TeleconStudio
2 HN recommenders · recommended in 8 months, 2014–2019
26:57 · 10M views · Apr 21, 2012
A Ukrainian documentary about the liquidators who cleaned radioactive debris off the Chernobyl reactor roof in two-minute shifts. It presents their firsthand accounts and footage of the work.
Recommended as a moving, first-person account of the people who dealt with the worst of the Chernobyl cleanup.
8 comments from Hacker News
One of the most impressive documentaries I've ever seen is "Chernobyl 3828"[1]. It is about the 3828 "liquidators" (cleanup crew) - euphemistically called the "bio robots" - that had to clean up the worst section of roof above the reactor. Maximum allowed dose was two minutes exposure to that section the roof. It has some of the same footage as the sequence in your link to t=3430, but there is a key difference: Chernobyl 3828 is about the people . The psychology of the cleanup was complicated. Some people ran while others faced the danger and accepted a "red badge of courage" because if they didn't, someone else would have to go in their place . [1] this video
I understand and partly agree. The geeky stuff was very limited and the narrative and exposition was somewhat dramatized. I am also not sure if the real characters really acted towards the state in such a brave unassailable way as depicted... Still I think the show adopts a valid viewpoint and gives a powerful and needed message about a corrupt totalitarian system. But you are right that telling the story from the point of view of organizational challenges or from a point of view of a real person putting their life in danger in taking part in the effort would be very interesting too. There are some great documents on youtube from these different points of view, e.g. the story told by Starodumov and Bordakov: this video
> Chernobyl-style "bio-robot" "liquidators" Anybody that isn't familiar with the "liquidators" should watch Chernobyl 3828 , a Ukrainian documentary about the cleanup of the worst part of the roof with comments by the people currently working their two-minute shifts as a "bio-robot". [LINK] this video
Ever since it became easier to get into the Chernobyl area, there has been an increase in people trying to dramatize it. I suggest watching this short video with Tom Scott, about his recent visit, where they try to inject a bit of reality into the situation: a lot of looted/stripped buildings that have stood abandoned for decades. It's impressive, but doesn't have a lot to do with radiation or the reactor. [LINK] There are certainly a lot of areas where you shouldn't linger for extended periods of time. The reactor accident (and how the situation was handled afterwords[1]) was absolutely terrible. That said, it is important to remember that - even accounting for the Chernobyl disaster (and the utterly insignificant radiological [3] disaster in Fukushima) - nuclear power is still the only viable option if we want to have energy in the future, as it is the cleanest . Everything else pollutes more and only a few technologies even come close to making enough power. Unfortunately, the Hiroshima Syndrome[4] is epidemic, and the current wave of "Chernobyl disaster theatre" is only making these fears worse. We need to find better ways to educate people and counter the decades of misinformation and fear. The HN crowd like to "disrupt" things, so may I suggest finding ways to disrupt the common fears about radiation? [1] My greatest respect and thanks to the people - the "liquidators" - who had to be the "bio-robots" that cleaned up the worst areas when the mechanical robots failed fro
> There is still a lot of that material I never said there wasn't. The cleanup is ongoing and will take a very long time, but it still isn't "destroyed for good". At least the caesium eventually goes away. The Pb, Hg, and As in the 1.1 billion gallons of fly ash slurry that the Tennessee Valley Authority spilled[0] over homes and into the Emory and Clinch rivers doesn't have a half life. > economy and agriculture The tsunami also did incredible damage to the economy and agriculture of Japan. > Can you claim without flinching that this will never ever happen? Absolutely. Even the idiotic RBMK design can be run safely after being modified to fix the void coefficient. I suggest actually reading my link[1] above, which explain in great detail the problems in the design of that reactor. Even with those problems, it took incredible effort[2] to trigger the steam explosion. > 'heroes of Chernobyl' I'm give a lot of respect and thanks to those that had to deal with Chernobyl's immediate aftermath and the 600,000 liquidators that were part of the cleanup afterwords. In particular, the 3828 people that cleaned up the worst section of roof in two minute shifts. Their story - in their own words[3] - is something I will never forget. [0] [LINK] [1] [LINK] [2] [LINK] [3] this video