, where I'm from, and Russia took it, now its personal.
Thank you for this information. It cannot be understated how important the facts are and context. I know that locally the Australian media are going to town with the increased levels and the fact that a nuclear station was invaded.
News are a joke at this point. I am at the point where I see them say something on the news and I instinctively reject it and start wondering how that is manipulated. What part of this is fake and similar. And the tragic part is that I then a day later hear how pretty much everything they bring up is at the very least not fully true, if not downright nonsense propaganda. However I can naturally not fully trust that these things where fake, so I am even after hearing x, y and z did not happen still left with a big "I have no idea what is going on." on my shoulders. However at this point I am inclined to think anything the news is not saying is the truth. I was already frustrated about how difficult it was to get any solid and true knowlage about various things a good few years ago. But it feels like it is just getting worse.
Thank you, Kyle. Having to make a Half-Life Histories in real time and about people you were just with must be taxing. Your, and their, dedication to keeping people informed is appreciated. I wish them safety and you whatever comfort you need in this terrible timeline.
Your explanation of the Chernobyl situation is a refreshingly sober account. Fortunately the predicted source of this radiation (disturbed soil and debris) was a focus of many media sources, which hopefully gave many who would be worried some grounding context. I do wish you had also mentioned the Zaporizhzhia situation though. In regards to that I had to dig deeper to understand just how difficult it is to cause a more modern nuclear plant to go into melt-down but the described consequences of a worst-case scenario (which did not take place, thank gosh) were quite a lot more worrying than anything that could happen in Chernobyl.
We can see people try to protest but are arrested. I understand there’s not much you can do under the circumstances. I don’t think people blame normal Russians. Hopefully they stop fighting soon.
Oh yeah, I heard about this, I never followed up about it when I heard it on the break room TV at work, I'm glad you put this out there, I wonder if anything has updated since
Kyle your videos are doing a beautiful job of educating people in a time where mis- and disinformation are running rampant. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the time and effort you put into you videos.
I hope not. That would mean that they'll start dropping dead soon. Research has shown that once you've been up for 5 days straight, or more, you start risking just dropping dead from exhaustion. The mind deteriorates at a similar rate.
@@PrograError I think that's the most likely. That would still mean the plant is now always understaffed, if the number of people who would normally cover one shift are splitting themselves into multiple shifts so people can sleep. I think the risk of accidents is likely to increase as people become increasingly tired from not getting the proper breaks they would normally have.
This worries me a lot. I grew up in Europe and remember the Chernobyl incident very well. It was the first time in my life that I was truly afraid for my life. This event has made me very interested in radiation and nuclear science in later life. Keep your enemies close and all that. I'm in a group for collectors of radioactive materials and a few days ago someone asked on there if anyone has been seeing elevated background radiation, because he has for the past few days. Well I checked it with my 2 dosimeters yesterday morning. The normal background radiation that hasn't changed since I moved here 6 years ago has always been right around 12 CPM. Well, since yesterday it has been leveling out right around 20 CPM. That is still a low reading, but why has it gone up?
What? The Government said radiation was good for you!!? Just goes to show you never trust the guberment!!!! I don't believe Government and science should mix; one is opposite of the other; science is interested in truth, and the Government hides from it (at least today it does)! I have issue with the categorization of Chernobyl as the worst nuclear disaster; Fukushima was the destruction of four reactors! Some may argue that the melt down in Russia was a bigger reactor, but in Japan the four reactor containment buildings were destroyed, along with four containment ponds full of spent nuclear fuel! The ponds were obliterated spewing nuclear material high into the atmosphere! As an American, it was a great concern because that debris filtered down on North America so much so that the NRC shut down the detectors on the west coast! The contamination still goes on as radioactive water flows into the ocean!
no need to be afraid the whole thing is blown our of proportion. and it was allso blown out of proportion back when it first happened. it was nowhere near as bad as people say it was. people think it was worse just because of the lack of understanding of radiation and because of propaganda and fear mongering.
@@rampage3337 No fear mongering or any of your bs conspiracy theories. The soviet union did the exact opposite, they actually tried to damage control and tone down the crisis, making it seem like it was just 3 roentgen per hour/3 millisieverts when it was in fact over 10,000 or higher in the most critical areas. Chernobyl was *this* close of leaving most of Europe a radioactive wasteland that would not see any signs of life for the foreseeable future.
@paleofolkthank you it’s the truth !!the building the cover reactor number 4 is melting down this man has lost his mind he wants tourists to visit crazy radioactive takes hundreds hundreds of yrs to even come down
Imagine going on a Stalker Trip to the Exclusion zone only to be caught in the middle of an invasion, I don't think even Shiey could escape that. I hope the people at the plant will come out safe.
Thank you for this I have been looking for more information on this but its hard to find. I had been hoping you would get the information out so thank you
Explosion in the radiated ground along with digging trenches in radiated ground knocks all the particles on the ground get thrown into the air and carried by the wind.
Yea right "glory to ukcrap" you army is defeated, all of your "air force" have been decimated you lost an insane amout of territory in just a week,you also been begging other nations to "help" you and send aid asap like pu.....and i can keep stating facts, dosent look to me like theres going to be any glory to ukcrap ever you admit defeat and thats it
This is the most responsible and clear discussion of this issue out there. You are a great science educator and do a great job in expressing uncertainty and the limits of your assessment.
Hey Kyle, thank you so much for this video. My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine, but the actions around Chernobyl and the other Nuclear Power Plants in Ukraine are what concern me the most. I've seen a lot of statements flying around about how if either of the currently embattled plants were to melt down, that it would be a disaster (some claim) ten times worse than Chernobyl. Are you going to do any coverage on the hypothetical danger of either of those plants going critical?
I don't think Russia would make them melt down using the plant as a dirty bomb releases more nano particles of irradiated material into the atmosphere there fore causing more damage to the world, ecosystem, and our population through means of agriculture and the likes. They did seize a plant already and are placing explosives in the complex a current theory is that they use it as a bargaining chip... And depending on the yield of explosives placed it could end as a world changing event of the like we haven't seen before
If they do that, they are going to Chernobyl themselves and Belarus as well as Ukraine. Belarus was even MORE contaminated than Ukraine, and Ukraine was heavily contaminated, even in Kiev. If they do cause a nuclear meltdown that leads to ANOTHER massive release of radioactivity and radiation, they'd be committing war crimes as well as acts of incredible stupidity.
@@taraswertelecki3786 they already committed war crimes :/ cluster bombs and thermobaric bombs both illegal they have nothing to loose or rather Putin doesn't. It's 😢
I love these videos. They're so informative, and I feel like I understand so much without everything being dumbed down to the point I feel stupid. My heart goes out to those being held and the rest of Ukraine 💙💛
I know how much it's affected me, and I visited Ukraine in 2013 (but Crimea and Odessa, not Chernobyl). I can't imagine how you're feeling having just been there. IMHO, shelling a nuclear power plant needs to be made a war crime if it wasn't already. Glad you're safe, and hope everyone you met there is also safe.
yeah we in Kyiv (under fucking 100 kilometres from the CNPP) felt like our death has already been signed. We felt like walking ghosts. My parents and grandparents lived through the catastrophe of 1986 and were evacuated to the southern Ukraine. We were afraid that there would be no liquidators to save the world this time. Thankfully, the russians had no balls or no knowledge to cause a second explosion. However, this very issue is still present on the Zaporizhzha NPP. It is on a single hair from falling apart and causing the second biggest nuclear incident in Europe. Worst of all, people are still pro-russian. They are scum that should be eradicated from earth just like the nazis in 1945.
I truly appreciate the calm and professional nature of this video , to many UA-cam channels and media outlets enjoy sensationlizing these sort of events
Can you do an updated video on this now that it’s lost power? I feel like there isn’t any good info on what the plant losing power means as far as radiation leaks and further meltdown.
The plant losing power means that the spent nuclear fuel pools on the site which are still housing old fuel rods are no longer operating to keep them cool. Further radiation leaks and meltdowns is indeed a possibility, it seems.
Thank you for being someone we can come to to get the unbiased realistic version of something. Whether it be a newsworthy event or just some interesting physics.
This is a good video and good to share, because that is what i figured happened, just fighting in the area can kick up dust, even planes flying too low over the areas too often could kick up the levels, but the media seemed to act like it was the start of something larger, as they usually do, with fearmongering or saying things out of context, at least from what I saw. As Snarfy McSnarfFace said, no matter what, keep it up, if for no other reason than educational purposes.
Thanks for another factual and solely science based video. In addition to the causes you mentioned in your video: Some friends and I happend do talk on Discord as the aforementioned sensord spiked. We speculated, that a possible minor inrush of water, caused by vibration due to the heavy machinery, could have acted as a moderator for radioactive material and therefore could be another factor for these spikes. What are your thoughts on this? Greetings from an electrical engineer in germany.
On march 3. we witnessed the Zaporizhzhia Power plant catching fire temporarily... I don't know if you are willing to open this can of worms, but I think we would be interested in seeing you cover the NPP-s of Ukraine, and the risks involved with this whole ordeal.
@@The_Keeper well that information is not yet confirmed. Russian forces did announce that they took the power plant 2 days prior to the fire. And that it was a ukrainian bomb or somwthing like that. Right now both sides are pushing their agenda, so there is no possible way to know who did it. We will need to wait till the end of the war to learn the truth from the staff of the power plant.
I generally avoid the news when possible due to stuff like this being blown out of proportion. Hopefully Russia can get rid of that nutcase and Ukraine finally gets out of it's shadow. My thoughts go out to the Ukrainian AND Russian people.
nothing but propaganda coming out about ukraine from western media sources none of it is to be trusted. The US government finally admitted the us funded biolabs existed in ukraine after denying them and having twitter and youtube ban people for mentioning them even though press releases from the fracking US embassy in ukraine from 2020 and 2021 were presented acknowleding US DOD funding to those labs.......
@@kommandokodiak6025 "Hurr hurr me hip, me understand. Now me call him NPC whilst telling him to take more Copium." You dipshits are a broken record. Come up new shit, grandpa.
Man, it’s insane that you were just at Chernobyl that is so darn cool man. I’m glad at least you’re safe for now. Back in the facility. Love all of your work Kyle rock on.
I have a question Mr Kyle. Could troop movement through the area distribute contaminants far and wide? Would that be another consideration for hazards in the future?
Given that (as this video states) this ought to have been a 'safe' location, do you have any followup comment on reports of radiation sickness among the Russian soldiers who were guarding the area? There's been a lot of conflicting information about this, and whether or not it ought to have been possible.
Ukrainian forces that moved into the area after the Russian fallback found trenches and other field fortifications. They most likely were exposed while digging up contaminated materiel.
3/9/22 here’s a link to a short thread re: total loss of power at CHNPP: twitter.com/sci_phile/status/1501638851747475459?s=21
*Thanks for watching.* I believe this is the accurate, up-to-date picture of CHNPP and its personnel right now. By the way, at the end of the video, I said "until next time..." in Ukrainian.
And thank *you* for putting this information out there. You continue to demonstrate why you are one of the best science educators on the internet, and we're all thankful for you and the work you do.
I hope you won't delete this, even if it does become less accurate later. Videos like this can provide a great insight into what people were thinking at a certain time. I get that scientifically, up-to-date information is preferable; but historically, it's useful in countering hindsight bias to be able to refer to something contemporary.
Thanks for making these videos it personalized the disaster for me whereas before i more or less looked at the numbers
Kyle, I unfortunately have never had the privilege of visiting CHNPP or meeting it's keepers, so I'm asking for you to pass my best wish on them first me.
They're doing a very risky job elevated by the invasion, I know many of them wish to be with their families but cannot as it would mean leaving their post unattended. I, along with many others, are very grateful that they have chosen to stay put and continue their watch.
Excellent video, sir. I appreciate, so much, your apolitical dedication to sifting through the fog of war and discussing, without bias, simply what we know to be factual. As much as possible, at least.
I would say it matters at this stage of history more than ever.
Do not delete this video if it becomes invalid. Put a disclaimer at the front if you need, but it is good for future generations to have an idea of what people are thinking right now.
Exactly
Agreed. That explanation of orders of magnitude is one of the best I've ever heard.
I'm going to have to agree with this. This should stay up, even if it becomes less accurate in terms of the condition of the plant, because it shows the thinking of the day.
I agree with this. I watch SciShow and their coverage of Covid 19 comes with disclaimers before the video and they have it in a Playlist so you can get the newest up to date info. I hope Kyle does something similar keeping the evolving stories timeline with the most accurate account possible.
I agree. A strong disclaimer may be necessary at the beginning if things change, but these sorts of videos necessarily become historical artifacts because of the world they are made in.
Man, it's insane that you were JUST there. I'm glad you're at least safe for now back in the Facility. Love all of your work Kyle.
It's surreal. And I still have 5+ video's worth of footage to decide what to do with now...
@@kylehill I'm sure you'll make the right choice.
You are the better version of thor after all
Still how do you feel about th attacks of active Ukrainian reactors
@@kylehill I’d say that you should upload it anyway
Work on the videos & upload them, but donate ad revenue for the first month to reputable charity efforts, maybe?
As with any content creator, it is up to you to decide what you will do. If you so wish to make the movie of it, then by all means. On the other hand, it would technically be profiting off of the current tragedy. Ultimately, I will watch anything you post Kyle, Chernobyl or otherwise. You do your research and are a well-trusted source for me. Godspeed Thunder Science Man.
In the first 2 minutes of this video, I already have more respect for Kyle Hill than any major news source. You know exactly what you're about to hear and what he's going to do for you. We need this man
simp
lolw
this guy thinks news source report facts HAHA
@@liukang3545 🤡
@liukang3545 that's not what he said. Read
As a Nuclear professional I really appreciate this content. Context and relative risk are something that I find very difficult to communicate to the public. I found that you did a very good job and I applaud your efforts
im also a nuclear professional, i mainly work with nuclear operators
And what is it you do, professionally?
@@g.r.bilyeu4226 the big question
@@g.r.bilyeu4226 researching nuclear operators
I worked as a welder, so about as blue collar as you can get, but I'm not stupid. I understand how these thinks work, and I understand that if your risk starts out very small, increasing it by what seems like a large amount (say 100 or even 200 times) is not really all that much.
You can tell someone that exposure to a given food additive will increase their chance of cancer 5 times and they freak out, but you can explain to them that they face a 100 times greater risk of death driving on a long road trip compared to flying, and they will still chose to drive.
Man, shit got serious when Kyle starts to talk about CURRENT events.
This is no longer what happened, this is what's happening, and there's a lot of uncertainty…
I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more about Ukraine’s power plants over the next few months
Shit has been serious for the entirety of human history.
@@Balin_James not months, days Russia seized the largest power plant in europe which is in Ukraine. They are placing explosive charges all throughout the plant as per the employees of the nuclear site. Theory is that they're( Russia or there allies) plan to use the plant as a bargaining chip or through means of blackmail, but that's just a theory a world theory. This information has been made public by several news stations in the USA aswell as other countries from reputable sources out of Ukraine including public officials as well as the employees of the nuclear plant that was seized. If you feel this information is not true please reference the public news outlets before looking uneducated. Thank you.
@@strixystillplays8644 Ah a fellow Mat Pat fan.
@@strixystillplays8644 this is entirely baseless. perhaps try not to spread information about a potentially dangerous situation in an active warzone?
Chernobyl reactors 1, 2, and 3, have been completely de-fueled and the only radioactive material at the site is the molten corium in the ruins of reactor 4, which is contained underneath a massive lead-shielded containment structure.
In fact, Chernobyl's last-running reactor was permanently shut down in the year 2000.
As only Kyle Hill can eloquently convey stressing scientific evidence. The man deserves an award for his commentaries.
He’s already got several for things like that
@@Tonithemeloni04 One more award can't hurt :P
@@Grisastre Y E S
Yeah Kyle's Half-Life Histories should be nominated and win something !
Delicately handled, and perfectly delivered. This needs to be out there Kyle. I'm glad you felt you could release your work.
human
As someone who has been researching the CNPP disaster for over ten years, this video is a very welcome addition- a professional, calm approach to delivering relevant information. Keep up the good work, Kyle! My heart goes out to the plant workers, their families, and all civilians caught up in the attack. "-)
I appreciate you using this as a chance to finally explain how Sieverts work as a part of this series. Your Half-Life series has been the most educational I've ever seen on UA-cam and I look forward to every new episode in the series, and you give such respect and reverence when talking about radioactivity. As terrifying as the concept can be, you've helped me understand it better than anything else I've seen or read in my life of 30 years. You're the Coyote Peterson of nuclear physics (an odd comparison, I know) in that you've given me a newfound respect and realistic perspective that's stripped away my paranoia over nuclear disasters.
The biggest concern at the site isn't the reactor itself. Its the forest to the east. The dead underbrush hasn't biodegraded due to the high levels of radiation. If that caught on fire and the jet stream was in just the right position, almost all of Russia would become irradiated.
@Golden Hate Completly agreed. What Kyle and others aren't even attempting to talk about here is internal exposure to actual Alpha and Beta particles...not just external exposure from gamma radiation. They didn't scrape the top layer of soil off around Chernobyl like they did at Fukushima so any action around this site will cause radioactive particulates to become airborne and flow in the wind to be ingested. Fires would absolutely cause major issues resulting in an increase of internal exposures.
@@goldenhate6649 it isn't so much a lack of biodegradation, but of re-uptake of radioactive elements as vegetation dies, decays and new generations take up the same isotopes. It takes time to lock what's on the surface layers of the soil deeper into the ground, away from most foliage.
A decent guide that's of historic note is the area contaminated by the Castle Bravo shot, as that remains a current contamination of foliage - especially in coconuts and in ground water.
@@paulmobleyscience Actually, they did scrape the top several feet off, but I don't know what they did. Some kind of burial I think. Also, I don't know how many hundreds of meters or how many kilometers radius they did.
@@RobertStewart-i3m Do you have a title or keyword I could you use to search for this?
I live 1100km from Chernobyl and the here the rate is about 0.2uS/h measured with an old soviet handheld instrument. I'm much more concerned about the other active reactors being attacked.
most you should be worried about is losing power
This measurement is pretty typical here in the city, it's about the double compared to countryside radiation levels.
@@reahs4815 yes and no. Thunderfoot did a video on it, last thing they'd want is to be forced out of their home during these times needlessly to flee from any radiation from a meltdown similar to either Chernobyl or Fukushima, however that's assuming they would be inside said area to begin with.
@@dtibor5903 Wouldn't the other nuclear power plant that was attacked this morning show a much different result if bombed? I was anxious about it too, but then I read that Zaporizhzhia has a much different and more modern structure and tech, and it wouldn't create the devastation that the Chernobyl reactor did.
I'm honestly more anxious about the ukranians remaining without energy than a possible meltdown tbh
I heard reports of Russians shelling an active one. Not sure if it's accurate, but I wouldn't be surprised. Seems like an easy way to nuke someone without nuking them.
What causes this is the water table. The corium at the bottom of the reactor including the elephant's foot is a sub critical mass BUT water is a neutron moderator. When you get heavy rains and the water table goes up the area around the elephant's foot begins to flood this begins moderating neutrons which shifts the equilibrium closer to criticality which causes the corium to become more radioactive. When the water recedes it quits moderating neutrons and chernobyl goes dormant again.
Yes and no.
Water is a moderator and can cause increase in fission in U235, but the corium in a mass of everything that was in the core, the fuel, the fuel cladding, the core support structure, the water channels, the boron control rods and graphite are one mass. In a shutdown reactor, neutron radiation is virtually zero since the fission process is random.
Water is a moderator at power, but it is also a shield to the little neutron radiation there is. Decreased water levels exposes more corium and removes the shielding properties.
Since the photo images of the elephants foot shows that area of the basement is dry, so ground water isn’t a factor there.
@@LSuschena I saw a video from a Few months ago and would not be surprised if the foot is submerged. Many many levels were flooded. But you are dead on with your info!
More likely it was dust and soil disturbed by the Russian invaders.
More like Ukrainians were shelling the site , that's why Russia positioned troops there to prevent a second nuclear disaster at the hands of the Ukrainians and the regime that blew up the Nordstream gas pipeline.
@Michael Clark you Sir are a smart dude. That is exactly the only new factor in equation. Military vehicles are notorious for kicking up dust
I think it really was the best move to keep the names and images of people you met at Chernobyl anonymous, and I really hope that everyone you met there as well as all the other workers and scientists are able to stay as safe as they can be right now.
Well done! Thank you, Kyle! I hope your hard work and dedication to bringing quality education to a platform will be respected so that others can learn from this for years to come.
Except he demonstrated earlier that he doesn't know depleted uranium is radioactive, which makes me question if he is just reading a script written by people who know what they are talking about and has no grasp of the actual data he's informing us of.
A little scary that I trust UA-cam (and specifically channels like Kyle's) more for this kind of science-based analysis more than I do literally any news media outlet. That said, thank you for making this kind of content, Kyle. This whole situation is awful and terrifying enough without hitting the panic button over unconfirmed speculation. Science can keep us sane. Or... at least, sensible. LOL
because news is full of shit but you should not trust kyle either. he is right about allot of stuff but he knows nothing about this subject. he just like most other people over exaggerate how radiation and shit actually works. like chernobyl was only like 60%-70% as bad as people actually think it is. people just don't understand it therefore fear it. it's the same as why people fear nuclear plants. it's because they just don't actually understand how it works and how dangerous it really is. people also talk about the waste product being hard to store but it really isn't. like the super sophisticated way nuclear plants store their waste product is literally a overglorified swimming pool. there are some school/university that has reactors without any lid on so you can stand above them and just watch in to it while it's running.
Actual research science is fueled by corporate greed and power hungry psychopaths.
I mean, i trust them more than most studies, especially those from Ivy league graduates.
How is that scary? Individual journalism has always been superior.
@@Banana_Jesus_ at actual journalism, yes
At data aggregation? No
If only all social media and mainstream media could follow such professional, unbiased, level-headed, informative and informed production. The Facility needs to start pumping out Kyle clones to be placed in all the other media outlets
Well, the media, pundits, and politicians spent six years screaming about Russia and blamed them for every ill, hack, and mishap. Since the invasion social media and tech have basically "Alex Jonesed" every Russian account and citizen possible to prevent propaganda and misinformation they say. This has only resulted in a lopsided propaganda, disinformation, and fearporning in favor of the Ukrainians despite actual reports and documentation that Russia may have been legitimately provoked.
We need to go back to pure pursuit of the truth. If we did that this conflict would never have needed to start.
@@SoranoGuardias "despite actual reports and documentation that Russia *may* have been" May is doing a hell of a lot of heavy lifting, comrade.
Unfortunately, professional, unbiased, level-headed, informative and informed production doesn't sell as much paper/ad clicks as what we have instead, nor does it help push ideological agendas.
Dayum shame ....
@@GameTimeWhy Hardly. Look up the Donbass Wars and where the key players are now.
@@GameTimeWhy The Trump impeachment if you can recall that far, was all about sending MORE missiles faster to Ukraine. According to the US government, Zelensky direly need more missile to negotiate with Putin. It was supposedly so important that the US president could have lost his job over this. Do you recall that ?
The missiles were sent and no negotiation happened. And now the leaders of the worlds are trying to tell you that NATO never sent missiles to Ukraine and it's all in Putin head.
All the lies we are being fed cannot be true at the same time.
I'm not particularly worried about chernobyl, its an inoperable, defunct 45-year-old hazard site turned into a tourist attraction with minimal military presence. It has no value as a military target and is an even bigger political liability.
What DOES greatly concern me, however, is the active firing and shelling upon larger and currently operational facilities like Zaporizhzhia, which already had a fire that had to be put out.
Even if the Russians target only the administrative buildings, all it takes is one stray bullet or artillery shell to turn any number of cooling or intake pipes into Swiss cheese and we all have a SERIOUS problem.
You'd think they'd have learned to be more careful after one world changing nuclear disaster...
It might actually be in Putin's interest to cause a nuclear disaster. If his ultimate goal is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO/the EU, or more broadly from becoming an asset to them, scorched earth tactics would be an optimal solution. The west would either be forced to take on the burden of caring for an irradiated wasteland full of diseased, disabled survivors with no end in sight as the next generation are plagued by cancers and birth defects, or forcing them to leave Ukraine holding the bag, further damaging their already tarnished pretense of humanitarianism.
The only reasons I can think of *not* to do this are if he still has ambitions on annexing the region, either de facto or de jure, or that doing something so blatantly cruel would cause enough backlash for other countries to start putting boots on the ground. Based on what I've read it seems unlikely that Putin has enough respect for the western powers to consider the latter much of a possibility (and they've certainly not given him any reason to).
I think the worse the war goes for Russia/the longer it goes on, the more scorched earth we're going to see. We're already seeing the beginnings of it with the rampant looting. Russian troops were deliberately given insufficient supplies for a prolonged engagement in order to incentivize pillaging, thereby weakening Ukraine's resources further. That's what it's all about, weakening Ukraine so it can't be a rival to Russia or an asset to Russia's larger enemies.
Worst case scenario, we'll see not only the use of nuclear weapons but the deliberate weaponization of nuclear fallout. Admittedly, this is probably unnecessary. There's enough nuclear material in the country that Russian forces could do major long-term devastation by targeting it and claiming it was only collateral damage. The west would probably even go along with it because doing otherwise could drag them into a full-blown nuclear war.
That last sentence makes the assumption that they cared then, or that they care today.
@@Anon26535 There is nothing remotely necessary about use of nuclear weapons in any capacity, and hearing the two words in the same sentence is appalling and horrifying. The only thing that is necessary is complete erasure of the planet's nuclear arsenal down to the last warhead.
People are talking about nuclear war far more frequently than I would like; it's being casually bandied about, as if people don't understand the true hell a nuclear war would be. Unless you're at the epicenter, it's not boom, flash, you're dead, no big deal, dead is dead so nothing to be afraid of. It is actual literal hell on earth that you will live through, at least for a while, and suffer unbelievably through. Buried under rubble, burned, irradiated, injured and sick in any manner imaginable depending on where you were when it went off.
_That's_ ignoring the collapse-of-society effects; no power, no running water, no food or supplies, no communication, roving gangs of looters and murderers. _And_ ignoring the needless mass death and suffering of countless birds and beasts and the natural ecosystem in general. I wish more people understood all this better. I wish people wouldn't casually throw around "nuclear war" like it's a lightweight term. Discussions involving it always focus on the tactical, strategic, government aspects, as though it's some kind of game.
If I may speak freely, I personally believe anyone that fancies nuclear war should be packed into a Starship and sent off to the surface of Venus. It would be fitting, without harming those of us on Earth that would rather peacefully live and let live.
@@puck4801 yeah and Russia as everything that a nuke does if there goal was just to destory everything they could have razed pretty much everything nuke have evolved in the cold war so as conventional bomb we have the capacity to reign hell fire into the ground whitout the need to launch a bomb that will stop your advance
@Ravetastic. Can you give some proof that Russia started a fire at a training centre near a nuclear power plant?
Sigh...
One of the best things about Kyle and his videos is he's more concerned with putting out accurate information with factual and scientific backings than views
Thank you for not spreading harmful and unnecessary alarmist misinformation. Especially during this conflict, we've been flooded with misinformation and it's refreshing to hear someone be impartial and honest
Just yesterday I was talking to a friend about the risen rates at Chernobyl, and I was explaining why I wasn't too concerned at this time, citing your previous videos on Chernobyl, and you just said almost everything I said to him. Just the way that tank tracks work would be enough to tear up the ground and cause a small increase in radiation.
*nods* tank tracks + increased traffic was my thoughts right off the top of my head when I saw the actual size of the change.
I theorized exactly the same..
I will say that, staying at the absolute hotzones, where you get like a tenth of a mS/h, that would not be healthy for prolonged times.
But, its still relatively safe. Its not "oh god my face is going to melt" but it can potentially increase your risk of cancer later on in your life.
It's radioactive contamination that's being brought up from the ground not radiation. Two separate things that should of been explained. The invasion by Russia their tanks and vehicles will pick up the topsoil which had contamination on it making it airborne or just spreading it around.
Question. Is there enough radiation contamination for the troops passing through it to be contaminated? Cuz if so Putin isn't doing his forces any favors via radiation sickness
The change in tone is much appreciated, along with the direct and clear explanation of what the readings are and what they mean.
This whole situation is heartbreaking. I'm so glad you were able to go when you did.
Please do not delete this video, just put a disclaimer in the description. It will remain accurate for the time it was made in.
None of the other channels covering nuclear disasters ever explained the radiation scales they used. Thank you.
Veritasiums video about the elephants foot uses bananas as a very useful comparison.
@@darrenhill7286 Apparently, the "banana equivalent dose" is literally an actual thing. Go check Wikipedia 👀
Thank you for making this video! I work at a nuclear waste facility in Sweden and i have to explain to friends and family everyday that, yes the activity is rising, but it's such low amounts that normal things you do or eat in your regular life gives you more dose than most of this will.
I know there are lots of people who are concerned and this kind of video is very much needed!
This means a lot to me coming from a professional, thank you.
I tend to use the oh-so-infamous 'banana scale' when explaining radiation stuff to my mom. She's not quite as 'spoopy science stuffs'-minded as I am, so it takes some unique break-downs to explain things to her. It bothers me how much disinformation gets spread about nuclear energy. How 'bout you? Dealing with the tail end of the process likely means you understand at least a good chunk of what the process involves.
It's great that people like you and Kyle exist! I'm also from Sweden so it's awesome to find someone else from there with knowledge in this field.
You might be Swedish and all but thank you for informing, it's very misunderstood topic and we need People tooö inform others
My dad worked at Forsmark (nuclear plant in sweden) at the time when the Chernobyl accident happend and have told me about it and I just find it so intresting, how the radiation came all the way to sweden and how it still has lost of radiation left after all these years.
Thank you for making videos about the topic, and please keep on doing them so we all get updated and we all get to learn about this accident.
(sorry for any spelling errors)
6:22 human activity creates dust. Wheels, tank tracks, feet, shovels, everything humans do on or in dirt makes dust, the dust around chernobyl is radioactive, the radioactive dust floats past sensors, readings spike.
As someone who designs radiation emitting equipment, I think you did a great job here. Radiation, dosage, uptake, and risk in general, are very misunderstood topics. Even for professionals that deal with it. Please, no matter the outcome, leave this video up for posterity. It is important to catalog the history of situations like this for others in the future.
Slava Ukraini
That means a lot coming from a professional, thank you
Brian streufert as a professional your opinion should we be worried bout Chenobyl
I don’t think he is a real professional considering this was one of his comments on a recent video about needing masks.
“Here's the long and short of it. By masking up, its taking away our bodies ability to LEARN this virus and fight it. The door of evolution swings both ways. Humans need to evolve just like this virus is evolving. While humans evolve slowly, our immune systems evolve more rapidly .....on the order of 1 generation at times. What people need to realize is that death is a fact of life. And I am not about to put my mental health on the line and stop evolving as a human, just because of a virus that has a death rate of less than 1%.”
@@daniyal-syed someone can be an expert at one thing, and dumb at another.
@@daniyal-syed Sounds like a smart guy academically and also has the cognitive ability to smell through the BS of covid. If anything this mask comment proves he’s even smarter.
I feel very lucky to have watched your previous in-person Chernobyl documentary the day before it got taken down. I hope it can be reinstated eventually, if not soon, then after this conflict
I missed it sadly, do you happen to know why it was taken down?
How sad. I didn't even know that it was taken down. Hopefully, it'll be back up soon.
Anybody have tht vid saved so we can watch?
@@Naptosis Looking at other comments, I'm guessing it was a precaution to keep people anonymous whilst under occupation
@@experiment35 no, it was taken down before the invasion. Some weird ungrounded copyright claim.
wow I love how transparent, unbiased and honest in this video. hopefully this doesn't get set to unlisted forever.
Like the Thor of science once said: "Be nice to eachother, 'cause this is all we've got."
Whatever happens Kyle, please don't delete any of these videos about chernobyl 🙏🏻. Of course situations, information and facts can change drastically in a short time but you could always put a disclaimer in the description, and even then your content is still PACKED with useful information. You put a lot of time and work into this project so it would be sad to see any of it gone.
Before I even got 1 minute into the show I assumed dust getting kicked up from tanks and explosions. Good vid
Kyle probably has countles hours of material regarding the CHNPP that he wants to show us, material he's probably really proud of (in fact, I think some of the aerial shots shown are his). He could have just mentioned this in the livestream, but instead of that he took the time to make this amazing video and decided to pospone some of the things he's been working in for months. Thank you, Kyle.
I really had to repeat the first few seconds before it processed that you are now covering real time events. Regardless of politics, this is both extraordinary and terrifying to see history being actively written on a subject of such scale like Chernobyl. Thank you for your dedication to education.
I love this more mature content. it was incredibly informative and it felt delicately put while also remaining neutral to the conflict at hand that may otherwise have tainted the objectivity of the video. I'd love to see more of this style of content from you!
+1
Thank you for this unbiased, informative, and non-alarmist update of the situation. Your science communicator skills are commendable!
Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦
Yeah glory to whoever.
🇺🇦
Glory to those who defend their country against invaders. Glory to the resistance against an authoritarian government. Glory to the leader who stands with his people instead of hiding in a bunker. Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦
@@icanhazADHD while I am against the war and condemn Putin, I do need to ask you to please stop saying that.
Those "Glory to Ukrain. Glory to heroes." slogans are nazi rhetoric. It is directly taken from the Third Reich rhetoric.
@@DonXardas Ehhhhhh I don't think I'm gonna fall for that propaganda. Nazi Germany wasn't being invaded by a foreign force trying to take away their land and heritage. Two groups can say the same thing, but their contexts can completely change the meaning and intention. Stop drawing false comparisons.
Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦
My gf literally asked me about this last night. Thank you for giving me the ability to ease her mind and for all that you do. 🇺🇦
As long as you're not in central Europe - nothing is preventing the Russians from damaging both sarcophagus shells when the wind is blowing towards Europe (just like it did on April 26, 1986, all over my country) and you've got a recipe for an "accident". I really wouldn't put it past FSB to make it happen.
Im especially worried about the stalkers, idk I guess its maybe easier to imagine myself in their place. Going somewhere you shouldn't be because of fascination, and then being stuck there because of this horrible situation
Man, I love that you're a champion for truth in nuclear information. Too many people hear the words "nuclear" or "radiation" and immediately freak out, yet another victim of disinformation campaigns and lobbyists. I wish more people were willing to learn what it's really all about. Thank you for yet another great video in a great series.
Well, that's good to hear. I'm hoping that radiation increases are indeed temporary due to incidental disruption of the environment. Willfully damaging the plant leading to a release of contamination would be one of the things that would practically force NATO into the battle on the side of Ukraine, as radioactive contamination is no respecter of mankind's political boundaries.
And if NATO fights radiation will be everywhere
@@piggynatorcool668 why so
@@theorangeheadedfella might pressure Russia into nuclear de-escalation, which might be mutually assured.
@@theorangeheadedfella It'll likely give Russia a reason to start WW3
It's kinda wierd to think people gonna willfully release radiation on themselves, to then die and/or abandon the area. As for the Russians, why capture the station if you want to smoke it? Could have done that with long range armament... Don't want to speculate for the Ukranian side why they might want to destroy the station. It doesn't make sense to me either way, so we are probably fine if nothing crazy happens. I just want to calm people, who may be concerned about another nuclear disaster happening, it's gonna be ok.
Thank you for this update Kyle, im really paranoid about stuff like this and your video really calmed me down
You have really come into your own as a science communicator these last few years and you give me hope for the future of our species. Thank you for being you, Kyle ❤️
Most likely caused by tanks, apv's etc kicking up dust as they passed through.
That was my thought as well.
Good thinking, that is probly what it was!
I was so amazed to see such an end of the video! You're doing great job! Thanks a lot? greetings from Kyiv, UA 👋
I looked at the gamma detectors in the first few days and they spiked up to 65535, which is the highest 16 bit integer. I'm thinking tanks were kicking up dust, but it could be issues with the sensors
Putin has only succeeded in turning a literal clown into a war hero. Ukraine is inspiring
Too bad it didn't spike a little higher then Putin could tell the world how their random explosions actually caused negative radiation values, problem solved!
Saw that too, my take was that it's a mix of both. A tank causes a lot of vibration just by moving, this could have damaged some sensors and some detect the radiation due to agitating all the dust.
There is a fire in Chernikhov - can be spiking a little bit more. But scientist says it's going to Russia - well karma is a biatch - so for now it's ok.
@@illustriouschin If it was a 16 bit signed int, then it already became -1.
@K B I think the fact that the sensors went back down is evidence. If the sarcophagus had been punctured, the levels would be steadily rising. The "tanks kicked up radioactive dust" explanation is consistent with the readings and timing.
I hope Kyle and his team is eventually able to re-upload his videos he did at Chernobyl. I was never able to catch them and when I finally tried to watch them, they were copystriked by some organization.
Fun fact, the overhead crane inside Chernobyl to help cleanup and construction was built in Minnesota, where I'm from, and Russia took it, now its personal.
Can also confirm that taiwan uses US made cranes. I was happy to see SOMETHING that I could read on the refuel floor
Thank you for this information. It cannot be understated how important the facts are and context. I know that locally the Australian media are going to town with the increased levels and the fact that a nuclear station was invaded.
News are a joke at this point. I am at the point where I see them say something on the news and I instinctively reject it and start wondering how that is manipulated. What part of this is fake and similar.
And the tragic part is that I then a day later hear how pretty much everything they bring up is at the very least not fully true, if not downright nonsense propaganda.
However I can naturally not fully trust that these things where fake, so I am even after hearing x, y and z did not happen still left with a big "I have no idea what is going on." on my shoulders.
However at this point I am inclined to think anything the news is not saying is the truth.
I was already frustrated about how difficult it was to get any solid and true knowlage about various things a good few years ago. But it feels like it is just getting worse.
Thank you, Kyle. Having to make a Half-Life Histories in real time and about people you were just with must be taxing. Your, and their, dedication to keeping people informed is appreciated. I wish them safety and you whatever comfort you need in this terrible timeline.
I love how Kyle will be so light hearted and kinda whimsical but the second he talks about Chernobyl he gets serious as the grave
Your explanation of the Chernobyl situation is a refreshingly sober account. Fortunately the predicted source of this radiation (disturbed soil and debris) was a focus of many media sources, which hopefully gave many who would be worried some grounding context. I do wish you had also mentioned the Zaporizhzhia situation though. In regards to that I had to dig deeper to understand just how difficult it is to cause a more modern nuclear plant to go into melt-down but the described consequences of a worst-case scenario (which did not take place, thank gosh) were quite a lot more worrying than anything that could happen in Chernobyl.
I live in Russia and I'm praying for every ukrainian. War is horrific
I hope youre save. There is some news that people who protesting been... arrested, or even they can be send to this war. It's horrible...
We can see people try to protest but are arrested. I understand there’s not much you can do under the circumstances. I don’t think people blame normal Russians. Hopefully they stop fighting soon.
@@chefmovkta7433 okay, bot.
Yes it is. Please stay safe. I'm sorry this all awful. Praying for both Ukraine and Russia.
@@chefmovkta7433 why do you think war is good, I'm genuinely curious.
Oh yeah, I heard about this, I never followed up about it when I heard it on the break room TV at work, I'm glad you put this out there, I wonder if anything has updated since
Kyle your videos are doing a beautiful job of educating people in a time where mis- and disinformation are running rampant. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the time and effort you put into you videos.
Thank you Kyle, for cutting through the BS and for not politicizing this aspect of the invasion. Keep up the good work!
Yes!
Cough cough Reddit
7:39 4 stalkers of the exclusion zone?? the guys from KREOSAN by any chance?
8:01 do the consecutive shifts mean that staff have been unable to sleep for 144 consecutive hours? That seems extremely unsafe.
I hope not.
That would mean that they'll start dropping dead soon.
Research has shown that once you've been up for 5 days straight, or more, you start risking just dropping dead from exhaustion.
The mind deteriorates at a similar rate.
i suppose they are running on their own mini shifts, just to maintain the efficiency and awareness ...
@@PrograError I think that's the most likely. That would still mean the plant is now always understaffed, if the number of people who would normally cover one shift are splitting themselves into multiple shifts so people can sleep. I think the risk of accidents is likely to increase as people become increasingly tired from not getting the proper breaks they would normally have.
I love these half life histories. They are very interesting and educational.
This worries me a lot. I grew up in Europe and remember the Chernobyl incident very well. It was the first time in my life that I was truly afraid for my life. This event has made me very interested in radiation and nuclear science in later life. Keep your enemies close and all that. I'm in a group for collectors of radioactive materials and a few days ago someone asked on there if anyone has been seeing elevated background radiation, because he has for the past few days. Well I checked it with my 2 dosimeters yesterday morning. The normal background radiation that hasn't changed since I moved here 6 years ago has always been right around 12 CPM. Well, since yesterday it has been leveling out right around 20 CPM. That is still a low reading, but why has it gone up?
What? The Government said radiation was good for you!!? Just goes to show you never trust the guberment!!!! I don't believe Government and science should mix; one is opposite of the other; science is interested in truth, and the Government hides from it (at least today it does)!
I have issue with the categorization of Chernobyl as the worst nuclear disaster; Fukushima was the destruction of four reactors! Some may argue that the melt down in Russia was a bigger reactor, but in Japan the four reactor containment buildings were destroyed, along with four containment ponds full of spent nuclear fuel! The ponds were obliterated spewing nuclear material high into the atmosphere! As an American, it was a great concern because that debris filtered down on North America so much so that the NRC shut down the detectors on the west coast! The contamination still goes on as radioactive water flows into the ocean!
no need to be afraid the whole thing is blown our of proportion. and it was allso blown out of proportion back when it first happened. it was nowhere near as bad as people say it was. people think it was worse just because of the lack of understanding of radiation and because of propaganda and fear mongering.
@@rampage3337 No fear mongering or any of your bs conspiracy theories. The soviet union did the exact opposite, they actually tried to damage control and tone down the crisis, making it seem like it was just 3 roentgen per hour/3 millisieverts when it was in fact over 10,000 or higher in the most critical areas. Chernobyl was *this* close of leaving most of Europe a radioactive wasteland that would not see any signs of life for the foreseeable future.
@@rampage3337brother almost half of Europe got killed. It was BARELY kept stable and no i didnt get this info from the tv show.
@paleofolkthank you it’s the truth !!the building the cover reactor number 4 is melting down this man has lost his mind he wants tourists to visit crazy radioactive takes hundreds hundreds of yrs to even come down
Imagine going on a Stalker Trip to the Exclusion zone only to be caught in the middle of an invasion, I don't think even Shiey could escape that. I hope the people at the plant will come out safe.
Such is life in the Zone
Got to stop them Monolith before they activate the brain scorcher again
I hope it's not the Kreosan boys
A fantastic video, Kyle. Thanks for putting the radiation levels into perspective. I pray your friends are safe and stay that way.
imagine how many time people are going to work in there for nothing, no electricity generated. how much energy spend for nothing
Thank you for this I have been looking for more information on this but its hard to find. I had been hoping you would get the information out so thank you
I love that you’re explaining something that concerns so many, instead of riding the media wave of sensationalism for views. Well done,.
This video was screen recorded and saved to a personal usb and put far away this matters so much more then anyone realizes
Slava Ukraina.
Sending hopes of safety to all of those you met in your time visiting Ukraine
Scary to hear the event's date read out. Reminds you that this will be remembered as important history -- and we're living through it.
Explosion in the radiated ground along with digging trenches in radiated ground knocks all the particles on the ground get thrown into the air and carried by the wind.
So glad you’re safe!!! We appreciate your dedication to the facts and detailed explanation!
These half-life stories are some of my favorite videos I've ever seen. Amazing narration, research, and cinematography. Thanks Kyle
Nicely done Kyle. I love how you deal with these things
I'm so glad that you were able to do this before the invasion and are home safe now. I hope that the people you met there are safe.
I hope that everyone possible is safe. Don’t be a douche
That ending got me. Glory to Ukraine!
It made me tear up a little bit.
слава Бандера
Yea right "glory to ukcrap" you army is defeated, all of your "air force" have been decimated you lost an insane amout of territory in just a week,you also been begging other nations to "help" you and send aid asap like pu.....and i can keep stating facts, dosent look to me like theres going to be any glory to ukcrap ever you admit defeat and thats it
@@revengenightmeres russia has still not goten air superiority and losing land realy doesnt mater when most of it is farm land and woods
@@revengenightmeres I'm sad I got a response like this. Go troll some where else.
@@revengenightmeres what is wrong with you
This is the most responsible and clear discussion of this issue out there. You are a great science educator and do a great job in expressing uncertainty and the limits of your assessment.
Hey Kyle, thank you so much for this video. My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine, but the actions around Chernobyl and the other Nuclear Power Plants in Ukraine are what concern me the most. I've seen a lot of statements flying around about how if either of the currently embattled plants were to melt down, that it would be a disaster (some claim) ten times worse than Chernobyl. Are you going to do any coverage on the hypothetical danger of either of those plants going critical?
I don't think Russia would make them melt down using the plant as a dirty bomb releases more nano particles of irradiated material into the atmosphere there fore causing more damage to the world, ecosystem, and our population through means of agriculture and the likes. They did seize a plant already and are placing explosives in the complex a current theory is that they use it as a bargaining chip... And depending on the yield of explosives placed it could end as a world changing event of the like we haven't seen before
If they do that, they are going to Chernobyl themselves and Belarus as well as Ukraine. Belarus was even MORE contaminated than Ukraine, and Ukraine was heavily contaminated, even in Kiev. If they do cause a nuclear meltdown that leads to ANOTHER massive release of radioactivity and radiation, they'd be committing war crimes as well as acts of incredible stupidity.
@@taraswertelecki3786 they already committed war crimes :/ cluster bombs and thermobaric bombs both illegal they have nothing to loose or rather Putin doesn't. It's 😢
We support Chernobyl. It’s still Ukrainian territory and does not belong to Russia
@@strixystillplays8644 pretty sure that bomb thing is pure bullshit. That is like cliche level of evil lmao. Bs
I love these videos. They're so informative, and I feel like I understand so much without everything being dumbed down to the point I feel stupid.
My heart goes out to those being held and the rest of Ukraine 💙💛
Thank you for making this video so professional and serious. It was very well done.
I know how much it's affected me, and I visited Ukraine in 2013 (but Crimea and Odessa, not Chernobyl). I can't imagine how you're feeling having just been there. IMHO, shelling a nuclear power plant needs to be made a war crime if it wasn't already. Glad you're safe, and hope everyone you met there is also safe.
yeah we in Kyiv (under fucking 100 kilometres from the CNPP) felt like our death has already been signed. We felt like walking ghosts. My parents and grandparents lived through the catastrophe of 1986 and were evacuated to the southern Ukraine. We were afraid that there would be no liquidators to save the world this time. Thankfully, the russians had no balls or no knowledge to cause a second explosion. However, this very issue is still present on the Zaporizhzha NPP. It is on a single hair from falling apart and causing the second biggest nuclear incident in Europe. Worst of all, people are still pro-russian. They are scum that should be eradicated from earth just like the nazis in 1945.
I truly appreciate the calm and professional nature of this video , to many UA-cam channels and media outlets enjoy sensationlizing these sort of events
Can you do an updated video on this now that it’s lost power? I feel like there isn’t any good info on what the plant losing power means as far as radiation leaks and further meltdown.
The plant losing power means that the spent nuclear fuel pools on the site which are still housing old fuel rods are no longer operating to keep them cool. Further radiation leaks and meltdowns is indeed a possibility, it seems.
Thank you for being someone we can come to to get the unbiased realistic version of something. Whether it be a newsworthy event or just some interesting physics.
Love your videos Kyle, you make me smile each time you uplaod new videos.
This is a good video and good to share, because that is what i figured happened, just fighting in the area can kick up dust, even planes flying too low over the areas too often could kick up the levels, but the media seemed to act like it was the start of something larger, as they usually do, with fearmongering or saying things out of context, at least from what I saw. As
Snarfy McSnarfFace said, no matter what, keep it up, if for no other reason than educational purposes.
Thank you so much Kyle. Love these Half-Life histories, and this one was especially good.
Thanks for another factual and solely science based video.
In addition to the causes you mentioned in your video:
Some friends and I happend do talk on Discord as the aforementioned sensord spiked. We speculated, that a possible minor inrush of water, caused by vibration due to the heavy machinery, could have acted as a moderator for radioactive material and therefore could be another factor for these spikes.
What are your thoughts on this?
Greetings from an electrical engineer in germany.
“Radiation levels are rising”
“OK Dimitri did you leave the doors open or use the sarcophagus as shooting range - AGAIN?”
Kyle you and your team are just so good at these kinds of documentaries!
Thank you so much for what you do.
Chernobyl stuff has always interested me thanks for the upload great video bro
Genuine thanks for using this platform to be honest and straight forward. Consider me subscribed 🖖
On march 3. we witnessed the Zaporizhzhia Power plant catching fire temporarily...
I don't know if you are willing to open this can of worms, but I think we would be interested in seeing you cover the NPP-s of Ukraine, and the risks involved with this whole ordeal.
That fire wars the Russians attacking, and taking the plant.
@@The_Keeper well that information is not yet confirmed. Russian forces did announce that they took the power plant 2 days prior to the fire. And that it was a ukrainian bomb or somwthing like that.
Right now both sides are pushing their agenda, so there is no possible way to know who did it. We will need to wait till the end of the war to learn the truth from the staff of the power plant.
I generally avoid the news when possible due to stuff like this being blown out of proportion.
Hopefully Russia can get rid of that nutcase and Ukraine finally gets out of it's shadow.
My thoughts go out to the Ukrainian AND Russian people.
nothing but propaganda coming out about ukraine from western media sources none of it is to be trusted. The US government finally admitted the us funded biolabs existed in ukraine after denying them and having twitter and youtube ban people for mentioning them even though press releases from the fracking US embassy in ukraine from 2020 and 2021 were presented acknowleding US DOD funding to those labs.......
@@kommandokodiak6025 hate to break it to ya but I think you'll have trouble cashing that check Putin wrote you.
@@kommandokodiak6025 Daddy Vladdy loves you. Unfortunately due to the Russian Rubel crashing your check may bounce.
@@SirDankleberry You support the thing!
tell me youre an NPC without telling me youre an NPC.
@@kommandokodiak6025 "Hurr hurr me hip, me understand. Now me call him NPC whilst telling him to take more Copium." You dipshits are a broken record. Come up new shit, grandpa.
I absolutely love the fact that they allowed stalkers to take shelter with them
Thank you for this. I wanted to ask how you were doing as I know you just got back from your visit there. I hope you and your friends there are ok.
Man, it’s insane that you were just at Chernobyl that is so darn cool man. I’m glad at least you’re safe for now. Back in the facility. Love all of your work Kyle rock on.
10 minutes of level-headedness in this insane situation. Very well made, as always!
I have a question Mr Kyle. Could troop movement through the area distribute contaminants far and wide? Would that be another consideration for hazards in the future?
Given that (as this video states) this ought to have been a 'safe' location, do you have any followup comment on reports of radiation sickness among the Russian soldiers who were guarding the area? There's been a lot of conflicting information about this, and whether or not it ought to have been possible.
Ukrainian forces that moved into the area after the Russian fallback found trenches and other field fortifications. They most likely were exposed while digging up contaminated materiel.
I wonder if the higher levels could be related to having a lot of heavy vehicles moving about disturbing the soil.
He literally said that in the video.
@@bpregont well he probably figured that before he got to that point in the video
@@Boxscot49 We have a winner!
Ffs ,Ukrainians bombed the site.
The army dug fox holes around the plant and stupid solders walked around with radioactive dirt on them all over the power plant.
Thank you for keeping it safe in such harsh conditions. You are heroes!