The reactions of the Bulgarian authorities following Chernobyl place us first in all of Europe for sheer negligence, becoming an iconic example of what it means to (not) think about the nation.
At 1:23 AM on April 26, the 4th reactor of the “Lenin” Nuclear Power Plant exploded. But “Lenin” cannot explode—so the Soviet comrades kept quiet. The Swedes were the first to detect the elevated gamma background radiation. Terrified that the leak might be coming from one of their own nuclear plants, their qualitative analysis revealed something else: the radiation was caused by a specific type of fuel used only by the Russians in their NPPs. Faced with an international scandal, the Soviet Union finally admitted to the accident on April 28. This is how the world learned of the greatest nuclear disaster in history—Chernobyl.But why did this event become the greatest tragedy for Bulgarian society in its recent history?It wasn’t until May 6 that emergency crews managed to stop the radioactive leak from the ruptured reactor. During that time, an amount of radioactivity estimated at approximately 14 EBq ($14 \times 10^{18}$ Becquerels) was released into the atmosphere, according to the World Nuclear Association. If “Becquerels” don’t mean much to you, it is enough to know that this is the largest known release of radioactivity into the environment in world history. A radioactive cloud is formed and begins its journey.
On May 1st, the radioactive cloud arrived in Bulgaria. The weather was rainy. The rain brought the radioactive cloud (dust) down to the ground. The particles were of two types: those attached to the dust, and larger ones known as “hot particles”—micro-fragments of the nuclear fuel itself. If such a particle penetrates the lungs, the tissue within a 2 cm radius directly necrotizes, while the surrounding area suffers cancerous mutations.The particles contained: Iodine-131, with a decay period of 8 days (Bulgaria was cleared of this element by the end of June); Cesium-137 ($^{137}\text{Cs}$), with a half-life of 30.17 years; Cesium-134 ($^{134}\text{Cs}$), with a half-life of only 2.065 years; and Strontium-90 ($^{90}\text{Sr}$), with a half-life of 28.79 As early as April 30, the Party organized a system for monitoring the Gamma background radiation. Measurements were taken day by day, district by district. The four radiological laboratories functioning at the time were involved in the process. To understand the scale of the contamination, let’s take milk as an example. Samples were collected daily from every milk tanker. The level of contamination was known day by day.
On May 7, radioactivity of 20,000 to 30,000 Becquerels per liter of milk was measured, against a heightened crisis limit of 2,000 Becquerels per liter. This was 10 times higher than an already significantly inflated emergency limit. Normally, the standard is below 100 Becquerels/liter. Peak values of up to 200,000 Becquerels per liter of milk were also recorded. According to experts from that time, a child drinking just one glass of milk would consume their entire lifetime’s allowed dose. The situation is similar with local products – vegetables, fruits and animal feed.
On May 4, scientists from Sofia University and the Medical Academy drafted a list of 12 protective measures, which was rejected by the political nomenclature. It wasn’t until May 7 that a half-hearted announcement was made on television regarding the radiation. In May 24, officials declared that the radiation had passed, lifting the already inadequate measures.
Over 265,000 young people were sent to labor brigades, with 200,000 of them working directly in the fields. On May 9, Academician Tseno Hinkovski, Chairman of the Agricultural Academy, recommended halting student brigades and camps in one of the most contaminated areas—the Sub-Balkan Valley. During the summer months, approximately 450,000 children were sent to the seaside. In 1987, the contaminated fodder harvested in 1986 was released for livestock feed, leading to a second peak of contamination. We are now becoming known to the world as the “Bulgarian Chernobyl”.
Throughout this entire period, 250 to 300 members of the political elite were provided with clean food and water sourced from deep-well boreholes.
According to UN data, Bulgaria ranked 8th in terms of overall contamination levels, but 1st in Europe for the degree of radioactive exposure per person. Our reactions following Chernobyl place us first in all of Europe for sheer negligence, serving as an iconic example of what it truly means to (not) think about the nation.
Back then, I too marched in the parade, I ate, I drank, and I participated in a labor brigade!
