The book, "Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment," was compiled by authors Alexey Yablokov of the Center for Russian Environmental Policy in Moscow, and Vassily Nesterenko and Alexey Nesterenko of the Institute of Radiation Safety, in Minsk, Belarus.
The authors examined more than 5,000 published articles and studies, most written in Slavic languages and never before available in English. The authors said, "For the past 23 years, it has been clear that there is a danger greater than nuclear weapons concealed within nuclear power. Emissions from this one reactor exceeded a hundred-fold the radioactive contamination of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
"No citizen of any country can be assured that he or she can be protected from radioactive contamination. One nuclear reactor can pollute half the globe," they said. "Chernobyl fallout covers the entire Northern Hemisphere."
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor was destroyed by an explosion and fire April 26, 1986. Their findings are in contrast to estimates by the World Health Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency that initially said only 31 people had died among the "liquidators," those approximately 830,000 people who were in charge of extinguishing the fire at the Chernobyl reactor and deactivation and cleanup of the site.
Read the full report here.
Suggested readings on nuclear energy on the Sanctuary Asia site:
The Nuclear Fig Leaf Is Falling by Tarry Tamminen.
Nuclear Reactors, Dams At Risk Due To Global Warming Says National Geographic.
San Fransisco Excuse Me, But That Nuclear Plant Has Its Hand On Your Wallet by Gerald Sindell.
