Re: chernobyl death count

["Armando Zea" <AZEA@engr-serv.usc.edu>]

William:

I have the Fall 1996 World Ecology Report, published by the World 
Information Transfer (444 Park Avenue South, Suite 1202, N.Y., NY 
10016).  In their "Chernobyl Update, Ten Years Later" they mention 
that:

"On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the accident, a major 
International Chernobyl Conference  was organized in Vienna, from 
April 8-12, 1996.  It has summed up the present scientific understanding 
of the major social, health an environmental consequences attributed 
to the accident.  More than 800 scientists and governmental experts in 
the field of nuclear energy, radiation safety and health participated in 
the meeting.  The conference was jointly organized by IAEA, the 
European Commission (EC) and the WHO in cooperation with the 
United Nations and concerned specialized agencies and 
intergovernmental organizations.

Highlights of the findings include:
A) Accident's initial fatalities: 30 deaths, including 28 attributed to acute 
radiation sickness.  Since then 14 more patients died, although only 
some of them might be attributable directly to radiation exposure.

B) Thyroid cancer:  About 800 cases of thyroid cancer resulting from 
radioiodine exposure have been diagnosed in people who were 
children at the time of the accident.  However, a significant increase is 
anticipated over the next decades.  A few thousand more cases might 
be diagnosed among people of that generation, but successful 
treatment is possible, subject to early diagnosis.

C) Other types of cancer:  There has been no statiscally significant 
deviation from the norm for that region with respect to the incidence of 
other types of cancer, such as leukemia, attributable to radiation.

D) Other health-related factors:  Many health problems have been 
observed in the exposed population, but not as direct result of radiation 
exposure.  Widespread disorders and symptomps, such as depression, 
anxiety and various psychosomatic disorders constitute a serious 
problem.  These may well be the most harmful legacy of the accident 
and subsequent social upheavals.

E) environmental consequences:  No dramatically obvious long-term 
and irremediable impacts on population or ecosystem have been 
observed.  At specific sites effective countermeasures can be taken to 
achieve significant reduction in the uptake of radiocaesium in food."

Perhaps this report will help.

Armando Zea