World's Most Dangerous Object 

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17 May 2024

At the heart of the Chernobyl exclusion zone is a deadly radioactive object which has been aptly called the most dangerous object on Earth as it can kill you within minutes

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Dubbed the Elephant's Foot due to its bizarre shape, the highly dangerous mass of toxic material was formed in the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear disaster

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Eight months after the Chernobyl blast, investigators discovered a black, lava-like substance which had burned through the facility's basement where it had then solidified

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This hardened mass was later called the Elephant's Foot due to its shape and colour, Forbes reported

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Elephant's Foot was formed from highly dangerous corium and was so hazardous that anyone who spent just 5 minutes near the object would have died within two days 

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When it was first measured, the radioactivity near the Elephant Foot was approximately 10,000 roentgen

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30 seconds of exposure would have caused dizziness and fatigue, while two minutes of exposure would cause the cells in your body to haemorrhage

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Just 5 minutes in the Elephant Foot's presence would kill you within two days, according to science publication Nautilus

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Despite almost 40 years having passed since the nuclear disaster, the mass and the surrounding areas are still unsafe and polluted by dangerous levels of radioactivity

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Experts believe that Elephant's Foot could be the most dangerous piece of waste in the world and even today setting foot in the chamber could lead to death 

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