And the period of Cesium 137 is 30 years by the way, vs just a few days for iodine 131.
Haven’t looked at the data of say thyroid cancers in Western Europe post 1986, but it could be interesting.
Just finished ep. 1 and I’m all in. The non-Russian accents detract a bit, but the story is f’n compelling.
Such a well done series so far through the first three episodes. I’m amazed at how little (if any) protection people wore as they were on site during the days/weeks after the explosion while trying to put the fire out and even to mitigate the situation by draining the water and having the miners dig down. They even stripped naked due to the hear since they weren’t allowed fans. The hospital staff had minimal protection in treating the plant technicians and firefighters who were first on scene.
I am loving this series.
Also, there is a podcast that goes along with each episode that gives a lot more context on certain scenes and the depth the crew went through in researching the event. It makes the show just that much better. If you like the show, follow the podcast as well.
It’s a great mini series so far and the companion podcast adds so much more to each episode. It’s crazy when they talk about going to the site, I don’t think I would have been able to do that. Hearing those dosimeters crackling I would have bailed lol
Damn, Ep. 4 was hard to watch. Can’t imagine being in Pavel’s shoes…
I had to skip through it when they showed his second run. I couldn’t watch his story line any further.
Overall - The level of arrogance and deception by the government was staggering.
I had to skip through it when they showed his second run. I couldn’t watch his story line any further.
Overall - The level of arrogance and deception by the government was staggering.
I generally like to watch things like this twice, but I won’t watch Ep. 4 again.
I agree about the level of arrogance and deception and the efforts made to protect the country’s reputation. The outright refusal to seek help from anyone but Germany (and misrepresenting the level of radiation even then, thus rendering their assistance useless), and willingness to sacrifice who knows how many to keep a lid on things is simply unforgivable.
Just watched episode four, you nailed it perfectly with the word staggering.
haven’t watched episode 4 yet. # 3 was difficult w/ the radiation victims… i had to fast forward through those scenes. is that what is upsetting about episode 4, or is it something else?
haven’t watched episode 4 yet. # 3 was difficult w/ the radiation victims… i had to fast forward through those scenes. is that what is upsetting about episode 4, or is it something else?
Something else. Actually, many more something elses. It’s a tough episode to watch, but, I do not believe there were any scenes showing the severe radiation victims. At least I do not recall any. There is only one interview with one of the facility operators and he does not bare any of the radiation burns you saw in Episode 3.
Episode 4 was really hard to watch. The Pavel story line was a bit much for the animal lover in me.
Nothing like that - as JSA said, a lot of something elses where the episode focused on the steps that Soviets took to mitigate the problem and the spreading of the problem while being more focused on saving face and downplaying how bad it actually was. Disturbing for a variety of reasons but still worth watching as this is an excellent series and does a tremendous job of telling a very harrowing story.
I can count the number of times I’ve been to Chernobyl on one hand.
Eight, to be exact.
It is largely based on Tapes recorded by Valery Alekseyevich Legasov (Jared Harris’s character) that were very critical of the handling and how the bureaucracy cost lives. I had family we sponsored to come here after the events so am acutely aware of the situation as it played out. The plume of smoke that could be seen in Kiev. How blue busses mysteriously showed up with thousands from Pripyat, but no explanation given as to why. How politicians and higher level bureaucrats were saying it was safe, but evacuating their children. It was bad, and it should be a wake up call for any Bernie supporter as he was a huge proponent of the soviet system at that time.
In the USSR, party loyalty and position was of most importance to the actual shot callers, this is why they assigned a high level party apparatchik to the process. Actual knowledge and expertise took a distance place in the priority list. Second was the illusion of competence (party competence) that must be maintained. In a capitalist world, a loser like Bernie Sanders has not value, but as we saw in that show, a shoe factory worker with ties to the party can quickly become in charge. This presents a very real problem when things don’t run smoothly. This is why information must be tightly controlled, why dissent must be suppressed immediately and why experts on matters must be kept on tight political leashes.
See the film Citizen X about the hunt for Andrei Chikatilo and how denial, party loyalty, and bureaucracy had tragic consequences as well. The communist and heavy socialism sucks, it can’t deliver, and only works with a subservient citizenry that is ok with basic comfort. People who live in section 8 housing here in the US have it better than parts of the middle class in the USSR did. But breadlines were a good thing according to Bernie.
I watched the final episode last night, very well done where it focused on Legasov’s testimony and flashbacks to the actual failed test that caused the explosion (Jared Harris was excellent in this role BTW, won’t be surprised to see him walk away with an Emmy). I was surprised at the end when they showed actual clips at how many folks portrayed actually survived, especially the three divers despite the fact that they wore primitive equipment. Same for the miners where there were 400 working around the clock (100 of whom died before reaching age 40) - I would have expected that they would have all been gone within a few years. On the flipside, the estimated death toll vs what the Soviet Union claimed (only 31) is still devastating.
This was such a very well-made series, one of the best HBO has ever done IMO. Glad I watched it.
I agree with your assessment. Exceptional.
How on earth did those divers survive? Didn’t Legasov say they would be dead within a couple weeks?
Agreed - extremely well done series and I’m glad I stayed up past my bedtime to watch all of the finale. I was also surprised to learn that the divers survived - apparently, due to the fact that they were surrounded by water which mitigated their exposure, and also the rebreathers they wore which prevented inhalation of particulates. Also found the footage from inside the Pipryat hospital sobering - when they showed the room where the first responders’ clothing had been piled, and the reading on the Geiger counter - still super hot. The Legasov testimony was fantastic and I was glad to get a detailed scientific explanation of the cause, and agree that they tied it together perfectly with the flashbacks. One concerning thing they mentioned at the end - the containment building was designed to last (only) 100 years…tick, tick, tick.;.
Agreed - extremely well done series and I’m glad I stayed up past my bedtime to watch all of the finale. I was also surprised to learn that the divers survived - apparently, due to the fact that they were surrounded by water which mitigated their exposure, and also the rebreathers they wore which prevented inhalation of particulates. Also found the footage from inside the Pipryat hospital sobering - when they showed the room where the first responders’ clothing had been piled, and the reading on the Geiger counter - still super hot. The Legasov testimony was fantastic and I was glad to get a detailed scientific explanation of the cause, and agree that they tied it together perfectly with the flashbacks. One concerning thing they mentioned at the end - the containment building was designed to last (only) 100 years…tick, tick, tick.;.
I thought the fact that the water was highly radiated was the reason they were not expected to survive. No?
I thought the same thing, and was surprised when someone told me that the water offered some protection. Glad you questioned it - my Google-fu (and the EPA) say it’s true - https://www.epa.gov/radiation/protecting-yourself-radiation
Time: For people who are exposed to radiation
radiationEnergy given off as either particles or rays. in addition to natural background radiation, limiting or minimizing the exposure time reduces the dose from the radiation source.Distance: Just as the heat from a fire reduces as you move further away, the dose of radiation decreases dramatically as you increase your distance from the source.Shielding: Barriers of lead, concrete, or water provide protection from penetrating gamma raysgamma raysA form of ionizing radiation that is made up of weightless packets of energy called photons. Gamma rays can pass completely through the human body; as they pass through, they can cause damage to tissue and DNA.and x-raysx-raysA form of ionizing radiation made up of photons. X-rays are capable of passing completely through the human body. Medical x-rays are the single largest source of man-made radiation exposure… This is why certain radioactive materials are stored under water or in concrete or lead-lined rooms, and why dentists place a lead blanket on patients receiving x-rays of their teeth. Therefore, inserting the proper shield between you and a radiation source will greatly reduce or eliminate the dose you receive.​