Elephant’s Foot: Chernobyl’s Deadly Enigma Still Untouched

If you heard about it, you might mistake it for a supernatural object straight out of a science fiction story. However, it is completely real and is the result of one of the most horrific radiation leaks in history. To this day, it is still known as “elephant’s foot.”

How did the “Elephant Foot” come about?

On April 26, 1986, reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine suffered a critical failure. Specialists discovered the problem and attempted an emergency shutdown, but were unsuccessful. The temperature in the reactor core rose uncontrollably, causing the cooling water to instantly evaporate when it was pumped out.

Image of the object called “Elephant Foot”.

The reactor eventually exploded due to excessive pressure, leading to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In the autumn of that year, when rescue teams arrived to contain the radiation, they discovered for the first time “the most dangerous object in the world.”

According to scientists, as Reactor 4 heated up, it melted the surrounding steel and concrete barriers, creating “radioactive lava.” This substance flowed downward, sweeping up various materials, forming a complex mixture with extremely high levels of radiation. When it cooled, it solidified into a new material called corium. This was called “Elephant’s Foot.”

The danger of “elephant’s foot”

Danger level

The Daily Mail calls the “elephant’s foot” the “most dangerous object in the world.” Even looking at this object could prove fatal. Scientists predict that within hundreds of years we will not be able to get close to the “elephant’s foot” without protective equipment.

In 1986, the “elephant’s foot” emitted up to 10,000 roentgens per hour (a unit of measurement for radiation), a dose 1,000 times higher than the one that can cause cancer. To put this into perspective, that amount of radiation is equivalent to 4.5 million X-rays typically used in medical imaging.

Impact on humans

An expert approaches the “Elephant’s Foot”

If you are exposed to this object for 30 seconds, you will experience dizziness and fatigue for at least a week. If you are exposed for 2 minutes, your cells will start to bleed. After 4 minutes, it will cause vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Finally, after 5 minutes of proximity, the exposure is almost fatal and the person will die within 2 days.

History of Documentation and Photographs

Because of the extreme danger posed by the Elephant’s Foot, very few photographs of this object exist. The first photograph was taken in 1986 by members of the rescue team. Ten years later, the US Department of Energy also collected some images of it.

However, the person who has been most exposed to the Elephant’s Foot is Artur Korneyev, deputy director of the Shelter Object project. He personally took several photographs related to the “Elephant’s Foot” before safely exiting. An article published in 2021 revealed that Artur is still alive and living in Ukraine.

Due to excess radiation, the recorded image of the “Elephant’s Foot” was also affected.

However, Artur is a very experienced specialist who used strict protective equipment during the exhibition. Scientists still warn about the danger of the “elephant’s foot”, even though the object is gradually cooling down after four decades.

Safety measures and the future of the “elephant’s foot”

Current security measures

In 2016, a concrete and steel structure called the “New Safe Confinement” was placed on the “Elephant’s Foot” to limit the leakage of radiation to the outside.

Future predictions

Since corium is extremely rare and has only appeared five times in history, no one can be sure how the “elephant’s foot” will change in the future.

The “elephant’s foot” of the Chernobyl disaster remains one of the most dangerous objects in the world. Its deadly radiation and toxic composition continue to pose a threat even decades later. This radioactive mass is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of nuclear accidents and the need for strict safety protocols in the management of nuclear energy.