The long-term damage from an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant more than 30 years ago is still unknown. When explosions ripped
through the reactor in rural Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union,
they spewed huge amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere and
caused the worst nuclear disaster in history. About 10,000 people have
died or will die because of their exposure to radiation, and experts
worry about the children born to parents who were living near the
disaster area. With international help, Ukraine has enclosed the damaged
reactor, giving scientists time to figure out what the future holds.