Ukraine Chernobyl survivors mark 14th anniversary

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Ukraine Chernobyl survivors mark 14th anniversary

KIEV, April 23 (Reuters) - About 1,500 Ukrainian survivors of the 
1986 Chernobyl disaster and their families marched through Kiev 
on Sunday to mark the 14th anniversary of the world's worst 
nuclear accident. 

Umbrellas bobbed in drizzling rain among the orange and blue flags 
of activist groups, as marchers protesting against diminishing 
government compensation payments waved black banners, one of 
which read ``Revising Chernobyl laws is genocide of the people.'' 

``This year's budget is offensive to the invalids, widows and orphans 
of Chernobyl,'' the head of the Chernobyl Union Yuri Andreyev told 
Reuters, referrring to the cash-strapped government's tight fiscal 
plan for 2000. 

``We all know it will finish with a complete end to the Chernobyl 
programme of social security.'' 

Health officials said this week the April 26, 1986 fire and explosion 
at the plant's fourth reactor was still blighting the lives and health of 
Ukrainians, with some 3.5 million people sickened by radioactive 
contamination. 

Over a third of that number were children. United Nations data 
show millions of people still live on contaminated land in Belarus, 
which bore the brunt of the disaster, and in Russia. Some parts of 
Western Europe were also polluted. 

The U.N. has called for the international community, whose efforts 
so far have concentrated on trying to close the last remaining 
reactor at Chernobyl, to raise $9.5 million for health and ecological 
projects in the impoverished region. 

``The health of people affected by the Chernobyl accident is getting 
worse and worse every year,'' Deputy Ukrainian Health Minister 
Olha Bobyleva told a news conference this week. 

UKRAINE PROMISES CHERNOBYL CLOSURE THIS YEAR 

Ukraine has promised the international community, fearing a repeat 
disaster if the Soviet-era station keeps working, to close Chernobyl 
by the end of this year but has set no date. 

It says foreign partners have not stumped up promised funds to 
help close the station -- a complex and lengthy process -- and 
complete new reactors at other atomic stations to replace capacity 
lost at Chernobyl. 

Ukraine's five nuclear power plants produce about half the nation's 
supply of electricity, which is in any case erratic across most of 
the country due to payment arrears and ageing infrastructure. 

The Group of Seven leading industrial nations says Ukraine must 
make good on its closure promises first. 

Closure also puts a large question mark over the fate of roughly 
6,000 workers who keep the station running. 

``Of course I am for closing Chernobyl but it should have been done 
long ago. It's not so simple, and God forbid there should be any 
accident when they shut it down,'' said Nadezhda Matyash, head of 
a group of mothers of children with cancer. 

``Closing it takes a lot of money which we don't have, and our 
foreign partners promise and promise but don't give funds.'' 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Biomedicals, Inc.				E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
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