My understanding as a very lay person of Chernobyl, is that there was and continues to be massive radioactive contamination over a large area, including high incidences of birth defects.

Soon after the initial start up, an undetected blockage in one of the cooling pipes led to a partial fuel meltdown and massive radioactive contamination of the underground site.

The massive contamination in the animals autopsied in recent years provides little cause for optimism.

"Nuclear fuel cycle activities of the former Soviet Union have resulted in massive contamination," it said, adding that the goal of the study was "to help determine future environmental and human impacts."

A test reactor built in an underground cavern suffered a loss-of-coolant accident during a startup, leading to a partial core meltdown and massive radioactive contamination of the cavern, which was then sealed.

January 1969: Lucens reactor in Switzerland undergoes partial core meltdown leading to massive radioactive contamination of a cavern.

A technician at a nearby government laboratory-I remembered all those installations I'd passed in the dark-had died after suffering massive radioactive contamination when something went bang that wasn't supposed to.

For example, in 1957, a fire in the Hot Cell "got out of control and ... massive contamination" resulted.

"They've come a long way in a short time, considering the massive contamination, both literal and metaphorical, but reports I read say they're at a fragile stage."

Remember 0.1% is 1000ppm, which in the context of water contamination a massive contamination.