| The accident caused more than 28 short-term
deaths from radiation burns and exposure. Four thousand cases of
thyroid cancer, including 15 thyroid cancer deaths, resulted, as
of 2005, with thousands more expected to develop among people who
were children when the accident occurred. The accident resulted
in the evacuation of around 360,000 people from contaminated regions
of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
Those regions suffered significant economic damage and the area
around the reactor is still quite desolate. The existing sarcophagus
was constructed in a hurry as a temporary solution. It is now
decaying and there exists a risk of radiation leakage. There is
a new plan for enclosing the reactor, on top of the existing sarcophagus
in order to contain the radiation. The plan, called the Shelter
Implementation Program (SIP), will be completed in two phases
- (1) Stabilization phase to structurally stabilize the existing
sarcophagus and; (2) Building phase, in which the new safe confinement
will be constructed off-site and slid on top of the existing structure
to cover it.
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