The radiation from Chernobyl was detected within approximately how many square miles around the site?

The radiation from Chernobyl was detected within approximately how many square miles around the site?

• A. 62,000 sq miles around the site
• B. 6,200 sq miles around the site
• C. 620,000 sq miles around the site
• D. 62 sq miles around the site

Answer: (A)

Radiation from a nuclear accident doesn’t stay put; it is carried by air currents and deposited downwind, so the detectable fallout area can extend far from the plant. For Chernobyl, measurements showed fallout was detectable over a very large region, leading to an approximate contaminated area on the order of tens of thousands of square miles. The commonly cited figure is about 62,000 square miles around the site, which reflects the broad reach of the plume. The other numbers are inconsistent with how far the radiation spread was observed in the real world: they are either far too small, or far too large to match measured fallout. So 62,000 square miles best represents the extent of detectable radiation around Chernobyl.

Radiation from a nuclear accident doesn’t stay put; it is carried by air currents and deposited downwind, so the detectable fallout area can extend far from the plant. For Chernobyl, measurements showed fallout was detectable over a very large region, leading to an approximate contaminated area on the order of tens of thousands of square miles. The commonly cited figure is about 62,000 square miles around the site, which reflects the broad reach of the plume. The other numbers are inconsistent with how far the radiation spread was observed in the real world: they are either far too small, or far too large to match measured fallout. So 62,000 square miles best represents the extent of detectable radiation around Chernobyl.