Disturbing reality of ‘most dangerous object on Earth’ that can kill you in just minutes

Did you know there's an object which is considered so dangerous that it could kill a person who's been in the same room as it for just five minutes.

When you hear the phrase 'most dangerous object on Earth', you'll most likely think of places such as the 'Snake Island' off the coast of Brazil, India's remote North Sentinel Island or even the Bermuda Triangle.

But what about a radioactive lump of molten metals and concrete?

Located in the ruins of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, is the Elephant's Foot, the result of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

In April 1986, power plant workers were conducting a steam test at reactor No. 4. However, the test went catastrophically wrong, resulting in an explosion which destroyed the entire plant and rendered the whole town unlivable.

The surrounding town of Pripyat remains abandoned (Getty Stock Image)

Why is Chernobyl so dangerous?

The officially recognised death count from the meltdown stands at 31 people, but anyone who watched 2019 TV series Chernobyl or has any knowledge of nuclear radiation will know the impact of a nuclear disaster lasts for much longer than the initial incident.

Following the explosion in 1986, the civilians of Pripyat were bused away and the city was locked down, remaining a relic of the Soviet Union to this day.

Several residents from the area would go on to develop radiation-induced illnesses such as various cancers, while Ukrainian children born with birth defects were linked to the disaster.

Radiation could be detected as far away as Sweden, with food sources contaminated across the continent and several countries saw an increase in abortions due to fears about radiation poisoning.

Meanwhile, Pripyat remains uninhabitable to this day due to high radiation levels, although brave tourists are now allowed to visit certain areas.

Good job radiation can't travel through images (US Department of Energy)

What is the Elephant's Foot at Chernobyl?

However, not all of Chernobyl or neighbouring Pripyat is considered safe to visit, with highly contaminated areas still sealed off to tourists.

One such place is the location of the infamous Elephant's Foot which, spoiler alert, isn't actually a foot.

Discovered in December 1986, the foot is a molten mass containing metal, concrete and nuclear fuel - including 10 percent uranium - from the plant's reactor, referred to as corium.

As the reactor exploded, searing hot chemicals inside the core poured out, melting everything in its path.

The deadly mixture eventually solidified in the basement, settling into a wrinkled lump which resembles a mammal's foot.

Despite the dangers, several scientists have ventured down to collect photos and samples (12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

How dangerous is the Elephant's Foot?

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that the Elephant's Foot is extremely dangerous to approach.

When it was first measured, the searing hot mass emitted nearly 10,000 roentgens per hour.

To put that into context, you'd need to undergo four and a half million chest X-rays every hour to reach levels even close to that.

According to science magazine Nautilus, just 30 seconds standing in the room with the Elephant's Foot would damage your cells.

Stick it out to four minutes and you can expect to be projectile vomiting. Make it to five minutes and a painful death from acute radiation poisoning awaits you in the next couple of days.

Thankfully, the molten mass has been sealed away by the New Safe Confinement (NSC), meaning the radiation stays in and any daredevil tourists out.