Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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projects in Ukraine without a parallel and equally credible effort
in investment in people. We cannot depreciate people because the
scientific data is not as good as we wish. If I went to any community
in West Florida or South Alabama that has 10,000 individuals
and I told them that, well, maybe 50 will have to go, I will find out
that people do not understand relative risks. They understand absolute
risks. They understand what 50 is, but they don't understand
what is 50 out of 10,000. America cannot afford to be perceived
as a technological giant alone. It is our record in human
values that gives us our stature among other nations.
The considerable investment that we made in the studies of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, which we also heard about, was one of the
best and wisest scientific investments that this country ever made,
and if we had to do it again and if we had to pay twice as much, I
would like to know which United States citizen or scientist would
vote against it. So that it is not an argument whether Chernobyl
should or should not be studied. The issue is, can we afford not to?
Money alone, I will tell you right now, will not solve any problems
whatsoever. People solve problems. Organizations such as the
American-Ukrainian Medical Sciences Group that I represent may
facilitate linkages between American and Ukrainian medical scientists.
Also, there are many other Ukrainian organizations, both
academic and charitable, who have firsthand experience and have
established bilateral linkages with Ukraine.
There are hundreds of thousands of American-Ukrainian citizens
in this country, and they are immigrants because they could
not survive in Ukraine. These people are nurturing these organizations,
they have already formed frameworks that can facilitate the
flow of assistance through established and experienced networks
that can facilitate accountability, and they certainly understand
the contrast between those that think in terms of the former communist-dominated
areas and those that rejected communism. These
organizations are here and they can be used for creative, innovative
ways of introducing American technology and know-how
rather than using old approaches or templates that often don't
work.
I believe that the effectiveness of any aid, particularly in medicine,
will depend upon very careful planning. It is self-evident that
the contrast between the Soviet system and our system, added to
the language barriers, are phenomenal. A key role of a group like
ours is to expedite the formation of bilateral planning, bilateral coordination,
bilateral supervisory teams, and to provide as many
consultants as possible to pave the way. I think that the goals and
objectives of a medical aid program should fundamentally investigate,
cure, and ameliorate the effects of the Chernobyl disaster as
well as to instill public trust in the U.S. medical and scientific institutions.
The major goals for assistance can be grouped into two
domains: those of immediate medical assistance, and those that require
the creation of stable platforms such as an American-
Ukrainian Medical Sciences Center or equivalents.
Among the immediate needs, our group endorses the recommendations
of the International Advisory Committee wholeheartedly,
and we add a few more thoughts. The International Committee recommended
that energetic action should be taken to improve the