The facts about the Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe are difficult to ascertain. Here we give you some of the ranges of data we encounter which illustrate the difficulty one faces in researching this matter. We do not pretend to be able to completely cover all of the issues and background information involved in such a complex matter as the explosion and burning of a nuclear power station. Rather, this information is provided to illustrate some of the dilemmas faced by healthcare workers in Ukraine and why Chornobyl remains a problem for Ukraine and indeed much of that part of the world.
Early in the morning of April 26, 1986 one of four reactors at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded and caught fire. The resulting fires burned well into May. Because of the high radioactivity, firefighting and containment efforts it is not known exactly how much of the reactor core remains onsite. That which burned or was part of the initial explosion has been dispersed across vast areas of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and beyond. Changing weather and fire patterns resulted in widely varied radiation dispersals. Not all radioactive fallout is created equally, either – some has a relatively short half-life and other isotopes have extremely long half lives. Radiation occurs in several forms with varying toxicity, too and can move from the environment to human beings by different methods.
Human mortality statistics vary widely. It is generally accepted that 30 plant workers and firefighters died as a result of the explosion or from acute radiation exposure in the days shortly after April 26. Mortality since then is less clear and subject to wide ranges from zero to the hundreds of thousands dead with even larger numbers with compromised health. Official Soviet information from the catastrophe remains inaccessible. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) information indicates mortality and aftereffects are in the lower ranges one finds in researching Chornobyl. Other organizations describe Chornobyl and its health consequences as the single worst industrial catastrophe in history. Their scale must be compared to the Bhopal, India poisoning. Some 240,000 to 600,000 people were involved as “liquidators” in containing and cleaning up Chornobyl and its surroundings in 1986 and 1987. Tens of millions were exposed to varying levels and types of radiation due to the fires and weather patterns in April and May of 1986.
About 336,000 people were evacuated from around the plant. A thirty kilometer radius Exclusion Zone has been established. Though not officially encouraged, some people have returned to this area for a variety of reasons. Not only had most people from the Exclusion Zone been long-time residents, but many faced discrimination and cold receptions in areas to which they were relocated.
More recently the exclusion zone and even the abandoned city of Pripyat have become tourist destinations. It may be the only tour in the world where radiation levels can be found on permanently installed detectors much like the time or temperature.