All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S01E08_English

- [Male Narrator] Our history
is no more than a series

of incredible events.

Each one of us can
influence its course.

The tiniest of our
decisions can influence

the future of mankind.

To know the past is to
anticipate the future.

April 26, 1986 at
1:03 in the morning,

Engineer Anatoly
Dyatlov gives the order

to start a test in the
Chernobyl nuclear plant.

25 minutes later,
firefighters are

struggling to extinguish
an enormous fire

in the very core of the
plant's reactor number four.

(dramatic music)

On May 5, 1986, three
engineers sacrifice their
lives

when they dive into
radioactive water to prevent

the cataclysmic
explosion of the plant.

These three, intimately
connected events,

are key moments in
one of the most tragic

industrial accidents in
history, the Chernobyl
disaster.

Let's see why.

Energy, which allows
us to move around,

to keep warm, to communicate.

(gentle music)

In our time, control
of energy resources,

mastery of production
techniques and the impact

on the environment
are major issues.

The history of energy is
linked to that of man.

The determination to
control it and understand it

is one of the cornerstones
of our civilization.

400,000 years ago, at
the dawn of humanity,

prehistoric man discovers
it without knowing

what it really is.

It can take a number of forms.

It has many faces.

Muscular energy,
either human or animal,

to move around or carry things.

Mechanical energy, which
uses forces such as gravity.

Thermal energy, which
can turn fuel into heat.

Hydraulic, which by
channeling water,

revolutionized transport
and agriculture.

Wind, which uses its
power to turn windmills

or drive ships.

In the 19th century, the
Industrial Revolution

made it possible to
understand a basic principle:

all energy production is
in fact a transformation.

For example, coal
contains energy.

When you burn it,
the energy escapes.

This thermal energy heats water,

which in turn becomes steam.

This steam can then turn
into mechanical energy

by working pistons or
into electrical energy

using an alternator.

Energy cannot be
created or destroyed,

it is transferred.

Like a mighty river,
you can channel it,

tame it, use it,
but you can also

lose control of it and
then be flooded or drowned.

In 1898, husband and
wife scientists Pierre

and Marie Curie discover radium,

an element that
glows in the dark

and appears to produce
infinite energy.

It's potential is enormous.

One gram of radium
contains enough energy

to turn a ton of
water into steam.

It is one of the
earliest discoveries

that will lead to the
development of this energy

that is both powerful and
dangerous, nuclear energy.

- [Female Narrator] Welcome,
to the memory of humanity.

(energetic music)

Here, we can control
time, analyze and compare

billions of events, and
alter them to rewrite

history endlessly.

For example, let's dive
into the core of a nuclear

reactor to understand
how it works.

A classic power plant
works by burning a fuel,

whereas a nuclear reactor
draws its energies from atoms.

When an atom is
split, it releases

an enormous amount of energy,

energy that will
split other atoms

in a chain reaction that
can become a veritable bomb.

Under control, it is a
formidable source of energy.

The nuclear plant
turns all this energy

into steam, which then works

turbines to produce electricity.

To work, a reactor
needs a raw material,

generally uranium.

Purified and refined,
these materials become

tiny 10-gram pellets,
each able to release

the equivalent of a ton of coal.

This combustible is
placed in the core

of the nuclear reactor,
which is itself contained

within a gas-tight vessel.

The whole is insulated
within a solid concrete

structure known as the
containment building.

This is supposed to contain
any potential leaks.

Elements of vital
importance, the control rods,

in an emergency,
these rods are thrust

into the core of the reactor.

Their mission, to stop
the chain reaction.

In theory, with all
these safety measures,

accidents cannot happen.

However, the Chernobyl
plant is rather unusual.

It has no confinement
enclosure, and there are

no pressure sensors within
the reactor core itself.

If there's a problem, nobody
really knows what's happening.

The whole thing is monitored
remotely from a control

room from which all
orders are issued.

A misreading or a poor
decision taken in this room,

and the reactor can
dangerously overheat.

- [Male Narrator] The Soviet
Union, Ukraine, April 25, 1986

Lenin Nuclear Plant,
11 miles north

of the city of Chernobyl.

It's a special
night in the plant.

In the control room,
everybody is at his post.

Anatoly Dyatlov,
assistant chief engineer,

is supervising operations.

(dramatic music)

For the first time,
they're going to test

the working of reactor
number four in the case

of a power cut.

For the requirements of
the test, the cooling

alarm systems need
to be disconnected

and the power of
the reactor reduced.

23:10, the power of
the reactor is reduced

to 700 megawatts, as planned.

The test can begin.

Half-past midnight,
Anatoly Dyatlov and his

managers disagree on procedure.

One of them gets an extremely
important manipulation wrong.

The reactor's control
rods go in too deeply.

The power then drops
rapidly to 30 megawatts.

Six minutes later,
the reactor dies.

Its rate was far too low.

Suddenly, the pressure rises.

Because there's no sensor,
nobody in the control

room is able to spot the danger.

38 minutes past midnight.

The reactor is producing
hardly any energy.

Anatoly Dyatlov orders
the control rods

to be removed and to
restart the reactor.

This is directly against
safety regulations.

The team protests in
vain but obey orders.

42 minutes past midnight,
the power of the reactor

rises but struggles to
go above 200 megawatts.

This is not enough.

1:03, despite the
malfunctions,
and against the advice

of his team, Anatoly
Dyatlov starts the test.

At the same moment, within
the core of the reactor,

a hot point forms
and concentrates.

Nobody can see it.

1:21, the emergency system
calls for the immediate

shutdown of the reactor.

1:23 and four seconds, the
test
begins, despite everything.

At the same moment,
a worker sees the lid

of the reactor rising
because of the pressure.

1:23 and 40 seconds,
Foreman Akimov decides

to trigger the emergency
shutdown process himself

and lowers the control
rods, but the heat

has distorted the guide tubes.

The rods only go down
five feet instead of 20.

It's too late.

1:23 and 44 seconds, they
hear the first explosions.

The reactor core
is out of control.

Its power is multiplied
by 100 in a few seconds.

The bottom of the reactor
explodes and turns

into radioactive magma.

(dramatic music)

A few seconds later,
an enormous explosion

sends the 1,400-ton lid
hurtling into the air.

Reactor number four
of the Chernobyl plant

has just exploded.

- [Female Narrator]
The price to pay.

The Chernobyl disaster is
classified as level seven

on the scale of
nuclear accidents.

The only other accident
of equal gravity

is that of Fukushima
in Japan in 2011.

It corresponds to a major
accident followed by massive,

long-lasting pollution,
leading to serious

consequences on public health.

However, the history
of civil nuclear power

still includes nearly
30 accidents of lesser

gravity, sometimes going
as far as the fusion

of the reactor core,
as was the case

at Three Mile Island in
the United States in 1979.

So the danger is real.

Accidents more numerous
than one imagines.

And yet, nuclear energy has
no monopoly on pollution.

Between gigantic oil
spills and chemical plant

explosions, the impact
of human activity

on the environment is
greater and greater.

The history of energy may
be linked to that of man,

but it's also linked
to that of pollution.

That is the price we pay for
maintaining our way of life.

Pollution is degrading
a natural environment

by introducing foreign
materials
in too large a quantity.

On exploding, reactor
four holds 50 tons

of nuclear fuel
into the atmosphere.

The tragedy is only
just beginning.

(dramatic music)

(fire crackling)

- [Male Narrator] The inferno.

Flaming debris falls
onto the plant,

sparking some 30 fires.

Radiation illuminates the
sky with red and blue light.

Deadly radioactive dust
spreads everywhere.

On the site of the
explosion itself,

at the core of the
reactor, surviving workers

try to save what they can.

They evacuate the injured,
cut power supplies,

get the pumps working again.

All of them will be
irremediably irradiated.

In vain, because at
this point, nobody is

able to stop the chain
reaction in reactor four.

However, just next
to it, reactor three
is still operating.

The fire could
eventually reach it.

At 1:28, four minutes
after the explosion,

the first firefighters
arrive on the scene.

They have no protection
against the radiation.

Rapidly succumbing to
nausea and vomiting,

our front-line heroes
battle hand-to-hand

with the monster.

Despite pouring tons of
water onto the reactor,

they cannot put out
this invincible fire.

However, the other seats of fire

are progressively controlled.

In the end, their sacrifice
saves reactor three

and prevents a fresh explosion.

(fire roaring)

Taken to the hospital at once,

their skin turned black.

They all die within a few weeks.

For their sacrifice,
they will receive

the order of Heroes
of the Nation.

(somber music)

- [Female Narrator]
Save or perish.

The word irradiation
means the exposure,

deliberately or accidentally,
of a body to rays.

In strong doses,
irradiation burns the skin,

destroys the nervous system
and causes multiple cancers.

Actually, we are all
permanently exposed,

whether it's for a
simple chest X-ray

or during a flight in a
plane, but fortunately,

to infinitely tiny doses.

(ominous music)

At Chernobyl, personnel
and firefighters were

exposed to 30,000
times the fatal dose.

Not everyone knows
the risks associated

with radioactivity,
but one thing is sure,

once they were on the
scene, despite vomiting

and burns, they did
their duty to the end.

This sense of sacrifice,
where the interests

of others is important,
to the point of putting

oneself in danger to
save them, is to be found

in a number of
professions: firefighters,

policeman, rescue workers,
soldiers, but it can

also manifest itself
in any one of us

in emergency situations.

It has often happened
that a great number

of human beings only
owe their survival

to a tiny handful of people.

The firefighters of Chernobyl
sacrificed themselves

to prevent the worst, but
is all danger avoided?

- [Male Narrator]
Morning of April 26th,

death is all around, invisible.

In the town of Pripyat,
on the edge of the plant,

45,000 people begin their day
as if nothing has happened.

Without knowing it, they are
swimming in an atmosphere

saturated with deadly radiation.

Plenty of rumors are
circulating about a fire

at the plant, but it
can't be very serious

because no alarm
has been raised.

(tense music)

Then, during the
day, soldiers appear,

a worrying aspect.

They move around the town
in protective equipment.

At the beginning
of the afternoon,

the radiation norm has been
exceeded by a wide margin,

more than 15,000
times acceptable dose.

By evening, it is 600,000 times.

36 hours after the explosion,
the evacuation finally begins.

More than 1,000 buses
head towards the town.

The residents have
two hours to pack.

By the evening of
April 27th, the town is

cleared of its inhabitants.

Only soldiers and scientists,
ordered to evaluate

the accident, remain.

They all run a huge danger
because the accident

is far from over.

The reactor core is
still magma infusion.

Temperature, 5,400
degrees Fahrenheit.

Highly radioactive
gasses are leaking out.

The radioactive cloud has
already reached Sweden,

and the international
community is getting

concerned by what is
happening in the Soviet Union.

By any means, they have to stop

this radioactive hemorrhaging.

So, they improvise.

In turn, hundreds
of helicopters fly

over the plant, to drop
bags of sand and lead

into the gaping hole.

In this way, 5,000
tons are poured in

to limit the discharge.

600 pilots are irradiated.

Except that this plug has
an undesirable effect.

It raises the heat
in the reactor.

At any moment, radioactive
magma may break

through the concrete
slab and fall

into the basements of the plant,

and that would be an even
more terrible disaster

because the basements
are swimming in water,

in particular, that poured
in by the firefighters

to extinguish the blaze.

5,400 degrees Fahrenheit
of radioactive magma

suddenly plunged into
20,000 tons of water,

a thermonuclear bomb
80 times more powerful

than that dropped on Hiroshima
during the Second World War.

The city of Kiev would be razed.

All life would be destroyed
within a radius of 200 miles.

Only one solution
to avoid the worst:

dive into the plant's basements,

swim through a radioactive soup,

find the drain
sluices in the dark

and operate them manually.

(somber music)

Three of the plant's
workers volunteer:

Valeri Bezpalov, Alexei Ananenko

and Boris Baranov.

The first two know exactly
where the sluices are.

The third accompanies
them with a torch

to guide them through
the murky waters.

They are fully
aware of the risks.

They remain in the
gloom for an hour,

an hour to accomplish
their heroic task.

They will die in
the following weeks.

May 6th, the core of
the reactor infusion

finally falls through the slab.

It reaches the
basements of the plant.

Fortunately, there is
no longer any water

to trigger an explosion.

- [Female Narrator] We have
just reached a turning point.

A turning point is a
key event, a crossroads

in our history where
the world swings

one way or the other.

Faced with the imminent
danger of an apocalyptic

nuclear explosion,
three men volunteer.

They know it's a
suicide mission.

What would have happened
if nobody had gone

to open the sluices?

In the worst scenario,
dozens of tons

of radioactive magma, at
several thousand degrees,

would have come into contact
with 20,000 cubic meters

of water in a confined
space, a gigantic pressure

cooker, but without
any safety valve.

The explosion, estimated
at 50 to 80 times

that of Hiroshima, would
certainly have razed

the city of Kiev and
exterminated all life

within a radius of 200 miles.

Moreover, it would've
reduced all the forces

responsible for fighting
the accident to nothing,

nobody left to stop
the flow of radiation,

the contamination
would've been cataclysmic,

affecting the regions
water reserves,

contaminating the
soil for centuries.

Human life would no
longer have been viable,

except at the price of
cancers and genetic deformity.

Central Europe would've
become a vast no-man's land,

a lost territory
of desolate lands.

Our world of today would have
a radically different face.

- [Male Narrator] The
worst has been avoided,

but the situation
remains extremely grave.

In a radius of 20
miles around the plant,

the earth, the water,
the plants, the animals,

everything is polluted
and highly radioactive.

(tense music)

To clean up this vast
zone, 600,000 men

are employed to wash
away the layer of dust,

level houses, bury
waste, slaughter animals.

They call them the
liquidators of Chernobyl,

and they are fighting
the invisible enemy.

To prevent the radioactive
magma from descending

further and contaminating
the groundwater,

an access tunnel is dug.

Objective, construct
a new concrete slab

underneath the reactor.

10,000 men work
shifts night and day

to dig this tunnel.

Irradiated, a quarter
of them will die

before the age of 40.

(man coughing)

Cleaning the plant itself
is extremely dangerous.

The smallest debris is
sufficiently radioactive

to kill a man within an hour.

So they send in
remote-controlled robots.

However, these break
down because the
radiation is too high.

Only men can do
what has to be done.

Rotating every 45 seconds,
equipped with simple

lead protection, those they
will call the bio-robots

fight at the risk of their
lives to clear the debris.

After these cleanup
operations, a concrete

sarcophagus can finally be
built
around reactor number four.

It is left to later
generations to deal

with the time bomb
that is sealed within.

In our time, a gigantic
construction site

is underway at Chernobyl.

To renew the confinement
to the reactor,

they are building a
formidable arch consisting

of 30,000 tons of steel and
standing 100 meters high.

Lifespan of this new
protection, around 100 years.

And then?

But that is another story.

- [Female Narrator]
Life always finds a way.

(pulsating music)

The Chernobyl region was
cleaned up over a radius

of 20 miles from the plant
then closed and fenced off.

Today, it is simply
known by the name Zone.

Signs prohibit access
and warn of the danger

of radioactivity.

The Chernobyl disaster was
devastating for the human

populations but also
for the local wildlife.

Animals that were not
killed by the radiation

were slaughtered
by the liquidators.

For a long time it was
thought that this zone

was lost for centuries.

Everything appeared
dead, frozen in time.

But, as always, life
evolved and adapted.

Certain animals, better
protected against radiation

than others, survived
and have reproduced.

Today, species that
are unique in the world

have appeared in this
zone, abandoned by man,

sometimes with deformities
or strange colors of fur,

but life is well
and truly there.

And in the end, the
biodiversity can be compared

to that of a nature reserve.

Billions of years
ago, life conquered

the then sterile earth.

It has resisted
bombardment by meteorites,

ice ages and major extinctions.

However, despite all these
assaults, little by little,

life has always
got the upper hand,

whatever its form,
however much time it took.

Life is not fragile,
it is tenacious.

It was here before man and
will be here after him.

The only fragile thing is us.

The only thing in danger
is our environment,

the very thing that allows
the human species to exist.