How did this worker approach this fuel mass at Chernobyl?

[etudiant]

So in under 10,000 years, we'll be back to normal, assuming living with uranium ore is normal.

Separately, does the plutonium get shielded to some extent by the surrounding uranium in the elephants foot?
Otherwise, even years after the accident it is surprising the worker could be so close to corium mass. Is all that residual radiation alpha particles?

 

[nikkkom]

So in under 10,000 years, we'll be back to normal, assuming living with uranium ore is normal.

Separately, does the plutonium get shielded to some extent by the surrounding uranium in the elephants foot?

Pu239 and Pu240 are alpha-active. They are shielded even by air. The worker appears to wear protection which ensures he does not get any dust contamination on/in his body, so his main worries in this situation are gammas.

 

[nikkkom]

The diagram is for waste from spent fuel reprocessing. Reprocessing (at least its type now actively in use by French) removes Uranium _and Plutonium_, thus diagram's "actinades" [sic] probably excludes Pu.

 

[mheslep]

The diagram is for waste from spent fuel reprocessing. Reprocessing (at least its type now actively in use by French) removes Uranium _and Plutonium_, thus diagram's "actinades" [sic] probably excludes Pu.

Yes I believe you are correct. Sorry about that.

 

[ThomasGeorgeAlan]

Here is another photo of the "elephant's foot." You can see distortions and abnormalities in the photograph caused by EXTREME levels of radiation. This radiation (thousands of rads per hour) actually caused the lower half of the worker to appear transparent.

Crazy... absolutely crazy....

View attachment 159172

This isn't due to radiation emission this is basic long exposure photography in low light the technician is illuminating the subject whilst the camera takes a long exposure, I see no visible influence on the film from the elephants foot