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Since that time the radiation intensity has declined enough that, in 1996, the Elephant's Foot was visited by the Deputy Director of the New Confinement Project, Artur Korneyev, who took photographs using an automatic camera and a flashlight to illuminate the otherwise dark room.
What happened to the photographer of the elephants foot?
Now in his late 60s, Korneyev no longer visits the Elephant's Foot, having been banned after years of irradiation. But the photograph of him standing beside the Corium spewing from the pipe remains one of the most interesting images of the Chernobyl disaster.
How was the picture of the elephant’s foot taken?
At a (relatively) safe distance, the workers (who were usually called “liquidators”) built a crude camera on wheels and pushed it over to the Elephant's Foot. The images revealed that the mass wasn't entirely made of nuclear fuel, but instead only a small percentage.
Did they shoot the elephant’s foot?
The substance proved too hard for a drill mounted on a motorized trolley, and a soldier who volunteered to attack it with an axe left the room empty-handed – and so over-exposed he had to be evacuated immediately from Chernobyl. Finally, a police marksman arrived and shot a fragment of the surface away with a rifle.
Why can’t you look at the elephant’s foot?
The Elephant's Foot is so deadly that spending only 30 seconds near it will result in dizziness and fatigue. Two minutes near it and your cells will begin to hemorrhage. By the time you hit the five-minute mark, you're a goner. Even after 30 years, the foot is still melting through the concrete base of the power plant.
Is the elephant’s foot still sinking?
The foot is still active. In '86 the foot would have been fatal after 30 seconds of exposure; even today, the radiation is fatal after 300 seconds.
What’s the most radioactive thing on earth?
The radioactivity of radium then must be enormous. This substance is the most radioactive natural element, a million times more so than uranium.
Can I visit the elephants foot?
Today, it still radiates heat and death, and is therefore still very dangerous. Fortunately, it is sealed under the New Safe Confinement, so visiting the Chernobyl Power Plant and working near the new sarcophagus is safe.
What is the most radioactive town in America?
Not only is Pittsburgh radon some of the worst in the United States, but Canonsburg has been notorious as a town with a radioactive history. Marie Curie did several studies in Canonsburg, PA back in the 1920's and it was deemed "The Most Radioactive Town in America" .
What is the most radioactive city in America?
Even though Jacksonville is America's Most Radioactive City, it's no Chernobyl. If you're a resident, you don't have to convert your in-ground pool into a fallout shelter.
