Photo credit: bionerd23
Tourists are now allowed to enter the control room of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This room is significant because the decisions made on that fateful day in 1986 contributed to the worst nuclear accident the world has ever seen yet. For the past 20+ years, visitors were only permitted to observe the abandoned schoolyards, amusement parks, and classrooms outside the nuclear plant since they aren’t considered dangerous anymore. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Reactor 4, where the explosion occurred, remained shuttered to everyone except for researchers, cleanup workers, and a few journalists. In this room, Chernobyl’s deputy chief engineer is alleged to have instructed operators to continue a safety test despite a significant drop in power that made it dangerous to keep working. Since the radiation levels are still 40,000 times higher than normal, anyone who enter the room will have to wear a hazmat suit, helmet, mask, and industrial boots.
