EDITORIAL: Chornobyl's 19th anniversary (04/24/05)

EDITORIAL

Chornobyl's 19th anniversary

April 26 marks the 19th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine - the world's worst nuclear accident. For most of the world, Chornobyl is a word from the past, a tragedy that happened a generation ago and has been largely forgotten.

But, for Ukraine and Belarus, and parts of western Russia, Chornobyl is also the present, and the future, as the effects of the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power station can be felt to this day and will be felt for many years down the road.

To illustrate this bitter reality, we cite information newly released by Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

An astounding total of 2,646,106 citizens of Ukraine - among them 643,030 children - are officially classified as victims of the Chornobyl accident as of January 1, 2005.

During the course of the 19 years since the accident, 164,700 people were relocated to 213 population centers. The zone around the nuclear power station will remain uninhabitable for hundreds of years due to radioactive contamination.

In 2004, more than 2,318,300 people, including 451,800 children, were under medical care in Ukraine as a result of Chornobyl's effects.

A total of 2,242,111 people are currently being monitored to determine the accident's effects on their health.

The portion of people suffering the ill effects of the 1986 disaster continues to grow. Among Chornobyl "liquidators" - those sent into the zone at the time of the disaster in an attempt to "eliminate the consequences" of the accident - 94.2 percent are ill; among evacuated citizens the figure is 89.8 percent; and among those who live on territory affected by radiation, 84.7 percent.

As for Ukraine's children - the country's future - 79.8 percent of those classified as victims of Chornobyl are also officially listed as ailing.

Needless to say, the costs of caring for Chornobyl's victims - who suffer from a variety of ailments ranging from thyroid cancer to illnesses of the circulatory and nervous systems, and immuno-deficiency problems - are astounding and a severe strain on Ukraine's budget. And, lest we forget, there are the children born with birth defects that can be linked to Chornobyl's aftereffects.

In addition, there is the matter of the Chornobyl plant itself. The Shelter Implementation Project, whose goal is to stabilize the damaged sarcophagus at the plant is ongoing, with completion scheduled for 2006. After that, plans call for the construction of a new confinement structure over the No. 4 reactor. However additional funding must be found to cover its cost of more than $1 billion.

That, dear readers, is only a fragment of the harsh actuality that is Chornobyl's legacy in Ukraine, the epicenter of the disaster.

As we observe the solemn 19th anniversary of the Chornobyl catastrophe, let us recall that in Ukraine today millions of our brothers and sisters need our help. Can we ignore their plight?

| Home Page |