Long-Term Consequences
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How can we accurately measure the damage caused by the Chernobyl power plant’s meltdown? Without getting into too much detail we can simply come to the conclusion that we can’t. The true cost of the disaster may never be known, as radiation has a funny way of working in ways that can be hard to detect many generations down the line.
What we do know is that damage was indeed done, and that its long-term results are still very much in the making. The half-life of many of the radioactive particles that were released into the atmosphere can not be measured in years, or even tens of years, but in thousands and tens of thousands of years. Considering the trauma that Chernobyl has sustained along with the volatile state it has remained in, is it possible that it can ever fully recover? Will it ever again be liveable?
There have been varying reports on the casualties directly resulting from the accident. When Reactor No. 4 exploded, it spewed radiation wildly into the atmosphere. Some estimates say that within the first 10 days following the accident, the reactor released the equivalent of 400 Hiroshima-sized bombs worth of radioactivity across 150,000 square miles of Europe, and potentially beyond.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 people have died due to the accident and as many as 9,000 may die in the future due to complications related to the accident and radiation poisoning. Many researchers refute this estimate and claim that WHO has neglected to properly take into account all of the evidence, and that they are ignoring the reports of Ukrainian and Russian physicians who say that the situation is only getting worse, particularly in the cases of the children of the people who were part of the Chernobyl liquidation team.
The Russian Academy of Medical Services recently declared that as many as 212,000 have died as a result of Chernobyl. Another major report commissioned by Greenpeace factored in the evidence of several scientists and estimated 93,000 current terminal cancers and as many as 100,000 deaths over time. An accurate number is nearly impossible to arrive at considering the wide scope of the impact of such high amounts of radiation and the inadequate reporting and record keeping in many of the affected areas.
Possible Health Implications
The situation actually appears to be worsening. A senior doctor at the Dispensary for Radiological Protection at Rivine claims that in 1985 they saw about four lymph cancers a year, whereas now they see upwards of 30. They also get patients every year with rare forms of bone cancer, which never occurred in the past. Possibly the most saddening consequence of the accident is that a reported one in three pregnancies are malformed. Varying amounts of Caesium and Strontium are found in breast milk and the placenta. Children are commonly being born with stunted growth or dwarf torsos.
Aside from the human impact, the land has suffered considerably. While some Ecologists are optimistic and say that the absence of humans has allowed nature to recover more quickly, there are several reports to the contrary. Some scientists have reported finding high amounts of Caesium-137, Strontium-90 and even radioactive fallout in mammals. Another study indicated that there have been several genetic mutations of local birds. There is also concern that contamination may be seeping into underground aquifers.
The Bottom Line: The “End” of Chernobyl
No one knows exactly how long it will take for the toxicity of Chernobyl to dissipate to a level that can be regarded as “safe”, and it is not likely to happen in the lifetimes of any of the current inhabitants. Some property owners in Chernobyl have chosen to remain there, well-aware of the health risks. While some of them simply can’t afford to move away, there are also a few who stay because they don’t want to abandon their home land. Unfortunately, the ones who do wish to leave have found it impossible to sell their property, and are resolved to their fate in Chernobyl.
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