Farther away from the nuclear power plant, in the cities of Chernobyl, Pripyat and other neighboring cities and towns, lighter nuclear particles came to a landing after drifting from the plant. Lighter particles fell even farther, and the lightest radioa ctive particles stayed airborne for days forming an aerosole. ^[25]

The decontamination process took place from May until the beginning of winter, 1986. Any movable objects near the plant were buried; cars, trucks, and even topsoil. Some 60,000 buildings had to be washed with special chemicals, and even some roofs had to be replaced. A special solution was sprayed throughout the danger zone on streets and walkways to prevent radioactive dust from blowing and further contaminating the area. Nearby trees that had absorbed the radiation were all cut down and buried in co ncrete pits. ^[26]