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Source: Statista
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) is a tool classifying nuclear events on a scale of one to seven, with level 1 being an anomaly and level 7 a major accident.
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From the Chernobyl exclusion zone to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, here are some of the deadliest nuclear catastrophes in human history based on the INES scale.
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Cumberland, UK
INES level: 5
In 1957, a fire raged for 16 hours in reactor 1 of the power plant, releasing radioactive material into the air. The government banned the sale of milk in 500 km2 around the plant.
Image: wikipedia.org/Chris Eaton
Pennsylvania, USA
INES level: 5
In 1979, reactor 2 had a partial metdown at the generating station, leading to the formation of a 2,000-foot radius exclusion area around the plant.
Image: wikipedia.org/public domain
Mayak, Russia
INES level: 6
In 1957, an accident at the top-secret Mayak nuclear station in the Soviet Union led to over 80 tons of radioactive waste being spread over an area of 52,000 km2.
Image: wikipedia.org/public domain, memorial to liquidators
Fukushima, Japan
INES level: 7
In 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, leading to three of the Fukushima power plant’s nuclear reactors leaking radioactive material into the Pacific Ocean.
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Pripyat, Ukraine
INES level: 7
On April 26, 1986, a nuclear test went wrong, contaminating some 150,000 km2 of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. A 30-km exclusion zone was formed around the plant.
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Elephant’s Foot, a large mass of highly radioactive material, lies at the heart of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Just five minutes of exposure could kill a person in two days.
Image: wikipedia.org/Artur Korneyev
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