Summary

Chapter Sixteen, “The Sarcophagus,” depicts the efforts to stop the output of radioactive material from Chernobyl reactor unit four for good. Many plans were suggested, but they ultimately decided to build a massive concrete structure around the reactor in order to trap any particles still being emitted. The area where the sarcophagus was built was so dangerously radioactive that it killed any robots that tried to work in it, and humans could only work for a few minutes at a time before they received nearly fatal doses of radiation. Instead, massive pieces of the structure had to be built in a safe location, shipped to Chernobyl on flat beds, and assembled by cranes with nuclear shields in their cockpits. At the same time, army conscripts worked by hand to clear away debris that could interfere with construction, relying purely on speed...