Saturday 30 May 2009

Chernobyl Exhibition in SL


It was 26th April 1986 when reactor number four at the Chernobyl plant exploded, initially killing two workers on site. Following that first explosion there were more in the Nuclear Power Plant near the town of Pripyat in the Ukraine, causing unspeakable pollution, as a plume of highly radioactive fallout was sent into the atmosphere. A report by the Chernobyl Forum, led by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Health Organization recorded 56 direct deaths, 47 of those being the people who worked there after the accident to clear it up, and nine children with thyroid cancer. It was reported that an estimated 4,000 extra cancer deaths may have been attributed to the incident from the 600,000 most highly exposed people in the surrounding area.

The radioactive cloud drifted for miles, even reaching as far as Ireland, falling as light nuclear rain. Some 336,000 people were evacuated from areas in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and it is said that 60 per cent of the radioactive fallout landed in Belarus.

Exploring SL Showcases, I happened across an exhibition of pictures about Chernobyl and it brings the stark reality of that dreadful event to light. The exhibition is based on photographs by random_nut and is sponsored by an SL group called ‘Poets of Zarahemla. In fact there is a poignant poem on display by the founders of the group Ingeborg Apelbaum and Mathoni Zuhrah.

I think it is a very good idea to be able to use SL to mark such tragedies as Chernobyl, not only in respect of paying a tribute to the people who died or became ill, but to show new generations the damage that can be caused to our very fragile earth.


Janey Bracken











1 comment:

  1. Janey, thanks for letting us know about this sim. It is important for people to learn about events like this.

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