Chernobyl, Sept. 16 (BUS): Local experts are measuring radiation levels in Chernobyl, 35 years after the nuclear disaster in Ukraine.
The results of the tests in the restricted area, about 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital Kiev, will be presented at a conference in April 2022.
The aim of the operation is said to be to create a new map showing radioactive contamination in the area. The last time such full planning was done was in the 1980s, according to the German news agency (dpa).
Along with German specialists, local experts will be on duty until at least Friday, said Christopher Strobel of the German Bureau of Radiation Protection.
The German Federal Police is also involved in the operation. “We have two helicopters, each with 120 authorized flying hours,” explained Klaus-Juergen Gess of the Federal Police.
The helicopters are expected to take measurements from a height of 100 metres. This makes it possible to detect any core region of radiation from a distance.
However, experts are not allowed to fly and measure directly at the ark, or shelter structure, above the reactor.
The area of the exclusion zone around the nuclear power plant is more than 2,500 square kilometers.
According to the German radiation office, this is the first time that German helicopters have been used. There were actually two measurements in common at Chernobyl.
According to Strobl, there are about 200 measuring points on Earth that must be examined by 100 experts. “Drones are in use as well,” he said.
Strobel also praised the cooperation with Ukraine. This is a very close cooperation, and such an exchange of experiences is very important.”
HF