The most dangerous object in the world, only 5 minutes of exposure can cause death

The Daily Mail called the "Elephant's Foot" "the most dangerous object in the world", to the point that just looking at this object can cause death.

Scientists predict that even after hundreds of years, without protective equipment, humans will not be able to get close to the "Elephant's Foot".

How did "Elephant's Foot" appear?

On April 26, 1986, reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine encountered an incident that caused the temperature in the reactor core to increase to uncontrollable levels. The injected coolant immediately evaporates. Due to too much pressure, the reactor eventually exploded, causing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. When rescue teams arrived to contain the radiation, they discovered "the world's most dangerous object".

According to scientists, "the most dangerous object in the world" is a complex mixture with extremely high concentrations of radiation created by reactor No. 4, which when heated, melted steel and concrete to shield the impact. around, forming "radioactive lava". As it cools, this hardens into a new material called corium, which is the "Elephant's Foot".

The dangers of "Elephant's Foot"

In 1986, "Elephant's Foot" emitted up to 10,000 crowns per hour (a unit of radiation measurement) - a dose 1,000 times the level that can cause cancer, equivalent to 4.5 million X-rays that humans Still used during X-rays.

If humans come into contact with this object for 30 seconds, they will experience dizziness and fatigue for at least a week. Exposure for 2 minutes, the cells will begin to hemorrhage. Humans will experience vomiting, diarrhea and fever if exposed for 4 minutes. And after just 5 minutes of being close, the person exposed is almost incurable and dies within 2 days.

Artur Korneyev, deputy director of the Shelter Object project, is the person who has the most opportunity to come into contact with elephant feet. He is an experienced expert and wears strict protective gear when exposed. An article published in 2021 revealed that Mr. Artur is still alive, in Ukraine.

After nearly 4 decades, the "Elephant's Foot" is gradually cooling, but scientists still warn about the danger of this object.

In 2016, in order to limit radiation leakage to the outside, a structure made of concrete and steel called "Safe Prison" was placed above the "Elephant's Foot". Because corium has only appeared 5 times in history and is very rare, no one is sure how "Elephant's Foot" will change in the future.

Lesley Montoya

Update 25 May 2024