Russia's atomic energy minister said Tuesday that the concrete shield built to block radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is collapsing and needs urgent reinforcement. "There are a lot of holes in the sarcophagus," Alexander Rumyantsev said, adding that it is leaking radiation. After one of the Chernobyl reactors exploded in 1986, clouds of radioactivity spread over Europe. Many firefighters and others involved in the cleanup were killed within weeks. Thousands more have since died, and the thyroid cancer rate has spiked. But Rumyantsev said the extent of the disaster was often exaggerated, and a collapse of the shield would have much more limited consequences. "It would not be such a catastrophe, it would be more of a local affair," he said.
Think Globally, Act Locally
Think Globally, Act Locally
