The legacy of Chernobyl -- 30 years on
However, there are potentially other health implications including higher incidence of cataracts, cardiovascular diseases, and congenital abnormalities, in addition to mental and psychological effects. These potential health legacies will need to be fully established in years to come.
At the height of the Cold War, there was high profile research in the field of radiobiology and radioecology, but this gradually declined in late 1970s and early 1980s as funding sources started to shrink. The Chernobyl accident led to a resurgence in these studies, aiming to aid the remediation process and make future predictions on post-accident situations. Based on these studies, it is envisaged that remediation measures will be required in inhabited areas for the foreseeable future, such as restrictions on animal production, including in some Scandinavian countries.
Most of these studies also provide models describing the impact of soil types on radionuclide transfer into the food-chain via fruits, vegetables, milk and meat, giving an estimation of the potential radiation doses to affected populations.
One of the topics still being fiercely debated is the potential impact of radiation on wildlife, because while the impact on certain trees was evident, deciduous trees were more resistant.
The region’s radioactivity levels are falling but the impacted areas still contain a large proportion of long-lived radionuclides within the soil, forests and wetlands. Future forest fires and floods are likely to aggravate the situation.
More integrated studies with laboratory validation experiments incorporating robust study plans, eliminating potential confounding factors and biased experimental designs are required to shed lights on the potential impact on the biota.
Public opinion regarding the use of nuclear power is gradually changing.
Younger generations see the use of nuclear power differently from those who experienced the fears of ‘cold war’ and ‘mushroom clouds’, and nuclear energy is also seen as a potential mitigator of global warming resulting from fossil fuel burning.
To boost public confidence and to ensure the 435 operational units and 63 proposed reactors around the world run safely, operators and regulators need to set up comprehensive, mutually agreed and transparent plans.
The nuclear industry also faces challenges regarding the storage and repository of the generated waste, as well as the remediation of historic legacy and managing radioactive discharges, and regulators need to assess the safety, security and environmental implications of new designs before they are built. This should resolve the majority of health, social and economic implications.
The accident at Chernobyl has had huge environmental, socio-economic, and political consequences, and while we have learned many lessons, our final thought should perhaps be about human values and the role of firefighters, liquidators, plant workers, and the affected families. Today is an opportunity to remember them and pay tribute.
Awadhesh Jha is Professor of Genetic Toxicology & Ecotoxicology, School of Biological Sciences, Plymouth University
