The history of Cherobyl accident

Over 600,000 people participated in the cleanup, including many specialists from Western countries. About 90,000 workers were called in for cleanup seven months after the accident. There were radiation standards for the individual worker, but there were not measuring instruments for everyone. Between 7,000 and 13,000 deaths are now reported, including many suicides and up to 70,000 sick and disabled among the repatriated workers.

Union Chernobyl, the main organization of the "liquidators" set up to clean up the plant, claims that 10% of the original 600,000 have now died and another 165,000 have become disabled. As in the UN report, the psychological repercussions among clean-up workers are pointed out.

The health consequences are now becoming increasingly apparent. It is about a general deterioration of health, about diseases of the thyroid gland and respiratory organs, cardiovascular diseases and blood diseases such as especially leukemia in children.

There are very common problems with childbirths: miscarriages, extremely low birth weight and premature births. The psychological pressure is enormous - a constant anxiety for one's own health, for one's children and for giving birth to children.

Soviet authorities banned doctors from citing "radiation" as the cause of death, and incomplete lists of victims were published.

Also in western countries, information to the population was problematic and deficient. As in the Soviet Union, people were afraid of panic and fear of creating distrust of their own nuclear programs. Measurement results were concealed or delayed and smoothed out by ministers and experts with a: "It can never happen here".

There is virtually no published research data on the effect of these doses on human health, therefore no one knows how to treat those affected properly.

There are many cleanup workers who need medical treatment, recreation, psychological help and help to support themselves and their families. This task cannot be expected to be solved by the UN or other international bodies, at least not without them being pressured to do so.

After the Chernobyl disaster, many "liquidators" were scattered around the world, but they still suffer from the physical and psychological trauma they have suffered in trying to save the world from the consequences of the worst nuclear accident.