Re: [Fwd: [DOEWatch] Deadly toll of Chernobyl]

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 19:03 24.04.2000 -0500, you wrote:
>     In a related question, a newspaper account I saw sometime during 
>     the last week stated the number of immediate deaths at around 100 
>     (which is the first time I remember seeing that number as opposed 
>     to the 30+ usually reported).  
>     
>     Anyone have any idea what the larger number may be based on?

The number of around 100 is based on fiction. About thirty persons have
died not immediately, but within days to weeks or months. They had partly
suffered acute radiation doses and partly they had suffered severe
radiation burns because of the large amount of beta emitting fission
products like Sr-90, which settled in form of dust on their clothes. Maybe
frequent spraying them with water or change of clothes could have saved
some of them. 

The people died within relatively short time were the fire fighters, who
prevented fire to be spread to the other units. I would like to comment,
that fire fighters have an elevated risk to die - even in conventional
operations - and I hope that nobody regards my remark as cynical or
inhuman: To have a highly elevated risk, is, what they are paid for.

Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at


Office:
Hofrat Dr. Franz Schoenhofer
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
Radiation Protection Department (BMLUW I/8 U)
Radetzkystr. 2
A-1031 Vienna
AUSTRIA

phone: -43-1-71172-4458
fax: -43-1-7122331

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