NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -In the early hours of 26 April 1986, an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the explosions it triggered caused a major release of nuclear radioactive material into the atmosphere. Radionuclides were scattered in the vicinity of the plant and over much of Europe.

Detailed explanation-2: -The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 released radioactive substances – including iodine, caesium, strontium, and plutonium – into the atmosphere. In Central Europe, only caesium-137 is relevant for the radiation to which humans and the environment are still exposed.

Detailed explanation-3: -Overall, in plants and animals, when high doses were sustained at relatively close distances from the reactor, there was an increase in mortality and a decrease in reproduction. During the first few years after the accident, plants and animals of the Exclusion Zone showed many genetic effects of radiation.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel. The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in many parts of Europe.

Detailed explanation-5: -The UNSCEAR 2018 White Paper acknowledges that thyroid cancer is the major health issue (in individuals who were children or adolescents at the time of the accident) and that further investigation is needed to determine the long-term consequences of radiation exposure.