Yes it is. Many different radioactive isotopes are created in a nuclear explosion. The most dangerous ones are dangerous because of their intense radiation. Their radiation is intense because they have a short half life.
The most obvious difference is quantity. An RMBK reactor core like Chernobyl’s #4 reactor contains 194 tons of enriched Uranium fuel. In contrast, Little Boy carried 141 pounds of highly enriched uranium. And, since Little Boy was an airburst, most of the fallout ended up in the ocean while Chernobyl instead sat there and burned. And you can take a tour to Chernobyl, just wear a dosimeter because some areas have radiation levels high enough to be dangerous. It’s dangerous like a poorly-cleared minefield, not a ravening death zone.
A lot of the radioactive particles are washed away with the rain. BTW, a LifeStraw can be used on radioactive mudpuddles, as the radioactivity is in the particles, not the water itself.
Not exactly how half life works....
Yes it is. Many different radioactive isotopes are created in a nuclear explosion. The most dangerous ones are dangerous because of their intense radiation. Their radiation is intense because they have a short half life.
Why is chernobyl still empty and treated loke a nuclear wasteland then?
How can you have Nagasaki and Hiroshima being completely fine a few weeks later but Chernobyl having to be abandoned for years?
The most obvious difference is quantity. An RMBK reactor core like Chernobyl’s #4 reactor contains 194 tons of enriched Uranium fuel. In contrast, Little Boy carried 141 pounds of highly enriched uranium. And, since Little Boy was an airburst, most of the fallout ended up in the ocean while Chernobyl instead sat there and burned. And you can take a tour to Chernobyl, just wear a dosimeter because some areas have radiation levels high enough to be dangerous. It’s dangerous like a poorly-cleared minefield, not a ravening death zone.
Lots of longer-lived isotopes that remained in place. And caution.
A lot of the radioactive particles are washed away with the rain. BTW, a LifeStraw can be used on radioactive mudpuddles, as the radioactivity is in the particles, not the water itself.