Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Chernobyl. No visible end to the menace
| Auteur | UN Department of Human Affairs |
| Datum | oktober 1995 |
| Classificatie | 2.34.8.10/98 (TSJERNOBYL - ONGELUK & OMGEVING - ALGEMEEN) |
| Voorkant | 
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Uit de publicatie:
Chernobyl- Preface by Peter Hansen, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs The number of humanitarian disasters vying for the world's attention has increased steadily in the last decade. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 shared many elements with more recent emergencies. The very name "Chernobyl" became synonymous with disaster. Like most humanitarian emergencies, Chernobyl seized the attention of the world's media for a time, and then receded from view. The disaster displaced more than 400,000 people, tore at the social fabric of the countries most directly affected and had a devastating effect on the sub-region's economy and environment. For all its similarities with other emergencies, Chernobyl remains unique. Refugees and internally displaced persons who flee their homes due to conflict can hope eventually to return. Many people displaced by Chernobyl can expect never to return home. Their homeland will remain contaminated by radionuclides for centuries. The threat of future, personal disaster hangs over Chernobyl's survivors. There is ample cause for concern. Thyroid cancers, for example, have already increased 285 times over pre-Chernobyl levels and are not expected to peak until 2005-2010. Increased incidence of other cancers which can be linked to the disaster have not yet been recorded, but they have long incubation periods. Some 800,000 "liquidators" -individuals who dealt with the disaster's immediate aftermath- have already experienced higher morbidity rates, while illness rates among inhabitants of mildly contaminated areas are higher than those of the overall population. Stress-related diseases are also on the increase, particularly among those still living in contaminated areas. The hardships of economic transition in the three most affected countries- Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine- further cloud an already bleak outlook for those affected by Chernobyl. UN system efforts aim to address the urgent needs of those most affected by Chernobyl: proper medical diagnosis and treatment of Chernobyl-related conditions; access to adequate supplies of drugs for the growing number of victims whose thyroid glands have been surgically removed; meeting mental health needs, and treating stress-related illnesses. Improved communication is essential. Affected populations must be better informed about the consequences of exposure to radiation. Schools and communities must be equipped to provide support and counselling. Without funds, however, UN assistance under way will cease. New initiatives will be impossible. The meagre $1 million raised by the Pledging Conference for Chernobyl in 1991 has been depleted. The United Nations Chernobyl Trust Fund is exhausted. Only "symbolic" contributions have been received in the past two years. DHA News: September-October 1995
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