The Chernobyl accident's long-range health effects are very much underestimated, Greenpeace says in the report of April 18 available on its official website.
The report challenges the UN prediction of radiation exposure-related deaths at the rate of 4-9 thousand.
Greenpeace refers to findings of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine's researchers, who assert that over 93 thousand people in the three countries, including 22 thousand in Belarus, may die of diseases caused by radiation in 1986-2056. About 14,000 of Belarus' 31,000 thyroid gland cancer carriers may die; the leukemia mortality ratio can make about 2 of 3 thousand.
The environmentalists remind that radiation hits the immune, respiratory and blood circulatory systems and encourages embryonic defects and birth traumas.
The report emphasizes that the data is internationally publicized in English for the first time. It should be admitted that the assessment of the overall impact of the Chernobyl accident on human health is difficult of accomplishment but counts for much. Thus the available diagnosis, analysis and treatment techniques may be unacceptable, while the accident effects, the death rate in particular, cannot be reckoned in full.
Greenpeace experts recommend the world community to take its data into consideration and go behind the UN report as soon as possible. Besides, it notes that the unrivalled opportunity of full-scale assessment of the tragedy's long-range effects was lost due to the failure to coordinate steps of international stakeholders aimed at death causes monitoring in highly contaminated regions of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The report states the necessity to redouble efforts and surveys in this sector. The 20th anniversary should give an impulse to redoubling of international efforts on detection and monitoring of the long-range effects of the accident, the report says.
22.04.2006
Source of news: Chernobyl.Info
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