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What caused the Chernobyl accident?

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine (part of the former Soviet Union) is the site of the worst nuclear power accident in history. Human error and design features (such as the use of graphite in construction and lack of a containment building) are generally cited as the causes of the accident.

On April 25, 1986, operators at the Chernobyl plant began conducting unauthorized experiments. They deliberately circumvented (bypassed) safety systems in order to learn more about the plant's operation. Then, at 1:24 a.m. on April 26, one of the four reactors rapidly overheated and its water coolant "flashed" into steam. ("Flashed" refers to a sudden, temporary, radical increase in radioactivity within a substance.) The hydrogen formed from the steam reacted with the graphite moderator, causing two major explosions and a fire. The core underwent a partial meltdown.

The...

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