The World's Most Radioactive Places

Mayak Plutonium Plant | Muslomovo, Soviet Union

During the build up to the Cold War the USSR constructed a number of nuclear plants, including the Mayak Plant which was hastily completed between 1945 and 1948. The plant sidestepped safety regulations and dumped its highly radioactive waste into the nearby Lake Karachay. The waters are now so toxic they could kill a human in less than an hour. The city also saw one of the world's worst nuclear tragedies in 1957 - The Kyshtym Disaster. An explosion ripped through the plant and released deadly radiation. The disaster was kept quiet until the 1980s.