The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, due to excessive heat buildup inside the nuclear reactor core that caused one of the reactors to explode. The whole disaster was caused by a failed safety test. In the minutes leading up to the meltdown, the people who were working were doing everything they could to prevent the meltdown from occurring. The meltdown was caused by a sudden increase in pressure and heat due to too few rods being installed to prevent excess water from entering the reactor. The excessive amount of water allowed into the reactor made it impossible for the reactor to heat the water to create steam that powered the turbines. The short-term effects of the disaster were deaths due to radiation sickness. Those who were exposed to radiation but to the point that it didn't kill them suffered long-term effects such as scarring and health defects. In the environment, the effects were drastic. The entire Chernobyl area is now irradiated to the point that anyone can live there more than 30 years later. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In my opinion the meltdown could have been avoided. I think so because there were more qualified people who could have conducted the safety test in the morning. The meltdown was caused by excessive amounts of water entering the reactor. The excess amount of water caused a buildup of heat and pressure that caused the reactor to explode. If it had been done in the morning, the test would most likely have gone well. But because they did it in the middle of the night, the risk of something going wrong was greater. First, if the test had been conducted during the day, there would have been more staff on site, so there would be more people to talk to if something went wrong. As I said before, I think this disaster could have been avoided. I think the government could have handled the situation better, especially since they initially tried to cover it up. If they hadn't hidden it, they could have asked other countries for help. With the help of other countries, they would be able to clean up all the nuclear waste and dispose of it properly.