Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Fallout

Interactive Radiation Contamination Map

Radionuclide Type

Time Period

1986

Display Options

Contamination Levels (kBq/m²)

>1,000 (Heavily contaminated)
200-600
40-200
10-40
2-10
<2 (Background levels)

Region Information

Units & Info
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Understanding Radiation Units

Becquerel (Bq): Measures radioactivity - one decay per second. The map shows kilobecquerels per square meter (kBq/m²), indicating contamination density.

Sievert (Sv): Measures biological effects of radiation. Often shown in millisieverts (mSv) - 1/1000th of a sievert.

Gray (Gy): Measures absorbed radiation dose - 1 joule of energy per kilogram of matter.

Contamination and Health Impacts

Areas with different contamination levels have different potential health impacts:

Greater than 1,000 kBq/m² (Red): Mandatory evacuation zones. Could give additional dose of ~10 mSv/year initially.

555 kBq/m² (Orange): One criterion for mandatory resettlement in 1986. Additional dose of about 5 mSv/year initially.

37 kBq/m² (Yellow): Areas of strict radiation control. Comparable to an additional ~0.5 mSv/year.

Less than 10 kBq/m² (Green/Blue): Low contamination level. Additional radiation close to normal background variations.

Decay Over Time

Cesium-137 has a half-life of ~30 years, meaning contamination levels today are about half what they were in 1986.

Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8 days, so it was a concern only in the immediate aftermath.

Strontium-90 has a half-life of ~29 years and tends to concentrate in bones and teeth.

Source: Data compiled from OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, World Health Organization, and International Atomic Energy Agency reports.

Map of pollution

The Abandoned Children of Pripyat: Where Are They Now? Chernobyl's Impact on Ukraine, Belarus, and Beyond Chernobyl Tank Assault Fukushima: Ten Years Later Chernobyl Today: Who Still Lives There? Chernobyl vs. Fukushima: A Comparison of Two Nuclear Disasters How Radiation Affects the Human Body: Lessons from Chernobyl How Reactor No. 4 Exploded Mutations and Wildlife: How Nature is Reclaiming Chernobyl The Fallout of Truth: Soviet Cover-Ups and the Global Reaction The Liquidators: Unsung Heroes of Chernobyl The Night of the Disaster: A Timeline of Events