Prypiat (Ukrainian: При́п'ять, Pryp’iat’; Russian: При́пять, Pripyat; 51°24′20″N, 30°03′25″E) is an abandoned city in the zone of alienation in northern Ukraine, Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. It was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers. The city was abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. Its population had been around 55,000.

Contrary to cities of military importance, access to Prypiat was not restricted prior to the disaster. Before the Chernobyl accident, nuclear power stations were seen by the Soviets as safe as any other type of power plant. Nuclear power stations were presented as being an achievement of Soviet engineering, where nuclear power was harnessed for peaceful projects. The slogan "peaceful atom" (Russian: мирный атом) was popular during those times. Initially the plant was intended to be built only 25 km from Kiev, but the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, among other bodies, expressed concern about the station being too close to the city, and so the station, together with Prypiat, were built in their current location - about 100 km from Kiev.

Until recently, the site was practically a museum, documenting the late Soviet era. Apartment buildings (four of which were recent constructions not yet occupied), swimming pools, hospitals and other buildings were all abandoned, and everything inside the buildings was left behind, including records and papers, children's toys, and clothing. Residents were only allowed to take away documents, books and clothes that were not contaminated.

However, the apartment buildings were completely looted some time around the beginning of the 21st century. Nothing of value was left behind; even toilet seats were taken away. Because the buildings are not maintained, the roofs leak, and in spring the rooms are swamped with water. It is not unusual to find trees growing on roofs and even inside buildings. This hastens deterioration, and in a few decades the city will most probably lie in ruins.

Prypiat and the surrounding area will not be safe for human habitation for several centuries to come. The most troublesome radioactive isotope (caesium-137) released by the accident (external gamma exposure short biological halflife in humans) will take 300 years to decay to one thousandth of its present level. The strontium-90 will decay to a similar time scale. Strontium is a beta emitter with a long biological halflife in humans, which can cause disease through internal exposure. After the caesium activity has decayed to this level, the area may be used for most human activities again. The graph below shows that caesium is responsible for almost the entire gamma dose rate due to the accident experienced in Prypiat. This has not prevented wildlife from entering the area; wild animal populations are actually quite large in the exclusion zone, capitalizing on the lack of human occupation. Statistics are not yet widely available to indicate changes in animal reproductive cycles nor mortality rates.

The contributions made by the different isotopes to the dose (in air) caused in the contaminated area in the time shortly after the accident. Note that this image was drawn using data from the OECD report, and the second edition of 'The radiochemical manual'.

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The contributions made by the different isotopes to the dose (in air) caused in the contaminated area in the time shortly after the accident. Note that this image was drawn using data from the OECD report, and the second edition of 'The radiochemical manual'.

The city is easily accessible, although it is unsafe to travel about the city without a radiation detector. The doors of all the buildings are open to reduce the risk to visitors, although many have accumulated too much radioactive material to be safe to visit.

Beginning in 1986, shortly after the disaster, the city of Slavutych was constructed to replace Prypiat.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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