: Because the low-range dosimeters "max out" at 3.6 roentgen (the equivalent of a chest X-ray every few seconds), the leadership convinces themselves the situation is manageable, even as men begin to vomit and bleed in the hallways. The First Responders
At exactly on April 26, 1986, the core of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. The story begins not with the blast itself, but with the shockwaves felt in the nearby town of Pripyat. From their apartment windows, residents—including firefighter Vasily Ignatenko and his pregnant wife Lyudmilla—watch a mesmerizing, unearthly blue beam of light shooting into the night sky, unaware they are witnessing ionizing radiation. The Denial of Reality Chernobyl_S01E01_German_720p_BluRay_x264-EXCiTED
The episode ends with , a leading Soviet inorganic chemist, receiving a phone call. He is told there has been an "accident" but that the radiation is only 3.6 roentgen. Looking at the data, he realizes the reported numbers make no sense if the fire is still burning. He is the first to suspect that the unthinkable has happened: the core is open, and the world is in grave danger. : Because the low-range dosimeters "max out" at 3