[ RadSafe ] Battle for Chernobyl

[Conklin, Al (DOH)]

I was also taken in by the joke until I got through about twenty
e-mails. Glad its not true.

Anyway, last week on Public Television, there was a program that I
believe was titled Battle for Chernobyl. It was very interesting, and
has probably been on before, but I missed it. In it, they stated that 60
helicopter pilots died, and 2500 "liquidators" have died, all of effects
from the exposures they received, and that 40% of all liquidators are
now on disability, due to their exposures. They also stated that these
are undocumented, but reported doses to most in the hundreds of Rem.
Now, knowing the media as I do, these numbers are suspect, but do any of
you have a firmer number? I've always heard only 31 died originally of
acute radiation sickness (29 fire fighters and two operators, I think),
but if the reported doses are true, I would expect more, but not the
tens of thousands reported by Greenpeace and others. There is also the
reported problem of unreliability of record keeping by the old Soviet
regime.
I try to keep current for any questions that come up during my training,
so I would appreciate any help or references. Thanks.

Allen W. Conklin
Lead Trainer & Health Physicist
Radiological Preparedness Section
Office of Radiation Protection
Department of Health
Town Center 2, 111 Israel Rd.
P.O. Box 47827
Olympia WA  98504-7827
office (360) 236-3261
cell    (360) 239-1237
fax     (360) 236-2255
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