Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant CIA Files - Paperless Archives

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'''lId the Ukrainian republic newspaper that Shevchenko
suffered from a fatal illness before his involvement
in filming cleanup operations between May and
August 1986. lI'in also denied Nedelya's statement
that some of Shevchenko's cameramen are now in the
hospital with radiation sickness. '1\"'>'
Clearly, Moscow is concerned that revelations such as
the filmmaker's death will reinforce suspicion among
the Soviet popul2tion that the regime is not being
candid in its tre.tment of the health risks. Fear is
probably high among the families of the tens of
thousands of military and civilian personnel who were
ordered to the zone for decontamination work and the
evacuees. Health problems among the reservists, most
of whom are non-Russians, could increase social
tension and anti-Russian sentiments. I.
AlfXiety Over Food and Water. In addition to concerns
about overall health risks, there is evidence that
considerable fear of contaminated food and water is
likely to continue. The effects of this concern were
still being felt in the farmers' markets as recently as
this summer. According to the USSR Ministry of
Health, all produce on sale until August 1987 had to
have a stamp certifying the product had passed
inspection'for radiation. Shoppers reportedly 'continue
to suspiciously question the vendors about the origin
of the food and frequently ask to see the vendor's
passport to be certain the produce was grown outside
the Chernobyl' region.
Fear of radiation-contaminated food was not limited
to the affected regions. People reportedly avoided
eating meat and drinking milk as far away as Leningrad.
A resident of the city traveling abroad said,
although meat was abundant in Leningrad during the
summer of 1986, people were afraid to buy it. Similarly,
powdered milk became scarce because people were
buying it instead of fresh milk. The source also
reported it was necessary to call in soldiers from a
nearby military division to butcher livestock in a
Leningrad meat factory because the workers refused
"Our jud,mcnt thatRlost of the rc.