Years after the catastrophic 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, it was possible to visit parts of the exclusion zone with a licensed guide. That window for tourism ended once the war between Russia and Ukraine made it too dangerous, meaning today the area is off-limits to regular visitors.
Among the most infamous of these is the Elephant’s Foot, a lethal mass of corium and other materials that formed under the reactor. It is considered the single most dangerous radioactive object on Earth. Fortunately, it is now sealed within the ‘New Safe Confinement’ structure built around the reactor, keeping it out of reach from the public.
Radiation specialists later explained that the women probably did not stay long enough to suffer serious long-term health effects. According to Radiation Answers, being near the claw for only a few minutes would result in exposure of just a few microsieverts, which is a relatively small dose.
A third commenter put it bluntly by saying: “It’s the most radioactive thing in the exclusion zone accessible to visitors.”
Although nearly four decades have passed since the explosion, both the claw and the Elephant’s Foot stand as grim reminders of the catastrophe. At least 31 people died directly from acute radiation sickness and other injuries in the immediate aftermath, and countless more have since suffered and died from long-term effects of radiation exposure.
