▲One of the biggest nuclear tragedies in history happened in 1986. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was located in the city of Pripyat in Ukraine, which at the time, was part of the Soviet Union.

▲The blast killed more than 30 people and triggered a mass evacuation of about 50,000 people, reports the The Daily Express.

▲According to a UN publication, approximately 8.4 million people were exposed to radiation, including those involved in disaster response operations.

▲The Exclusion Zone used to be an area of 30 km radius surrounding the nuclear plant, but it now covers over 200 sq km. Because of the radioactive levels, even after all these years, inhabitation is incredibly restricted.

▲Before the Russian invasion, the area used to be visited by some tourists that ignored the warnings and risked their lives by entering the exclusion zone illegally, says National Geographic. Now the region is even more dangerous.

▲The Fukushima region in Japan is another highly radioactive area you should avoid.

▲In 2011, a strong earthquake, followed by a tsunami, hit Japan.

▲At the time, the Japanese government and the company responsible for the nuclear power plant were criticized for failing to inform people properly. According to the BBC, some residents fled to areas which were even more radioactive than the ones where they were in initially.

▲The Independent reported that lethal levels of radiation are still found in the vicinity of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

▲Despite the warnings, tourists risk their lives and visit the exclusion zone, reports The Telegraph.

▲The Semipalatinsk Test Site, known as 'The Polygon,' is located in Kazakhstan.

▲Soviet nuclear tests were conducted here during the Cold War, with devastating consequences for the residents of nearby villages, according to a National Geographic article.

▲About 100,000 people in the region are still affected by radioactivity.

▲Located in Washington, the site was used for the US nuclear program during World War II and the Cold War, as reported by the Seattle Times.

▲The atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki during World War II was produced at the site.

▲The government began cleaning up the site and planning its demolition. The operation raised a series of issues over radioactive particles found in vehicles.

▲The Seattle Times reports that mistakes in the site's demolition project would have contributed to the spreading of radiation to surrounding areas.

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But what can happen if a human is exposed to high levels of radiation like the ones found in these places?

Exposure to high levels of radiation can pose serious health risks and even lead to death within hours, the BBC reported.

▲In addition to human contamination, a nuclear accident can compromise food and water.

▲According to the BBC, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and fever are common. At a more advanced level, radiation exposure can cause damage to internal organs as well as various types of cancer.

▲The damage can even be greater in children because their bodies are still developing. According to the BBC, following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, there was a considerable increase in thyroid cancer among children in the area. This is because the radioactive iodine, released during the accident, accumulates easily in this gland.

▲There are some treatments available in case of radiation exposure. These include medication to increase white blood cells, which can help treat possible bone marrow damage.

▲The first step however, is to wash the skin and hair gently with soap and water, says the BBC.

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Ultimately, you should stay away form these radioactive areas.

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The tsunami hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant and caused the reactors to fail. This was the biggest nuclear accident in the world since Chernobyl.

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Despite the serious health risks, some people continued to live in their villages near Chernobyl, the Daily Mail reports.

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According to The Independent, the disaster caused at least 15,000 deaths.

▲These former nuclear test sites, and areas where radioactive accidents have occurred, are strictly no-go areas. Visiting these locations can not only be extremely dangerous, but sometimes even fatal.

Click on the gallery and get to know the most radioactive places on earth.

Nuclear threat: Earth's most radioactive locations

These areas continue to experience dangerous levels of radiation

11/03/25 por StarsInsider

TRAVEL Nuclear disasters

These former nuclear test sites, and areas where radioactive accidents have occurred, are strictly no-go areas. Visiting these locations can not only be extremely dangerous, but sometimes even fatal.

Click on the gallery and get to know the most radioactive places on earth.