• The Genetic Legacy of Chernobyl
• The Nature of Mutation
The Importance of Mutations
Categories of Mutations
Types of Gene Mutations
Mutation Rates
• Causes of Mutations
Spontaneous Replication Errors
Spontaneous Chemical Changes
Chemically Induced Mutations
Radiation
• The Study of Mutations
The Analysis of Reverse Mutations
Detecting Mutations with the
Ames Test
Radiation Exposure in Humans
• DNA Repair
Mismatch Repair
Direct Repair
Base-Excision Repair
Nucleotide-Excision Repair
Other Types of DNA Repair
Genetic Diseases and Faulty
DNA Repair
The Genetic Legacy of Chernobyl
Early on the morning of April 26, 1986, unit 4 of the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine exploded,
creating the worst nuclear disaster in history. The explosion
blew off the 2000-ton metal plate that sealed the top
of the reactor and ignited hundreds of tons of graphite,
which burned uncontrollably for 10 days. The exact
amount of radiation released in the explosion and ensuing
fire is still unknown, but a minimum estimate is 100 million
curies, equal to a medium-sized nuclear strike. A
plume of radioactive particles blew west and north from
the crippled reactor, raining dangerous levels of radiation
down on thousands of square kilometers. Regions as far
away as Germany and Norway were affected; even Japan
and the United States received measurable increases in
radiation.
Immediately after the accident, 31 people, mostly firefighters
who heroically battled the blaze, died of acute radiation
sickness. More than 400,000 workers later toiled to