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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a statement Tuesday expressing concern for the staffers who have been working at Chernobyl since Russian forces took control of the nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The staff members were working on the day Russians invaded the historic nuclear accident site nearly two weeks ago and have been living there ever since, the statement said. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the lack of worker turnover is concerning because it could affect the staffers' ability to make decisions.
This adds to concerns over whether the Russian forces' control of the nuclear site could cause another accident like the Chernobyl accident of 1986, which the United Nations described as "one of the most serious nuclear incidents in human history." Adding to many people's fears is the fact that Russia now controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, which is much larger than Chernobyl.
A Ukrainian regulator confirmed to the IAEA that the Chernobyl staffers have access to food, water and a limited amount of medicine. However, the statement said that "the situation for the staff was worsening."
One of the agency's seven pillars of nuclear safety and security is the operating staff having "the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure," which is why Grossi has stressed in the past the importance of staff resting and working regular shifts, the statement added.
"I'm deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety," Grossi said. "I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there."
The devastating Chernobyl blast in 1986 killed two people, and 28 members of the emergency and cleanup crews died within months of the explosion. Some of the radioactive elements released in the explosion are still present more than 30 years later.
Grossi added in the statement that remote data transmission from Chernobyl's safeguards monitoring system has gone dark and that the IAEA is looking into how other systems across the country are doing. The Ukrainian regulator told the IAEA that at the Zaporizhzhia plant two reactors are operating, although plant staffers are working in shifts and radiation levels in the area appear normal.
"But we cannot rely on this good fortune to continue," Grossi said in a separate statement. "It is high time to stop an armed conflict from putting nuclear facilities at severe risk, potentially endangering the safety of people and the environment in Ukraine and beyond. Words must mean something—it is time for action."
Update 3/8/22 4:40 p.m. ET: This story was updated to add more information and background.
