A comprehensive reference guide to terminology related to the 1986 nuclear disaster
Illness caused by high exposure to ionizing radiation, characterized by nausea, vomiting, and hair loss.
Process in which radioactive materials accumulate in organisms over time.
Catastrophic nuclear accident on April 26, 1986, at Reactor No. 4 in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
A reinforced concrete building designed to contain radioactive materials; notably missing from Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4.
Rods used to control nuclear reaction rates. A design flaw in Chernobyl's control rods contributed to the disaster.
Device measuring exposure to ionizing radiation.
Solidified mass of melted nuclear fuel and materials beneath Reactor 4, extremely radioactive and dangerous.
Area surrounding Chernobyl declared unsafe due to high radiation, approximately a 30-kilometer radius around the plant.
Radioactive particles dispersed into the atmosphere following a nuclear incident.
Process of splitting atomic nuclei to release energy; fundamental to nuclear power.
Substance used to slow neutrons in Chernobyl's RBMK reactor design; it caught fire during the accident, exacerbating radiation release.
Time required for half the atoms of a radioactive substance to decay; vital in understanding long-term radiation hazards.
High-energy radiation capable of removing electrons from atoms, causing cell damage and mutations.
Radioactive isotope released during the accident, known for causing thyroid cancer.
Workers and emergency responders who managed cleanup efforts after the disaster.
Severe overheating of a nuclear reactor's core, causing nuclear fuel to melt.
Facility in which controlled nuclear reactions generate electricity.
Radioactive debris that falls to the ground after a nuclear explosion or severe reactor accident.
Abandoned city close to the Chernobyl plant, evacuated shortly after the disaster.
Radioactive element produced in nuclear reactors, highly toxic and carcinogenic.
Illness caused by excessive radiation exposure, with varying severity based on exposure levels.
Soviet-designed nuclear reactor used at Chernobyl, known for critical safety flaws.
Efforts to clean or manage contaminated areas to reduce radiation risks.
The original concrete structure hastily built to encase Reactor 4 and contain radiation leakage.
Unit measuring radiation absorbed by biological tissue, indicating potential damage.
Common health effect from exposure to radioactive iodine released during the Chernobyl disaster.
Radioactive isotope of uranium commonly used as nuclear fuel.
Accumulation of Xenon-135, which interferes with reactor stability; critical factor preceding the Chernobyl accident.
Official term for the contaminated exclusion zone around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.