A resurfaced photo showing two women casually perched on one of Chernobyl’s most hazardous relics has reignited global concern about the dangers still lingering in the exclusion zone nearly four decades after the disaster.
The image, which recently circulated again on Reddit, depicts the pair of visitors climbing onto a giant metal claw once used in the clean-up operation after the 1986 nuclear explosion. Experts have described the claw as “one of the most radioactive things in the world”—making the women’s decision to treat it like a photo prop both shocking and reckless.
A Legacy of Disaster
The Chernobyl catastrophe began in April 1986, when reactor number four at the nuclear power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, exploded, spewing radioactive material across large parts of Europe. The surrounding zone was evacuated and deemed uninhabitable, with thousands forced to abandon their homes.
Although radiation levels in some parts of the exclusion zone eventually dropped low enough for controlled tourism with licensed guides, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has since made visits impossible. Today, the area remains off-limits to the general public.
Over the years, eerie remnants of the disaster have become symbols of the tragedy. One of the most infamous is the Elephant’s Foot, a mass of radioactive corium and other materials formed beneath the destroyed reactor. Lethal even decades later, it is now encased within the massive steel “New Safe Confinement” structure built to contain radiation.
The Radioactive Claw
The claw, while not as deadly as the Elephant’s Foot, remains among the most notorious relics left from the clean-up operation. It was once used to scoop highly contaminated debris from the destroyed reactor. In the process, the claw itself absorbed massive levels of radiation, making it permanently hazardous.
Despite warnings, the two tourists in the photo climbed directly onto the claw, exposing themselves to potential radiation contamination. As one Reddit commenter dryly noted: “The reason this thing is radioactive is that it’s coated with radioactive dust and dirt. Things that might cling to the skin and clothes of whoever touches them and continue emitting radiation for a long time, and possibly ingested.”
Health Risks
Radiation specialists later clarified that the women likely did not remain on the claw long enough to suffer severe long-term health damage. According to Radiation Answers, spending only a few minutes near the claw results in exposure to just a few microsieverts—a relatively minor dose.
Online users compared the exposure levels to everyday medical scans. “A typical chest x-ray gives off about 0.1mSv. By comparison, standing next to the claw for under 20 minutes—which emits about 0.3mSv per hour—would expose someone to a roughly equivalent dose,” one commenter explained.
That said, others cautioned against downplaying the risk: “Big deal? Nope. Would I needlessly get up close and personal with this junk? Also nope.”
Another user added bluntly: “It’s the most radioactive thing in the exclusion zone accessible to visitors.”
Elephant’s Foot vs. The Claw
While the claw is still dangerous, it pales in comparison to the Elephant’s Foot. Experts warn that just 30 seconds of unprotected exposure near the Elephant’s Foot in its early years could kill a person outright. At those radiation levels, the body shuts down rapidly—victims first experience dizziness and exhaustion, followed by bleeding at the cellular level, violent vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, and then death.
Though time and containment structures have reduced the immediate threat, both the Elephant’s Foot and the claw remain stark reminders of the catastrophe’s scale.
Lasting Consequences
At least 31 people died directly from acute radiation sickness and related injuries in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, while countless others have suffered from long-term effects including cancer, birth defects, and other radiation-related illnesses.
The resurfacing of this viral photo serves as a chilling reminder: even decades later, the Chernobyl exclusion zone is no place for casual stunts.
