December 14, 2006

* Chernobyl voices: Anatoly Rasskazov
BBC News

Mr. Rasskazov was the first to photograph the wreckage - on 26 April 1986, the morning after the disaster.

July 1, 2006

Chernobyl - Japan's continuing aid to Ukraine

Japan currently supplies Ukrainian hospitals with equipment to treat Chernobyl victims, and will continue helping Ukraine deal with the consequences of the 1986 disaster, according to Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso. "Our country ... plans to continue all possible help for your country so as not to allow the atomic tragedy to be repeated," Aso was quoted as saying by Interfax. Japan has proposed giving a loan of an unspecified amount to build a new shelter to cover the crumbling sarcophagus, according to the Japanese Embassy. A US$1.1 billion (euro885 million) internationally funded project to replace it remains on the drawing board. Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko has repeatedly said construction of the new shelter would begin in the coming months.

[Source: Associated Press, "Japan pledges continued help for Ukraine in dealing with Chernobyl disaster", July 1, 2006 3:51 pm GMT]

* [2006-05-30] Is the Chernobyl reactor really empty?
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-26] Decision on Chernobyl waste storage could be made by yearend
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-17] Chernobyl: Ghost of the Soviet Union
Gary Kemble, ABC

* [2006-05-10] Commentary: A tour of Chernobyl, 20 years after
Trish Williams-Mello, Albuquerque Tribune

* [2006-05-10] An award-winning book tells stories of Chernobyl
Donna Marchetti, Cleveland Plain Dealer

* [2006-05-05] Ukraine can cover its energy needs completely based on renewable ...
Windtech International (Netherlands)

The Ukrainian people today, 20 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, have the ability to be completely self sufficient with their electricity production ...

* [2006-05-04] Chernobyl still casts a long shadow
Whitehaven News

* [2006-05-04] Chernobyl: Wet rugs and a run on vodka
Serge Schmemann, Khaleej Times

* [2006-05-02] PNNL scientists remember Chernobyl
John Trumbo, Hanford News

* [2006-05-01] Teacher exhibits her photos of Chernobyl
Dave Newbart, Chicago Sun-Times

* [2006-05-01] The Chernobyl Accident and Its Consequences
NEI

* [2006-05-01] Chernobyl: Still hot after all these years
Roger Snodgrass, Los Alamos Monitor

* [2006-04-30] Letter: Chornobyl reminds us of nuclear dangers
Don Ewing, Toronto Star

* [2006-04-30] Drawing lessons from Chernobyl disaster
Xinhua News

* [2006-04-29] Kiev rally demands pension raise for Chernobyl survivors
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-28] Nuked: Could Chernobyl happen here?
Kathryn Casa, Vermont Guardian

* [2006-04-28] Why are the Chernobil files still closed?
HVG

* [2006-04-27] In Cuba, Chernobyl kids get special care, and hope
Isabel Sanchez, Caribbean Net News

* [2006-04-27] A new Chernobyl on our doorstep?
Marie Foy, Belfast Telegraph

* [2006-04-27] Chernobyl effect study
Whitehaven News

* [2006-04-27] Chernobyl Still a Menace 20 Years After Meltdown
Environment News Service

* [2006-04-27] In Belarus, Chernobyl Is Rallying Point
Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times

* [2006-04-27] Gorbachev in row on 20th anniversary of Chernobyl disaster
Nick Paton Walsh, The Guardian

* [2006-04-27] 20 years on: the horrors of Chernobyl still linger
Allan Laing, Glasgow Herald

* [2006-04-27] Construction of new shelter at Chernobyl may begin soon - Yushchenko
Interfax

* [2006-04-27] Ukrainians recall Chernobyl tragedy on mournful anniversary
Mainichi Daily News

* [2006-04-27] Flowers, tears in memory of Chernobyl
MercoPress

* [2006-04-27] Measuring Chernobyl's Fallout
Carl Bialik, Wall Street Journal

* [2006-04-27] Chernobyl Focused World Attention on Improving Nuclear Safety
Tim Receveur, Washington File

* [2006-04-27] World fails on Chernobyl aid pledges: Putin
Yahoo! UK

* [2006-04-26] Hutch team hunts cancer spawned in Chernobyl
Tom Paulson, Seattle Post Intelligencer

* [2006-04-26] Chernobyl Cancer Shock in Cumbria
Phil Coleman, News & Star

* [2006-04-26] Did Chernobyl disaster cause my cancer
Andrew Forgrave, ic NorthWales

* [2006-04-26] First at Chernobyl, Burning Still
Steven Lee Myers, New York Times

* [2006-04-26] In pictures: Chernobyl remembered
BBC News

* [2006-04-26] Chernobyl Remembered "My Friends Were Dying under my Eyes"
Der Spiegel

* [2006-04-26] Chernobyl Disaster--Accident or Catastrophe?
Der Spiegel

* [2006-04-26] Lessons from the Memory of Chernobyl
Der Spiegel

* [2006-04-26] Nuclear nightmares
Greenpeace

* [2006-04-26] Normalcy coming back to Chernobyl-hit Belarus areas 20 years on
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-26] Chernobyl Disaster 20 years ago - we must listen to history
LAVoice

* [2006-04-26] Russia Remembers Chernobyl
Oksana Yablokova, Moscow Times

* [2006-04-26] Remembering Chernobyl
Adam Federman, The Nation

* [2006-04-26] Stalled: the Chernobyl rescue ark
Askold Krushelnycky, UNIAN

* [2006-04-26] Ukrainians Mark 20 Years Since Chernobyl
Natasha Lisova, Guardian

* [2006-04-26] Flowers and tears mark Chernobyl anniversary
Sergei Karazy, Reuters

* [2006-04-26] Pope recalls Chernobyl, urges peaceful energy use
Reuters

* [2006-04-26] Mourners lay flowers to mark Chernobyl anniversary
Sergei Karazy, Reuters

* [2006-04-26] Thousands join Chernobyl demo in Belarus, authorities detain activists
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-26] British charities call for new Chernobyl probe, help for children
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-26] Ukrainians recall Chornobyl tragedy on mournful 20-year anniversary
Natasha Lisova, CBC News

* [2006-04-26] The heroes, survivors of Chornobyl
Alexander B. Kuzma, Kyiv Post

* [2006-04-26] Somber vigils, protests mark 20 years since Chernobyl
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl cited in no nuclear power call
ABC

* [2006-04-25] Plea to remember Chernobyl victims
Denis Peters and Brad Watt, The Australian

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl's legacy still undecided
Mark Kinver, BBC News

* [2006-04-25] Member of the European Parliament wants IAEA off Chernobyl subject
Rashid Alimov and Igor Kudrik, Bellona

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl Widows Still Cope With Loss
Natasha Lisova, Guardian

* [2006-04-25] In Chernobyl's shadow, newcomers put down roots
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-25] President Yushchenko presided over the meeting on Chernobyl
ForUm

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl: A Living Disaster
Dana Lewis, FOX News

* [2006-04-25] Soviet government concealed Chernobyl disaster truth for long
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] IntÕl efforts required for building new Chernobyl confinement
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] Relatives allowed to visit Chernobyl self-settlers
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] CIS to exert every effort to minimise Chernobyl disaster effects
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] Russia part in Chernobyl efforts to continue
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl's Poisonous Legacy Lives On
Sergei Blagov, OhmyNews

* [2006-04-25] Official: Chernobyl pollution still affects 1.5 million Russians
People's Daily

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl exploded USSR
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-25] CIS calls for global effort to ensure safety at Chernobyl site
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-25] Ukraine remembers Chernobyl blast
BBC News

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl's continuing hazards
Stephen Mulvey, BBC News

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl: 20 years later
Derek Stoffel, CBC News

* [2006-04-25] Still under Chernobyl's shadow
Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl Revisited
Lionel Beehner, Council on Foreign Relations

* [2006-04-25] 20 Years Later, Chernobyl's Scars Remain
Anna Melnichuk, Guardian

* [2006-04-25] A Worker Recalls the Chernobyl Disaster
Anna Melnichuk, Guardian

* [2006-04-25] Letter: Lessons from Chernobyl
Sir Dillwyn Williams, London Times

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl boss: "True cause of disaster was hidden"
Christian Lowe, Reuters

* [2006-04-25] Mourners, candles mark Chernobyl anniversary
Sergei Karazy, Reuters

* [2006-04-25] Vigils mark 20th anniversary of Chernobyl disaster
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-25] President Yushchenko presided over the meeting on Chernobyl
ForUm

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl: A Living Disaster
Dana Lewis, FOX News

* [2006-04-25] Soviet government concealed Chernobyl disaster truth for long
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] IntÕl efforts required for building new Chernobyl confinement
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] Relatives allowed to visit Chernobyl self-settlers
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] CIS to exert every effort to minimise Chernobyl disaster effects
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] Russia part in Chernobyl efforts to continue
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-25] Photo Gallery: Chernobyl, 20 Years After the Disaster
National Geographic

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl 'liquidators' on hunger strike to protest paltry disability payments
Kyiv Post

* [2006-04-25] Canada announces support for Chernobyl shelter
Xinhua News

* [2006-04-25] Chernobyl Anniversary Serves as Reminder of Dangers of Nuclear Power
Michele Boyd, Public Citizen

* [2006-04-25] EU to continue to offer Chornobyl aid to Ukraine
Interfax

* [2006-04-25] "Twenty years after Chornobyl accident. Future outlook" international conference underway in Kyiv
NRCU

* [2006-04-25] Ukraine to build $1 bln Chornobyl cover
Ukrainian Journal

* [2006-04-25] EU to continue to offer Chornobyl aid to Ukraine
Interfax

* [2006-04-25] Chornobyl catastrophe served bitter but important lesson for world community
NRCU

* [2006-04-25] "Twenty years after Chornobyl accident. Future outlook" international conference underway in Kyiv
NRCU

* [2006-04-24] Ukraine Asks Help for Chernobyl Region
Mara D. Bellaby, Guardian

* [2006-04-24] Ukraine leader seeks cash for new Chernobyl shelter
Yuri Kulikov, Reuters

* [2006-04-24] Ukraine conference starts Chernobyl 20th anniversary commemorations
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-24] Thyroid cancer to double locally after Chernobyl
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-24] Chernobyl scientist warns of 'nuclear folly'
Daily Telegraph

* [2006-04-24] Chernobyl-effect lingers
Rolleiv Solholm, Norway Post

* [2006-04-24] Ukrainian president appeals for help to return life to Chernobyl-affected region
Kyiv Post

* [2006-04-24] Kiev hosts conference on 20th anniversary of Chernobyl n-disaster.
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-24] Specters of Chernobyl Disaster Linger in Ukraine
Efrem Lukatsky, Moscow Times

* [2006-04-24] Chernobyl-area food major source of radiation - chief doctor
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-24] Living under Chernobyl sky
Xinhua News

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl still poisons bodies and minds
Alex Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune

* [2006-04-23] Crumbling Chernobyl Shelter Poses Danger
Mara D. Bellaby, Chicago Tribune

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl controversy: 9.000 or 100.000 cancer deaths?
MercoPress

* [2006-04-23] The long shadow of Chernobyl
Michele Mandel, Toronto Sun

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl legacy hangs over Swiss energy policy
Swissinfo

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl remains a Soviet-era nightmare
Efrem Lukatsky, Knoxville News Sentinel

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl's unsettling legacy
Bridget Kendall, BBC News

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl's generations of suffering
The Observer

* [2006-04-23] Remembering Chernobyl
ic Wales

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl anniversary--French TV broadcasts documentary by Moroccan producer
Kaoutar Tbatou, Morocco Times

* [2006-04-23] Chernobyl: jewel of the Soviet nuclear industry turned into dead zone
Yahoo! UK

* [2006-04-22] Chernobyl 'still causing cancer in British children'
Geoffrey Lean, The Independent

* [2006-04-22] British scientists fear 66,000 extra deaths due to Chernobyl
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-22] Chernobyl's death toll
Financial Times

* [2006-04-22] Chernobyl: Ukraine's Soviet-Era Nightmare
Efrem Lukatsky, Guardian

* [2006-04-22] Gorbachev weighs Chernobyl legacy
BBC News

* [2006-04-22] Chernobyl twenty years on
Andrew Osborn and Geoffrey Lean, The Independent

* [2006-04-22] Stalled: the Chernobyl rescue Ark
Askold Krushelnycky, Sunday Times

* [2006-04-21] Advisory-Nuclear's rise 20 yrs after Chernobyl: Features series
Reuters

* [2006-04-21] Chernobyl Copes with Fallout, 20 Years Later
Gregory Feifer, NPR

* [2006-04-21] 'Voices of Chernobyl': Survivors' Stories
Melissa Block, NPR

* [2006-04-21] European Commission actions since the Chernobyl Disaster
ForUm

* [2006-04-21] When home is a blighted land: tales from Chernobyl
Olena Horodetska, Reuters

* [2006-04-21] Chernobyl voices: Igor Komissarenko
BBC News

* [2006-04-21] Chernobyl hero remembers the men who saved Europe
Jeremy Page, London Times

* [2006-04-21] Chernobyl "Liquidators" Still Fight Oblivion
Deutsche Welle

* [2006-04-21] Commission actions since the Chernobyl Disaster
EUROPA

* [2006-04-21] The nuclear cloud that still hangs over Chernobyl
Benjamin Seeder, Sydney Morning Herald

* [2006-04-21] Russian ombudsman says Chernobyl victims still face problems
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-21] Radiation Leaking Through Crumbling Chernobyl Shelter
MosNews

* [2006-04-20] Declared dead after Chernobyl, nuclear lives again
Jeremy Lovell, Reuters

* [2006-04-20] Feature - Declared Dead After Chernobyl, Nuclear Lives Again
Planet Ark

* [2006-04-19] Chornobyl: Consequences and Responses; The Legacy of Chornobyl: Health and Safety 20 Years Later
U.S. Newswire

* [2006-04-19] Ukravtodor delegation to visit Chernobyl zone
ForUm

* [2006-04-19] 'Too little known on Chernobyl'
BBC News

* [2006-04-19] Greenpeace disputes official estimates of Chernobyl health impact
Platts

* [2006-04-19] Chernobyl, looking back
Elizabeth Celms, Baltic Times

* [2006-04-19] Number of Chernobyl-Related Deaths Debated
Mara D. Bellaby, Guardian

* [2006-04-19] WHO must study Chernobyl's effect on Europe-report
Reuters

* [2006-04-19] Chernobyl deaths 'underestimated'
Jeremy Lovell, News Limited

* [2006-04-19] Chernobyl opened our eyes to the truth
Mikhail Gorbachev, News Limited

* [2006-04-19] Advisory-Nuclear's rise 20 yrs after Chernobyl: Features series
Reuters

* [2006-04-19] Chernobyl After-Effects Emotional not Medical Ñ Russian Scientists
MosNews

* [2006-04-19] New Chernobyl casing to be built by 2010 - Yushchenko
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl death toll underestimated: Greenpeace
Jeremy Lovell, Reuters

* [2006-04-18] Group predicts 100,000 Chernobyl deaths
UPI

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl death toll grossly underestimated
Greenpeace

* [2006-04-18] Greenpeace rejects Chernobyl toll
BBC News

* [2006-04-18] Leaders 'not ready' for Chernobyl
BBC News

* [2006-04-18] The Chernobyl nightmare revisited
Stephen Mulvey, BBC News

* [2006-04-18] Greenpeace rejects Chernobyl toll
BBC News

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl Toll May One Day Surpass 90K
Mara D. Bellaby, Guardian

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl Victims Still Face Uncertainty
Mara D. Bellaby, Guardian

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl death toll underestimated, says Greenpeace
Jeremy Lovell, Reuters

* [2006-04-18] Russian scientists downplay fallout from Chernobyl disaster
Yahoo! UK

* [2006-04-18] Shockwaves of Chernobyl still felt
Steve Dube, ic Wales

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl compensation in need of review as Welsh farmers suffer
FarmersWeekly

* [2006-04-18] The Chernobyl nightmare revisited
Stephen Mulvey, BBC News

* [2006-04-18] Swiss assess effects of Chernobyl disaster
Swissinfo

* [2006-04-18] Chernobyl aftermath 20 years ago
ForUm

* [2006-04-18] Gorbachev wants cleaner environment, help for Chernobyl victims
Yahoo! UK

* [2006-04-17] Few Reassured Over Chernobyl Finding
Mara D. Bellaby, Washington Post

* [2006-04-17] Show will reveal Chernobyl errors
ic Wales

* [2006-04-17] Vladimir Putin awards 18 participants in Chernobyl clean-up
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-17] Chernobyl's Aftermath--The Pompeii of the Nuclear Age
Walter Mayr, Der Spiegel

* [2006-04-17] Chernobyl's effects linger 20 years on
Adele Brard, ABC

* [2006-04-17] Lessons of Chernobyl - heeded and unheeded
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-17] Russian experts build Chernobyl disaster simulator
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-16] Chernobyl 20th Anniversary in Tokyo
CNIC

* [2006-04-16] Twenty years on, effects from Chernobyl disaster linger
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-04-16] Specter of Chernobyl lingers, 20 years on
Japan Times

* [2006-04-16] Myths and misconceptions on Chernobyl
Kalman Mizsei and Louisa Vinton, Japan Times

* [2006-04-16] View: Turning point at Chernobyl
Mikhail S Gorbachev, Pakistan Daily Times

* [2006-04-16] View of Chernobyl nuclear power plant
People's Daily

* [2006-04-15] Few Reassured Over Chernobyl's Impact
Mara D. Bellaby, Washington Post

* [2006-04-14] A Tour of Chernobyl Is Troubling Visit
Mara D. Bellaby, Guardian

* [2006-04-13] Inside Chernobyl
Richard Carlton, ninemsn

* [2006-04-13] Twenty Years After Chernobyl
Steven Milloy, FOX News

* [2006-04-12] UK sheep above radioactive safety limits due to Chernobyl
Ahmed ElAmin, FoodNavigator

* [2006-04-12] Belarus wants international cooperation on Chernobyl aftermath
Interfax

* [2006-04-12] Belarus MPs seek to attract more attention to Chernobyl problem
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-12] Over 1.3mln live in Chernobyl zone in Belarus - parliament
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-11] New Chernobyl Study Challenges IAEA Report on Chernobyl Consequences: Finds Death Toll Likely to be 30-60,000
Common Dreams

* [2006-04-11] The Other Report on Chernobyl (TORCH)
Ian Fairlie PhD and David Sumner DPhil, The Greens (pdf-2.15M)

* [2006-04-11] Science for Democratic Action: Plutonium Discrepancies / LANL Cleanup / Chernobyl
IEER (pdf-1M)

* [2006-04-11] Crucial to work with locals after Chernobyl: study
Reuters

* [2006-04-10] Chernobyl Radiation Less Than Expected
Radio Sweden

* [2006-04-10] Chernobyl, 20 Years Later
Michael R. Fox Ph.D., Hawaii Reporter

* [2006-04-10] Ahead of Chernobyl's 20th Anniversary
Moscow Times

* [2006-04-08] Chernobyl blast 'contaminated 68pc of this country'
Conor Sweeney, Unison

* [2006-04-07] 20 years later, memories of Chernobyl run deep
Leslie Ferenc, Toronto Star

* [2006-04-06] How many more lives will Chernobyl claim?
Rob Edwards, New Scientist

* [2006-04-05] "Almost 70,000 Russian deaths" from Chernobyl disaster (DPA)
Khaleej Times

* [2006-04-05] Life returns to Chernobyl
Steve Connor, Belfast Telegraph

* [2006-04-05] Government pledges $4 million for events, aid to mark Chernobyl's 20th anniversary
Kyiv Post

* [2006-04-04] 20 years after meltdown, life returns to Chernobyl
Andrew Osborn, The Independent

* [2006-04-04] Kenilworth's link with Chernobyl
Kenilworth Weekly News

* [2006-04-04] Chernobyl accident was inevitable - senator
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-29] Chernobyl diary
BBC News

* [2006-03-27] He worked 20yrs in Chernobyl fallout... now he's got cancer
Steve Bagnall, ic NorthWales

* [2006-03-25] Chernobyl 20 years on
The Observer

* [2006-03-24] UN accused of ignoring 500,000 Chernobyl deaths
John Vidal, environment editor, The Guardian

* [2006-03-24] Concern at Chernobyl effects on our children
Linda McKee, Belfast Telegraph

March 23, 2006

* Chernobyl 'may have killed 1,000 UK babies', says epidemiologist after comparing data from areas traversed by "black rain" clouds

* [2006-03-23] Chernobyl 'may have killed 1,000 UK babies'
John Bingham, Press Association (UK)

Epidemiologist and statistician John Urquhart's analysis of UK health statistics in areas where "black rain" clouds passed over in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 suggest a "shock" trend which has gone unnoticed for 20 years. He concludes that Chernobyl may have caused more than 1,000 infant deaths in Britain. Mr. Urquhart said that while public perception was that fall-out had affected only small parts of the UK, official maps showed a cloud sweeping up through Kent and London into Hertfordshire and the East Midlands before curving round Bradford and into the North West and passing over the Isle of Man towards Northern Ireland. A separate area of fall-out affected a stretch from the Isle of Wight to Bristol, taking the total area potentially affected to around half of the land mass of England and Wales, he said. Mr. Urquhart plans to tell a conference at London's City Hall today (Nuclear Free Local Authorities conference, timed to coincide with 20-year anniversary of Chernobyl) that maps of where the fall-out passed and plans highlighting apparent irregularities in death figures showed a "remarkable fit". Looking at health figures for around 200 hospital districts, Mr Urquhart said there was an 11% rise in infant deaths between 1986 and 1989 as opposed to a figure of just 4% in non-affected areas. He said the apparent rise - taking in both neonatal fatalities (deaths within the first 28 days of life) and cot deaths - translated to more than 1,000 deaths when social factors are borne in mind. In Bradford, neonatal deaths appeared to have almost doubled from 33 to 64 in the year of the disaster, with similar trends detected elsewhere, he said

"Traditionally, children under one have always been most sensitive to environmental influences," Mr. Urquhart said. He also said the apparent trend had not been noticed before because of over-reliance on scientific models rather than observation. Models in use in 1986 had persuaded decision-makers that the impact of fall-out from Chernobyl on the British Isles would be too small to detect. "No one has really looked at this problem for 20 years," he said.

* [2006-03-23] Chernobyl disaster linked to higher rate of infant mortality in Britain
Ian Herbert and Deborah Linton, The Independent

* [2006-03-17] Chernobyl: the legacy
John Woodcock, The Independent

* [2006-03-15] Scots farms still feel Chernobyl effects
Vicky Collins, Glasgow Herald

* [2006-03-13] Chernobyl: A poisonous legacy
Andy McSmith, The Independent

April 2005

Health effects update

Here's how the USNRC assesses the health effects of Chernobyl to date:

The Chernobyl accident caused many severe radiation effects almost immediately. Among the 600 workers present on the site at the time of the accident, 134 received high radiation doses and suffered from acute radiation sickness. Of these, thirty-one died in the first four months after the accident.

Another 200,000 recovery operations workers received doses of between 0.01 Gy and 0.50 Gy. This group is at potential risk of late consequences such as cancer and their health is being monitored.

The Chernobyl accident also resulted in widespread contamination in areas of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine inhabited by several million people. There has been an increase in thyroid cancer among individuals who as children were exposed to radioactive iodine as at the time of the accident. The affected children most likely were exposed by drinking milk contaminated with radioactive iodine. However, no increases in overall cancer have been observed in adults living in contaminated areas that could be attributed to ionizing radiation. The risk of leukemia was not elevated, even among the recovery operation workers. However, there has been a dramatic increase in thyroid cancers (about 1,800 cases), particularly among children living in the severely contaminated areas of the three affected countries. Additional cases of thyroid cancer are expected to occur.

[Source: United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs, "Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident", Backgrounder, April 2005, ACN ML051160016]

September 17, 2004

Chernobyl "New Safe Confinement" structure plan

The Ukrainian cabinet has approved the conceptual design for a sliding steel "arch" to be placed over the existing "shelter" covering the destroyed fourth reactor at Chernobyl. The new structure -- called the New Safe Confinement (NSC) -- will be financed through the Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF), which is administered by the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Construction is scheduled to start in 2006 and will take about two years to complete. The NSC, big enough to house the Statue of Liberty, will be assembled in a safe area near the reactor and then slid over the old structure on rails. It is designed to confine the destroyed reactor safely for at least 100 years and will be fitted with equipment to disassemble the old shelter -- the sarcophagus -- and to deal with any emergency. The facility will also enable the removal, processing, and safe storage of hazardous material. The project will also include the provision of an integrated monitoring system (capable of surveying the radiation situation, the structure's stability, and any seismic event), site infrastructure, waste management facilities, and health, safety, and radiation protection.

Meanwhile, because the existing condition of the sarcophagus presents a major risk to workers and the environment, a contract to stabilize the old shelter was awarded to a Russian-Ukrainian consortium led by Russia's Atomstroyexport. The biggest risk now would be for the shelter to collapse, releasing radioactive dust into the atmosphere. High humidity inside the shelter has saturated and weakened the steel and concrete structures, making it vulnerable to earthquakes and severe weather conditions. In addition, water movement creates the danger that local aquifers could become contaminated. The cost of stabilization is estimated at $49 million. The cost of the two projects is expected to total just under $1-billion, and includes the dismantling of the stabilized sarcophogus after NSC is in place.

[Source: Nuclear News, "New Chernobyl shelter gets go-ahead", September 2004, p. 31]

August 21, 2004

* Ukraine - With Khmelnytskyy-2 and Rivne-4 starting up, 12 of Ukrain's 14 n-units now operational

* Chernobyl day trip highlights from Kiev

October 2003

Radiation protection - stakeholder involvement case study

The ETHOS project for post-accident rehabilitation in the area of Belarus contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster was selected by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) to be developed as a case study on stakeholder involvement processes and experiences regarding radiological protection. The case study was used as an input to the Third Villigen Workshop (held in Villigen, Switzerland, on October 21-23, 2003). NEA has made a report on the workshop freely available at www.nea.fr

[Source: Nuclear News, "RECENTLY PUBLISHED: Stakeholder Participation in Radiological Decision Making: Processes and Implications", September 2004, p. 9]

May 19, 2003

* Belarus - post-Chernobyl erosion of nation's health: infertility, birth deformities, genetic concerns