Chernobyl: An Unbelievable Failure to Help

Abstract

The disaster at the Chernobyl power reactor near Kiev, which began on April 26, 1986, was one of the world's worst industrial accidents. Yet the global community, usually most generous in its aid to a stricken community, has been slow to understand the scope of the disaster and reach out to the most devastated people of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. This article probes the causes of this confusion of perception and failure of response; clearly the problem is one of communication. Has the International Atomic Energy Agency betrayed the victims of the Chernobyl disaster because of its plans to promote the "peaceful atom" nuclear program in the developing world? Has the World Health Organization failed to provide clear, reliable information on the health effects resulting from the disaster? Are other historical problems or actors interfering with reasonable handling of the late effects of a nuclear disaster? Most importantly, what can be done to remedy this situation, to assist those most hurt by the late effects of Chernobyl and prevent such injustice in future? With the current promotion of nuclear energy as a "solution" to global climate change, we need to take a sober second look at the nuclear energy experiment and management of its hazards.

Importance of risk communication during and after a nuclear accident

“…Decades after the Chernobyl accident, nontechnical issues in the mitigation of consequences were highlighted as one of the greatest challenges. Psychological, sociological, political, and other impacts on the public perception were long‐lasting due to poor risk communication (Sjöberg and Drottz 1987; Poumadere 1995; Dubreuil et al 1999; Schmid 2001; Jackson et al 2002; Havenaar et al 2003; Abbott et al 2006; Cantone et al 2007; Bertell 2008; Oughton 2008).…”

Health Consequences of Chernobyl: The New York Academy of Sciences Publishes an Antidote to the Nuclear Establishment's Pseudo-Science

“…It is essential for the public to grasp that the nuclear "lobby" includes the world's highest authorities and is of incomparably greater power than industrial and commercial lobbies. The term nuclear "establishment" rather than nuclear "lobby" is used in this article because, unlike industrial lobbies, the interests of the nuclear establishment extend well beyond commerce and profit into the geopolitical, military, and strategic spheres and include national governments and national and international authorities (10,31,32). The nuclear establishment, therefore, carries tremendous authority in the public mind, and the WHO, in particular, enjoys considerable prestige.…”

Debate on the Chernobyl Disaster: On the Causes of Chernobyl Overestimation

“…Another example: "Children exposed to Chernobyl fallout were experiencing chronic adult diseases of the respiratory and blood systems, gastritis, nervous system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases of internal organs. In general, in 1991, the level of serious illness in children was about six to seven times above normal, while serious illness in the clean-up workers was three to four times above normal" (9). This statement only confirms the well-known facts that health care after the Chernobyl accident has improved, especially for the exposed populations, while at the same time, overdiagnosis and possibly also manipulations of statistics have taken place (10).…”

“…The NYAS report (2) and some other publications (9,11) show that Chernobyl consequences were overestimated both in the former Soviet Union and beyond. The motives for overestimation in the former Soviet Union are discussed elsewhere (10).…”

“…A special issue is thyroid doses caused by radioactive iodine (mainly iodine-131) received during a short period immediately after the accident (the half-life of iodine-131 is about 8 days). The following figures are given in one article, without references: "Even in 1991 there was widespread concern in Ukraine about 150,000 people, including 60,000 children, exposed to high levels of radiation to the thyroid gland (2,000 millisieverts for children, 5,000 mSv for adults)" (9). These high figures appear inexplicable, the more so because the thyroid doses in children were on average higher than in adults (8).…”