Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

112
Attachment A
Health and Environmental Prolilems
In Ukraine from the
Chernobyl Accident
by Marvin Goldman
July 13, 1992
I was asked by Ed Purvis to supply a brief statement on the current issue of Chernobyl-induced health
and environmental effects. I have been studying these since the accident and have been to the former
Soviet Union 1 1 times on this Issue. As scientific group leader for the USA/USSR Working Group 7.2 on
Health Effects of the Joint Coordinating Committee on Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety, I have been working
with our scientific counterparts over there for the past 4 years.
This statement reflects my own personal
opinion and does not necessarily represent the official position of any official US Government agency.
The Chernobyl accident resulted in the dispersion of massive quantities of radioactive materials over
most of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the region close to the reactor, especially where it rained while
the plume was passing overhead, was particularly hard hit.
Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are
still "coated" with a mantle of radio-cesium, an isotope with a 30-year half life, "strong" gamma and beta
radiation, and a metabolic similarity to potassium In that It Is ubiquitously passed through the food web to
people. Simply stated, it poses a threat for total txxJy exposure from external depositions as well as from
ingestion of contaminated food stuffs.
The other radiation of significance is more serious In my estimation. The short-lived isotopes of iodine,
which were released In very large quantities, delivered high radiation doses to the thyroid glands of
thousands of people down wind.
Most importantly, even larger doses were delivered to children because
of their greater consumption of contaminated milk, and because of their smaller and more active
radiosensitive thyroid glands.
The children received doses several times higher than their parents and,
unfortunately, some of the children are already demonstrating a higher than normal Incidence of thyroid
cancer. The exact figures are not yet avallatjie, but there appears to be an Increase in childhood cancer
In Belarus and Ukraine. It will be Important to perform a credible job of retrospective dosimetry as well as
of epidemiology in order to precisely quantify the risk. All I can say at this time is that there is a real
problem, and It Is Increasing.
A special problem Is associated with the many thousands of people who were recruited to help with
the cleanup and other post-acckJent activities. About a half million people were involved, and perhaps about
10% of them, many In the military, received significant exposures. This latter group is restricted mainly to