Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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Chernobyl has given rise to a psychological syndrome
comparable to that suffered by veterans at wars in Vietnam and
Afghanistan. Among children evacuated from the zone there has been a
ten- to 15-fold increase in the incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders.
The birth rate in the contaminated areas has sharply decreased,
and mortality has increased. It negatively affects an overall
demographic situation in Ukraine leading to its depopulation.
Since 1987 the overall morbidity among adult population of
Ukraine in general has risen by 3.6%, and among the Chornobyl
victims it
grew by 3.8 times. Whereas the general children's morbidity
in Ukraine within this period fell by 15%, among the children of
Chornobyl it grew by 2.1 times. The initial disability among
liquidators has grown up to 25 limes, among the people evacuated
from Chornobyl and resettled persons it grew by 4.6 times, and among
the population of contaminated areas it increased by 1.7 times. The
incidence of leukemia among liquidators aged 30 to 39 is
higher than
average. According to the Ministry of Health statistics, the deaths of
2,929 people are officially attributed to the radioactive emanation. As
of today only 19.8% liquidators could be considered "practically
healthy", and among the evacuated population this ratio is only 21%,
whereas for the population of contaminated areas the figure is 24%.