To provide some answers, GreenFacts
has released a Three-Level Summary of Chernobyl’s Legacy, a report published
in March 2006 by the Chernobyl Forum. This forum included hundreds of experts
from, e.g., the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), the World
Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP). The GreenFacts summary is freely available.
"I was pleased to assist you in this work”, said Dr. Burton Bennett, chairman of the Chernobyl Forum and reviewer of the GreenFacts summary of Chernobyl’s Legacy. “I wish to compliment you in your good efforts to clarify issues about the environment." Highlights of the report
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By 2005, according to the report, about 50
people – most of them emergency workers – are known to have died of either
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) or cancer as a direct consequence of the
accident. A considerable increase in thyroid cancer has been observed especially
among local children, though the survival rate has been high. In the long
term, is the report estimates that the accident might lead to about 4.000
cancer deaths among the 600.000 most exposed people. However, estimations
are difficult because those who have been exposed to radiation often die
from the same causes as unexposed people.
The report indicates that many people were traumatised by the accident and the rapid relocation that followed; they remain anxious about their health, perceiving themselves as helpless victims rather than survivors. Current government aid programs that pay benefits to millions of people are a great burden on national budgets and the Chernobyl Forum recommends that financial support be refocused on those who need it most. Others may need help to normalise their lives, or better access to social services, employment, and credible information about the effects of the accident. Stimulating a growing confidence among the region’s population would be an essential step towards redeveloping the local economy and fighting increasing poverty in the area. |