Chornobyl: Never-ending harm

The effects of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster linger on

Birth defects down generations; faraway crops and livestock still too radioactive to eat; wildlife fertility diminished; radiation levels raised by fires and incursions; these are just a few of the persistent impacts of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster. This week, we are reminded that the explosion of a single, two-year old reactor 37 years ago contaminated 40% of the European landmass and created a 1,000 mile uninhabitable Exclusion Zone. Forest fires and the February 2022 occupation by Russian troops have resuspended radioactive deposition into the air, raising radiation levels. Children born long after the disaster manifest health problems related to radiation exposure. The truth of the disaster is suppressed. Chornobyl is a tragedy that will never be over.

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