Chernobyl is still contaminated, but most areas are not acutely dangerous if exposure is brief and controlled. It remains unsafe as a normal place to live, especially close to the ruined reactor and in certain “hot spots.”
Radiation levels today
Radiation around much of the Exclusion Zone has fallen greatly since 1986, and many areas now have dose rates comparable to or only moderately above normal background levels. However, there are localized zones and contaminated soil where doses would be unsafe with long-term residence or if dust is inhaled or ingested.
Visiting as a tourist
Before the current war-related disruptions, tightly regulated day tours were generally considered to pose low additional cancer risk, often comparable to a long airplane flight or a few medical X‑rays, because time in higher-dose areas is limited and routes avoid the worst contamination. Visitors must follow rules such as staying on paved paths, not touching or taking objects, and undergoing contamination checks to keep risk low.
Living there long term
The Exclusion Zone is not considered suitable for normal settlement because long-term exposure, plus contaminated food and water, could significantly increase health risks for a population over decades. Some elderly residents returned illegally and have lived there for years, but this is not viewed by authorities as a model of safe habitation.
Reactor 4 and sarcophagus
The reactor ruins are still highly radioactive, and the New Safe Confinement structure was built to contain remaining fuel and dust and to allow gradual dismantling. A drone strike in February 2025 damaged the confinement’s cladding, but monitoring so far has not shown a significant rise in ambient radiation outside the structure.
Effect of war and soil disturbance
Disturbances of contaminated soil, such as military digging and vehicle movement, can temporarily raise radiation levels by kicking up radioactive dust, which is more dangerous to those directly involved than to distant populations. International and Ukrainian monitoring networks continue to track radiation in and around the zone to detect any significant changes.