Officials 'deeply concerned' about staff and potential nuclear risks at Chernobyl
The safety of the hundreds of staff who are still on duty at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is becoming more precarious, according to multiple agencies.
About 210 personnel have on duty since Feb. 24, the day before Russian military forces entered the disaster site, and have not rotated out, according to the agency.
Nuclear material and facilities demand continuous coverage, which requires employees to operate on a rotation, fixed, or modified shifts, according to a publication from the U.S. Department of Energy. There are many psychological and physiological impacts that can affect work performance, safety, and security without an organization, the material states.
Today, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine told the IAEA that it is becoming increasingly urgent and important for the safe management of the site to replace the current personnel.
While the staff has access to food, water and medicine to a limited extent, the situation is worsening, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the IAEA.
![International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, on screen, addresses the UN Security Council,March 4, 2022.The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency open meeting on the attack on Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/un-security-council-ap-rc-220304_1646421840193_hpMain.jpg)
"I'm deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there," Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said in a statement Tuesday.
Ukraine's nuclear regulator also asked the IAEA to lead the international support needed to prepare a plan for replacing the current team, which will include pausing the handling of nuclear material at the site, which includes decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou