Chernobyl's Aftermath

A major study by international scientists has concluded that radioactivity released in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant accident will cause far fewer deaths than originally thought. About 4,000 people will eventually die because of exposure to radiation from the plant, the study finds, down from early estimates of 24,000 or more.

Scientists from eight United Nations agencies, including the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), prepared the study. Representatives from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine also participated.

To date, 56 people have died from radiation released by the accident; mostly rescue workers, but also nine children who died from thyroid cancer. The UN reports that 4,000 people developed thyroid cancer following the accident, but prompt treatment ensured that almost all survived.

“By and large, we have not found negative health impacts to the rest of the population in surrounding areas nor have we found widespread contamination that would continue to pose a substantial threat to human health, with a few exceptional, restricted areas,” said Burton Bennett, chairman of the Chernobyl Forum, which prepared the study.

A growing problem, however, is psychological and social impacts on the survivors. Many of the survivors who were exposed see themselves as helpless victims, lacking control over their lives, said IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei in a speech to the forum. “As a result, poverty, mental health problems, and lifestyle diseases have come to pose a far greater threat to affected communities than radiation exposure,” he said.

Among several recommendations, the report states that governments must streamline and refocus their Chernobyl programs, improve health care, support safe food production techniques, and encourage investment in the less contaminated areas. It also calls for a better plan to handle radioactive waste from the Chernobyl site and for continued cancer monitoring.