14. The Solution To Put Out The Fires Caused More Fatalities
Unfortunately, the Soviet Union government only made matters worse after the explosion, and not just by downplaying the severity of the disaster. Whether their next terrible decision in the aftermath of the accident happened because the government didn’t do their research or know any better is yet to be unknown. Whatever the reason behind their decision to use bags of sand to try to put out the nuclear fires was, it only made things worse. Not only did this poor decision affect the area close to Pripyat, but it affected the first responders and several other countries.
The nuclear files raged on for over a week after the explosion. Several helicopter pilots were called to assist in putting out the fires. Each helicopter received a solution many people believed was just sand but was sand mixed with boric acid and lead. The pilots knew right away that it wasn’t working because they could feel it as they dropped it into the fires. However, the government didn’t pay attention. Some people believe that the government just didn’t care because they felt they couldn’t do anything to stop the effects of the radiation anyway.