Chernobyl Legacy Lingers On and On……

 

 

 

A Coalition of Charities working together for the 20th Anniversary of the Nuclear Disaster,

in April 2006, to raise awareness about Chernobyl’s legacy of pollution and ill health.

Chernobyl Legacy Lingers On and On……

Twenty years on from the World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster the children of Belarus and northern Ukraine  continue to suffer from living on land blighted by radiation. The Anniversary, on April 26th, will be not only an occasion for remembering a terrible event, but also for gathering support for those still suffering its tragic legacy.

Thyroid cancer has risen by more than 100 times in the Gomel Region, the most contaminated part of Belarus. This is the only cancer which is indisputably caused by Chernobyl.

But members of Chernobyl charities who travel regularly to Belarus believe that many other illnesses are likely to be  linked to the radiation – leukaemia and brain tumours in children, breast cancer, stomach and bowel cancer, heart disease, respiratory illnesses and bone disorders. And there are many children born with disabilities or rare genetic disorders, despite the fact that there has been a dramatic drop in the birth rate since the accident.

The Chernobyl charities working in Britain have come together to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the disaster, under the banner ‘Remember Chernobyl’. They have launched an Appeal for more research into the health effects of Chernobyl which will be presented to the United Nations at the end of April, and are promoting events around the country to focus attention on the continuing impact of the disaster.

Claire Chettoe, Co-ordinator of the Remember Chernobyl Coalition, said ‘We hope to raise awareness throughout the country about the need for ongoing support for the children living under the shadow of Chernobyl. Every year, particularly in the Summer, Chernobyl charities in Britain bring several thousand children from Belarus to this country for a recuperative holiday. Four weeks of fresh air, clean food and a relaxing holiday gives a great boost to their damaged immune systems.  Local families who host the children usually find it a rewarding experience and we hope that the raised level of interest around the anniversary will bring in new families for the future’

Chernobyl Charities are also heavily involved in projects in Belarus to improve the healthof children and families, and the Remember Chernobyl Coalition is promoting support for the Belarusian Children's Hospice, which cares for children with cancer and other life limiting diseases in many parts of Belarus. 

Much of the radiation which fell on Belarus was caesium 137. Some of this was carried right across Europe to land on the hills of Scotland, Cumbria and Wales in rainfall. Still today there are hill farms where grazing is restricted because of this, and could remain so for several years.

In Belarus there are towns and villages which received more than 1,000 times the level of caesium which fell on our hills. The families living there are aware that their children are eating food every day which may be richer in radio-nuclides than vitamins.

For information about national events around the time of the Anniversary and to find out more about Chernobyl and its ongoing effects, visit www.rememberchernobyl.org

For further information about the ‘Remember Chernobyl’ Coalition or to arrange interviews contact Linda Walker (Chernobyl Children’s Project UK) on 01457 862112 / 863534  or 07976 653610

or Claire Chettoe, 01749 676248 (evenings)

Email: linda@ccprojectuk.fsnet.co.uk  or visit www.chernobyl-children.org.uk