1. Atomic Meltdown at Chernobyl

2. 1. How were the high radiation levels first detected in Europe?
A worker entered a Swedish nuclear power plant and set off the radiation detector alarm. He and all the other employees were tested for radiation levels. It was determined they had excessive levels of radiation. They also found five times the level of radiation in the ground.

3. 2. How were Swedish officials able to find the source of the atomic meltdown?
Swedish officials discovered that the atomic fallout was carried by the wind. By studying wind patterns and the atomic material, they were able to tell that it came from the Ukraine.

4. 3. Where and on what date did the nuclear explosion take place?
Chernobyl, Ukraine April 26, 1986

5. 4. How did the radioactive debris from the Chernobyl explosion escape into the air?
Chernobyl was old and poorly built. It had graphite reactors, which can reach 5,000 degrees if they catch on fire. Chernobyl did not have the concrete shell that most modern facilities had, which allowed the radioactive material to escape freely.

6. 5. How did the Soviets respond to this disaster?
The Soviets sealed off the plant and evacuated people within a 19- mile radius. They brought in doctors, scientists, and other experts. The Soviets did this, however, without informing the world about the accident. It was three days after the accident before they informed the world.

7. 6. What effects did this nuclear accident have on the people of Europe?
Radioactive fallout contaminated water, land, livestock, and food supplies. There have also been countless cases of cancer and birth deformities.

8. 7. What effects did it have on the European economy
7. What effects did it have on the European economy? (Think about how Europeans buy and sell goods)
Fish, dairy products, meats, and crops were banned from being sold because they were contaminated. Business owners lost money because they could not sell these products.

9. Use context clues to determine a synonym for the words in bold
8. The Swedes alerted the United States when other power stations around the country also reported high levels of radiation.
Informed, warned, notified
9. A Swedish diplomat in Moscow, meanwhile, began to ask probing questions.
Searching, investigative

10. 10. There was so much contaminated soil that the government didn’t know where to bury it.
Tainted, poisoned
11. The radioactive fallout had covered large sections of the Ukraine and other parts of the former Soviet Union before spreading across most of Europe. Europeans were outraged.
Angry, furious
12. And many areas affected by Chernobyl will remain… too “hot” to sustain life.
Support, maintain