condition of the lower floor slab, which was damaged by the penetration of molten material during the accident. If this slab failed, it could result in the destruction of most of the building.A number of potential situations have been considered which could lead to breaches in the Sarcophagus and the release of radiation into the environment. These include the collapse of the roof and internal structures, a possible criticality event, and the long-term migration of radionuclides into groundwater. Leaching of these radionuclides may also become more significant as time passes. The envelope is not leak-tight but that situation has been recently improved. However, there are currently over 3000 cubic meters of water in various rooms in the sarcophagus. Most of which entered through defects in the roof.Perhaps the situation causing most concern is the effect that the collapse of the Sarcophagus might have on the reactor Unit 3. There is ever-present danger in the operation of this reactor too. Despite a government plan to shut down the entire plant, no. 3 was reactivated after officials pleaded that its energy was essential for the coming winter. Today the reactor is still producing power and is connected to the Sarcophagus through the "V" Building, which is not very stable. Like its demolished twin, reactor 3 is considered fundamentally unsafe by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The plant is even less safe now that the people who are left to run it are poorly trained, badly paid, and demoralized.The accident recovery and clean-up operations have resulted in the production of very large quantities of radioactive wastes and contaminated equipment. Some of these radioactive wastes are buried in trenches or in containers isolated from the groundwater by clay or concrete screens within the 30-km zone. Six hundred to eight hundred waste trenches were hastily dug in the immediate vicinity of Unit 4 in the aftermath of the accident...
