In the midst of sad and tragic occurrences happening in Japan right now, people have remembered another old incident involving radiation and nuclear plants. Namely, April 26, 1986 and Chernobyl. 25 years have passed, and now the once dead ghost town seems to be puzzling with journalists, extreme travelers and well, nature. In 1986, the reactor of Chernobyl nuclear power plant (80 miles north of Kiev) exploded and spew out enough radioactivity to make up Hiroshima bombing 100 times over. Nature recovered, albeit barely. Strange deformities and tumors are abundant and visible on the fauna of the area, yet, they strive and exist.
The remains of the evil reactor were covered with a concrete sarcophagus 25 years ago- but it is slowly caving in and needs to be replaced. The poisonous mix of radioactive isotopes underneath the crumbling covering is still alive and well for the next 24 000 years. This certainly gives chills when thinking about the situation in Japan.
Sound artist Peter Cusack has recorded the sound scape of Chernobyl in 2006, and his recordings give hope for the once barren and sterile land. I highly recommend listening to his otherwork as well, like the sounds of the Azerbaijan oil fields. All Cusack´s recordings involve areas of environmental damage.
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