Sellafield Power Plant, United Kingdom

The UK didn’t avoid the consequences of the nuclear activities. One of the most radioactively dangerous areas of the country is Sellafield. Once, the city featured a large factory that was engaged in the production of nuclear bombs and dealing with plutonium. A huge nuclear complex on the shore of the Irish Sea was founded in 1947. Already in 1953, the nuclear power plant was built on its territory.

The most terrible and large-scale accident in the history of the Sellafield complex occurred in 1957. One of the major reactors producing plutonium caught fire. The level of radioactive emission was 750 TBq. Surrounding areas up to hundreds of kilometers away were contaminated. The gradual closure of the complex, which in different periods also served to create nuclear weapons, began in 1995. Production of weapons-grade plutonium in the UK was banned. In 2003, the last reactor of the complex was stopped.

In 2007, the dismantling of the nuclear power plant began. Large-scale cleaning works were designed to liberate the area from the nuclear radiation. In the mid-20th century, there were several large settlements in the immediate vicinity of the Sellafield complex. Farmers who were engaged in cattle breeding and processing of land lived there. For six weeks, researchers examined the level of radiation in milk of local cows. Within 6 weeks after the accident, some farming activities in the infected area had to be suspended. Today, there is still a number of buildings in the industrial area that are infected with radiation. Their dismantling and recycling will take another dozen of years. Next - Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site