o:35782 Nuclear accidents: past, present and maybe the future Nuklearni akcidenti: prošlost, sadašnjost, a možda i budućnost en ABSTRACT Radioactive contamination is the unintentional and undesirable presence of radioactive elements on surface or within organism. Such contamination can be result of technological developments, peaceful nuclear energy use, experimental nuclear activities, and the use of nuclear weapons in warfare. To mitigate the risk of radioactive contamination, protective measures are being implemented. During the period from 1945 to 1987, 28 accidents occurred due to human actions. Before the Chernobyl accident (26.04.1986, Ukraine), there were three notable cases of unintentional radioactive leakage from nuclear power plants: Kyshtym (1957), Windscale (1957), and Three Mile Island (1979). The incident at the Lenin nuclear power plant in Chernobyl resulted in global environmental contamination, with cesium residues are still present in Serbia to this day. radioactivity, nuclear accidents, radioaktive contamination, Chernobyl 1552099 10.18485/ecologica.2024.31.116.3 1552101 0354-3285 91552100 COBISS.SR–ID 80263175 2025-01-30T12:44:29.745Z 44 yes 46 Ana A. Čučulović University of Belgrade, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, Serbia doktor fizičkohemijskih nauka 0000-0001-9315-4559 Jelena N. Stanojković University of Belgrade, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, Serbia doktor bioloških nauka person 0000-0003-3784-842X Rodoljub D. Čučulović University MB, Faculty of Business and Law, Belgrade, Serbia person application/pdf 1106754 https://phaidrabg.bg.ac.rs/o:35782 no yes 1 70 92000001 11A29 11A2906 Ecologica 31 116 SCIENTIFIC PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF SERBIA-ECOLOGICA 2024