Lessons from Chernobyl

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7314.643

BMJ 2001;323:643-644 ( 22 September )

Editorials

Lessons from Chernobyl

The world needs to improve its handling of international disasters

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We have just passed the 15th anniversary of Chernobyl, the world's worst nuclear disaster. The explosion of the reactor atthis nuclear power station in Belarus in 1986 released huge amountsof radioactive isotopes, about 10¹⁹ becquerels, and heavy fallout affected large areas of Belarusand northern Ukraine and a small part of Russia, with lesser amountsdetected throughout the northern hemisphere. The response of internationalorganisations to the need to study the long term health consequencesof the explosion was at first uncoordinated and is stillinadequate.

In 1990 the World Health Organization was given $20m (£14m) by Japan to investigate the health effects,¹ but expenditurewas effectively controlled by one official, much of the moneywas spent inappropriately, and little of value resulted. Alsoin 1990 the International Atomic Energy Agency carried out a separateinvestigation. Though informed of cases of childhood thyroid cancer,it was generally reassuring about possible health . . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

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Think Ukraine: Sergey Ksenzenko
bmj.com, 22 Sep 2001 [Full text]
Do your homework: Roxanna Senyshyn
bmj.com, 22 Sep 2001 [Full text]
Chornobyl in Ukraine, not Belarus: Natalie Pawlenko
bmj.com, 25 Sep 2001 [Full text]
Register for Academy Meeting on 'Radiation, Health and Chernobyl': Susan Wicks
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2001 [Full text]
Safe, Environmentally Friendly Nuclear Energy: John Wheeler
bmj.com, 4 Oct 2001 [Full text]
Chernobyl consequences: misinterpretation of statistics: Sergei V. Jargin
bmj.com, 30 Nov 2008 [Full text]