Chernobyl Disaster of 1986

Chernobyl Disaster

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster is one of the worst ever catastrophe to strike the world. On April 26, 1986 the unit 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was totally destroyed by the explosion that was triggered by the sudden surge in the power output. Radioactive material got scattered all over the place leading to severe radiation hazard which was not restricted to Ukraine and the places in the immediate vicinity but affected most of the nations in the European continent. The severity of the problem can be ascertained by the grave environmental implications and the serious damage it caused to the ecosystem. Let us study the disaster with respect to the impact on the environment and its effect on the health of people.

The Accident (A brief outlook)

The Chernobyl accident occurred when the operators pushed the parameters beyond the safety limit as an experiment. For days after the accident the fire continued nonstop even though heaps of boron carbide lead (to absorb radiation) and sand were dropped over the explosion site. During this period around 70% of the radioactive material lay exposed without any protective shield and radiation continued unabated. The strength of the radioactivity that resulted due to the explosion is said to be more than 200 times that of the atom bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki giving us a fair idea of the seriousness of the accident and the potential danger to animal and plant life. [Roberta Crowell Barabalace]

Health Consequences

The health consequences of the accident are difficult to ascertain. The half-life period of some of the radioactive material is greater indicating sustained radiation often continuing over decades. To be more exact twenty different types of nucleotides were scattered after the explosion, each with varying half-life periods that ranged from 8 days to 24,400 years. This is precisely the reason why the health consequences are difficult to ascertain. Leaving asides the huge toll that resulted from direct exposure scientists are more worried that the genetic mutations that radiation triggers would be a grave problem. Mutations are not obvious immediately and it would take decades so the consequences of radiation exposure are far reaching. [Roberta Crowell Barabalace]

The death toll of the mishap is difficult to estimate but according to the Greenpeace organization reports in Ukraine there were 32,000 casualties. However what is more worrisome is the effect of the sustained radiation and the impact on health. In Belearus, which was one of the worst affected places, there were more than 600,000 children exposed to direct radiation and more than 1,30,000 people evacuated and resettled. Of the 444 emergency workers who cleaned the accident site 44 people were dead and around 300 were admitted to the hospital for symptoms of acute radiation syndrome.

Basically the health impact of Chernobyl accident has been studied under two different categories namely 'Acute health effects' and 'Stochastic effects'. The acute health effects are those that were suffered by the first line disaster management team, those who had short-range and intense exposure. The level of radiation exposure is measured by looking at the lymphocyte count in the blood. Radiation exposure severely reduces lymphocytophenia. (Circulation of Lymphocytes). As a direct result of the severe radiation the emergency workers developed erythema, vomiting and diarrhea and other symptoms of acute radiation sickness. Some of them developed reduced bone marrow function necessitating transplants. Almost all of those who were exposed to high radiation levels (6-16 GY) were dead while those who had mild exposure (less than 2 GY) survived. [Nuclear Energy Agency]

Long-Term Effects

When we study the effect of radiation on the environment we are actually concerned about the long-term effects. The long-term consequences of radiation were studied mainly within former Soviet Union. There were reported incidences of a 5.7% increase in birth defects. [Nuclear Information center] The research conducted by IPHECA has indicated that the radiation exposure had a direct relation to the increasing number of thyroid cancers. However no significant changes in the number of Leukemia cases have been recorded in the affected areas even after a 10 year period suggesting the absence of a direct relation to radiation. Thus the occurrence of diseases as a direct consequence of radiation is much less significant compared to the genetic mutation and the long-term consequences that it may create. The recessive nature of the genetic disorder implies that the mutations will take more time to manifest. There is a strong possibility that the genetic anomalies will find expression in future generations of children who are born to parents affected by mutation. [Souchkevitch, G. N]

The IAEA organized a study of the population in areas, which had caesium contamination of above 555 KBq / m2. The study that was conducted after a decade of the incident was organized into different control groups of 2000 to 50000 people based on their age. In all 1356 people were analyzed and the findings indicated that the absence of any significant radiation related diseases but projected an increase in non-radiation related disorders both within the contaminated as well as the control regions. The soviet atomic energy minister Mr. Rumyantsev said, 'radio-phobia' cause more harm than actual radioactive contamination," [Elizabeth Manning]. So the psychological implications of the disaster cannot be lightly ignored. More recent studies have confirmed our fears that even low dose of radiation can induce genetic mutations. A joint research conducted by Ukraine and Israeli scientists has revealed an "an unexpectedly high increase" in mutation levels in children born to affected parents. "These results indicate that low doses of radiation can induce multiple changes in human germline DNA." [BBC]

Habitat destruction

The effect of radiation was such that large cultivable lands were rendered unusable for decades together. To quote Mr. Valery Boldin, senor staff in the Gorbachev government, "radioactivity had contaminated enormous areas, some of which would be unsuitable for human habitation for many decades." The entire ecosystem in the nearby 'red forest' was destroyed. Almost all the trees in the forest were dead due to the radiation. [Jason Manning]

Radiation and Thyroid Cancer