Vodka distilled in Chernobyl exclusion zone to be sold

What's being called an "artisan vodka" may have you wondering if it is safe to drink -- or even be around.

The bottle that sports the label Atomik may live up to its name, since it was distilled from grain and water harvested in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, the BBC reported.

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The group that came up with the spirit started growing crops in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was left abandoned after the plant melted down in the 1980s.

But the booze had a scientific start thanks to professor Jim Smith with the University of Portsmouth, UK, and his team, who have been studying how the exclusion zone has recovered since the 1986 disaster.

The zone is a 19-mile radius from the reactor, CNN reported.

They're hoping the sale of the vodka will help Ukraine, which is still impacted economically by the Chernobyl accident.

If you're worried if the booze will leave you with a nuclear glow, don't worry. Smith says it isn't any more radioactive than any other vodka, the BBC reported.

"Any chemist will tell you, when you distill something, impurities stay in the waste product," Smith told the BBC.

To put aside any fears, the team had it tested for any radioactivity and none could be found.

Smith also said while there are hot spots in the zone, most of the area has lower contamination than areas with high natural background radiation, the BBC reported.

While there is only one bottle right now, Smith hopes his team will distill about 500 a year and sell it to tourists who visit the exclusion zone.

The Chernobyl Spirit Company will give 75% of profits back to Ukrainian communities, ITV reported.

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