The Chernobyl Forum: Major Findings and Recommendations - 2007

Nuclear Power Industry

Balonov reported in J. Environ. Radioactivity, Vol. 96 (2007)  that the accident at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986 was the most severe in the history of the nuclear industry, causing a huge release of radionuclides over large areas of Europe. The recently completed Chernobyl Forum concluded that after a number of years, along with reduction of radiation levels and accumulation of humanitarian consequences, severe social and economic depression of the affected regions and associated psychological problems of the general public and the workers had become the most significant problem to be addressed by the authorities.

The majority of the affected land is now safe for life and economic activities. However, in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and in some limited areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine some restrictions on land-use should be retained for decades to come. Most of the 600,000 emergency and recovery operation workers and five million residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine received relatively minor radiation doses which are comparable with the natural back-ground levels.

Apart from the dramatic increase in thyroid cancer incidence among those exposed at a young age and some increase of leukemia and solid cancer in most exposed workers, there is no clearly demonstrated increase in the somatic diseases due to radiation.

The author concluded that In 2005e2006, in connection with the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, the Chernobyl Forum’s findings and recommendations have been reported at 25 scientific and other commemorative meetings. The Vienna conference held in September 2005 (referred to above) was accompanied by an intensive press campaign in the mass media, the Forum major findings were reflected in hundreds of papers in mass media worldwide.

Currently, the Forum members are working on the issue of further information dissemination. In November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly considered a report A/60/443 of the Secretary-General (UN, 2005a) on efforts to promote recovery in areas affected by the Chernobyl legacy that included findings of Chernobyl Forum. The General Assembly also adopted a resolution A/60/L.19 (UN, 2005b) encouraging the international community to
redouble its efforts to mitigate the consequences of the accident in which, inter alia,

• noted consensus reached among members of the Chernobyl Forum regarding assessment of the accident consequences and future actions;
• noted the necessity to widely disseminate Forum’s findings and recommendations;
• requested to organize further studies consistent with the recommendations of the Chernobyl Forum.

In that way, the organizers and participants of the Chernobyl Forum contribute to clarification of the environmental, health, social and economic consequences of that severe accident based on sound science.

[For additional coverage of the issues involved, see (here)]