There are places on Earth which are scary and dangerous even to the bravest people out there. Some of the areas contaminated with radiation are followed by some frightening information that gives you chills even when you think about it. During the Cold War, many countries have dealt with nuclear catastrophes and incidents. Some of the consequences of these tragedies are felt even today.
It seems that some of the most powerful countries in the world such as the United Kingdom, Russia and the United States of America have experienced nuclear catastrophes which resulted in the contaminated areas in these countries. The most dangerous thing about radiation is the fact that once the nuclear catastrophe happens there is very little to do in order to repair the damage. Despite the process of decontamination, numerous people have been affected by the consequences of radiation. Not only was this period of nuclear catastrophes followed by deaths of many, but also by life-threatening diseases and health problems, such as cancer.
Even though our world is considered to be radioactive in numerous ways, there are places which are highly radioactive. In most cases, the radiation in these places is the result of human actions. Furthermore, some of these areas are so radioactive that even a few hours spent in them can cause very serious damages when it comes to human health.
In case you are interested in learning more about this topic, you should take a look at our list consisted of 12 most radioactive places on Earth.
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The Hanford Site, Washington, USA
The Hanford Site, also known as Hanford Works, Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Hanford Project, and Hanford Engineer Works, was created in 1943. It is a nuclear production complex, and in the times of the Cold War it was used for Plutonium production necessary for the United States’ nuclear weapon arsenal. Even though today it is decommissioned, it is still highly radioactive, because of the radioactive waste. Furthermore, a large amount of that waste was buried under the ground, but it still left severe consequences on the life in above the ground.
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The Somalian Coast, Somalia
When it comes to this radioactive area, it seems that it has been used for dumping the radioactive waste for years. It is highly dangerous place and also threatening for human health since it is believed that it contains more than 600 barrels of toxic and nuclear waste.
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Fort d’Aubervilliers, Paris
The studies on radioactivity in this area started as early as the 1920s. At that time the scientists discovered that it is very dangerous. However, the process of decontamination started in the 1990s, and in 2006 it was reported that even more contaminated places were found. This contamination is considered highly dangerous because the number of people diagnosed with cancer has been highly increased.
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Chernobyl, Pripyat, Ukraine
The Chernobyl catastrophe is probably one of the most tragic events in the world’s history. This accident occurred in 1986, during a safety test on the RBMK-type nuclear reactor. The catastrophe caused many deaths and health issues to the people who survived it. Furthermore, it is thought that radiation caused 4 to 93 thousand deaths. Also, the material damage was huge.
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The Siberian Chemical Combine, Seversk, Russia
This area is highly radioactive because it used to be a nuclear production facility. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it stopped producing Plutonium, however, it remains one of the biggest storage of nuclear materials. Also, the Siberian Chemical Combine is considered to be one of the world’s biggest places when it comes to the storage of low and intermediate level nuclear wastes.
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Mayak, Russia
This industrial complex in Russia was one of the leading nuclear plants for Plutonium production. However, it has been titled “the area of the world’s worst nuclear accidents”. It is estimated that more than 100 tons of radioactive waste were released by an explosion which occurred in 1975. This resulted in a huge contamination of water in the area.
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Church Rock Uranium Mill, Church Rock, New Mexico
Church Rock Uranium mill spill happened in 1979. This accident is considered to be the biggest release of radioactive metal in the history of the United States. One of the most dangerous things about this accident is the fact that the contamination spread so far that it reached even Navajo County in Arizona. The radiation was so high that the river was still contaminated in 2003.
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Sellafield, United Kingdom
It can often be heard that Russia has Chernobyl, and the UK has Sellafield.
During the Cold War, Sellafield was concerned with the UK’s production of nuclear material for the nuclear weapon program. Today, even two-thirds of the complex is considered to be nuclear waste. As a consequence, the officials expressed major concerns for the higher rates of a cancer diagnosis.
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Fukushima, Japan
The Fukushima tragedy is considered to be the tragedy with the most severe consequences that ever happened in Japan. This event was caused by a meltdown of three reactors. What happened was that the radiation leaked into the area and the sea, which lead to the radioactive material reaching the areas which were 200 miles away from the main spot.
One of the most dangerous things about this event is its long-lasting effect. In other words, the experts say that the consequences of this tragedy are likely to be felt by future generations.
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BOMARC Site RW-01, The McGuire Air Force Base, Burlington County, New Jersey
This area spreads on 75 acres and it is estimated that this site was the most contaminated base in 2007. It is located approximately 16.1 miles south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. The accident regarding this area happened in 1960 when there was an explosion in a helium tank. The fire after this accident was burning uninhibited for 30 minutes, and the firefighters had a hard time trying to put it down. Even though a remediation campaign set off immediately after the event, this base is remains contaminated even today.
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Lucens reactor, Lucens, Vaud, Switzerland
The Lucens reactor was a nuclear power reactor built in Switzerland. The nuclear incident regarding this reactor occurred in 1969. Luckily, the incident was estimated to be Level 4 “Accident with local consequences”. However, the cavern containing the reactor was very contaminated. Within the next few years, the process of decontamination began, and in finally in 2003 the last radioactive waste was removed.
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Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
The Goiânia accident happened in Brazilian state Goiás. It occurred in 1987 when a forgotten radiotherapy source was taken from an abandoned hospital site. This incident resulted in 4 deaths and more than 200 people affected by radiation.
In conclusion, there are many scary places all around the world. However, it seems that very few frightening areas can compete with the above mentioned radioactive places. Even the worlds’ biggest adventurists keep away from places which are known to be contaminated since the damage to the human health done by radiation is too dangerous. Even more frightening is the thought of the long effects only one nuclear incident can have for future generations. Furthermore, the consequences of some catastrophes (like the one in Chernobyl) are said to last for centuries.
