They Should Have Said Beware The (soon after) Ides of April
Many awful things happened on and around my birthday in April. 1st being born on Hitler's birthday. There are many more, such as Columbine, the Titanic was on the 15th, Oklahoma City was on the 15th, and Deep Water Horizon in the gulf was right on my birthday. The one that sticks with me most is the Chernobyl Disaster.
photo courtesy of check out his wonderful photos
It happened when I was a little kid. My dad worked in radiation safety and even did studies at 3 Mile Island.
photo courtesy of
The health effects of 3 Mile were nothing compared to Chernobyl. Standing on that bridge like so many did to watch the explosion at Chernobyl, everyone was exposed to near lethal doses of invisible, no smell radiation. The folks that lived within close range of 3 Mile were exposed to doses similar to that of a routine chest X-Ray.
Check out this link even if it is a fake, the photos are real.
I think I'd actually like to visit the exclusion zone.
GFID, there was a pretty good movie a few years back called PU-239. Not about Chernobyl or any particular reactor, but rather about a Russian who was exposed to lethal amounts of radiation in an attempt to stop a leak at a reactor. Rather than rewarded, his bosses have him sign an admission that his exposure was due to his own carelessness.
ReplyDeleteIt goes on to show how he realizes he's going to die but has no means fo support for his family. He steals a small amount of plutonium from the reactor and attempts to sell it on the black market so as to take care of his family after he's gone.
This of course has nothing to do with what you wrote about, other than nuclear radiation. ;> Still a very good movie!
Rich