Post-Chernobyl Genetic Disaster In Belarus

MINSK, Mar 1, 2000 -- (Reuters) Post-Soviet Belarus has been plunged into a demographic disaster, with soaring levels of infertility and genetic changes 14 years after the Chernobyl disaster in neighboring Ukraine, doctors said on Tuesday.

"Science cannot yet assess the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, but it is plain that a demographic catastrophe has occurred in Belarus," Vladislav Ostapenko, head of Belarus's radiation medicine institute, told a news conference.

"It is clear that we are seeing genetic changes, especially among those who were less than six years of age when subjected to radiation. These people are now starting families."

Belarus, a country of 10 million downwind from Chernobyl, bore the brunt of the April 26, 1986 explosion and fire in the power station's fourth reactor.

One quarter of its territory was subjected to severe contamination and tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. Radiation from Chernobyl spread throughout most of Europe, but Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were worst hit and still devote huge resources to cleanup operations.

Ostapenko said that within seven years of the accident, mortality rates were outstripping birth rates.

Girls in affected areas had five times the normal rate of deformations in their reproductive systems and boys three times the norm. Each year, 2,500 births were recorded with genetic abnormalities and 500 pregnancies were terminated after testing.

Thousands of cases of thyroid cancer, rare in areas not subject to high radiation levels, have been recorded in Belarus's "risk zone", where a million people still live. High levels have now been observed among teenagers.

"We are seeing problems of infertility in this generation," he said. "Exactly the sort of observations we saw in animals subjected to similar radiation."

Belarus, Ostapenko said, needed more outside help to cope with the consequences. "It is impossible to say whether we are over the peak of the consequences of radioactive contamination or whether we are just on the threshold." Gennady Lazyuk, head of a state institute for hereditary diseases, said the aftermath of the accident was compounded by ills associated with post-Soviet hardship.

"Of course this is a complex problem and includes low living standards, alcoholism and poor nutrition," he said.

"Regardless, in contaminated areas the growth rate in genetic abnormalities is more than twice as high as in uncontaminated areas."

http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=139327

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 02, 2000

Answers

Thanks for the post! This is a story that will go on for many generations and one that MUST not ever be forgotten!

-- mutter (murmur@ya.com), March 02, 2000.

The story was forgotten shortly after it happened otherwise Belarus, Ukraine and Russia's priorities would be different. For example, Russia has plenty of money for waging wars, military projects and space projects otherwise they would close down their antequated nuclear power plants and start doing alternative energy or natural gas.

The masses are expendable. That is the story that lives forever.

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@bwn.net), March 02, 2000.

Guy D. .... That's a big " Ten Four " . The party ordains - the workers ( try to ) sustain . Eagle

-- Hal Walker (e999eagle@FREEWWWEB.COM), March 02, 2000.