News Archive

The Health Physics Society (HPS) is monitoring the situation in Ukraine, including reports that fighting is occurring and/or has occurred in the area of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Through our Ask the Experts platform, we have received numerous questions regarding radiation and fallout exposure from this unprecedented event. Here are answers to some of the questions we've received. We will continue to keep our readers up to date as more questions come in. For more information, visit the Ask the Experts feature on the HPS website.

• Are there still operating reactors there? If so, what happens if one of them is accidentally shelled or bombed?

No, Chernobyl no longer has operating reactors, and they are in various stages of being decommissioned.

• What happens if a shell hits the reactor/containment structure?

It is unlikely a stray conventional rocket or bomb would create anything greater than a localized increase in radiation levels.

• Will explosions/vehicle traffic/grenades/people running around and shooting/etc. throw enough radioactivity into the air to cause health problems?

Any explosions or traffic could temporarily put small amounts of radioactivity into the air, and this seems to be the present case. This would be of short duration, and would be very unlikely to result in health problems, even in the immediate vicinity.

• Are the soldiers fighting there at risk from the radiation?

No. Radiation should be a distant concern from the other intense horrors of war. Scientists and other researchers routinely go into the Exclusion Zone to examine wildlife and the environment. The site has also been opened for tourist visits.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also closely following the situation. See updates on the IAEA main web page.