TL: SUMMARY OF UNDHA REPORT - CHERNOBYL, Breifing #1 SO: Greenpeace International, (GP) DT: January, 1996 Keywords: environment nuclear power chernobyl ukraine republics accidents problems / Greenpeace Summary Briefing No. 1 STRENGTHENING OF THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AND DISASTER RELIEF ASSISTANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INCLUDING SPECIAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE: SPECIAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES OR REGIONS. Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. - Report of the Secretary General. A/50/1995. The Introduction states: THE HUMANITARIAN TRAUMA ITSELF CAUSED BY CHERNOBYL IS AS FRIGHTENINGLY UNNATURAL AS IT IS DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY. Evacuated populations. The MINIMUM estimate of the number of people forced to leave their homes is almost 400 000: 150 000 Belarus, 150 000 Ukraine, 75 000 in the Russian Federation. Since everything in their homes had been contaminated by radiation they were forced to abandon their homes with only the clothes on their backs. Upon reaching their final destination, they were required to remove and burn the one set of clothes they had been allowed to bring. The stress associated with the uncertainty of living with radiation is exacerbated by the fact that many cancers have a long latency period. Consequently the sentiment that the worst is yet to come is very prevalent. Understandably, people from the affected areas are reluctant to return to areas where they believe the radiation is still elevated. There are, however, far greater ramifications in terms of the uncertainty about the latent and long term effects of the accident which prevent the thousands of displaced persons from returning to their homes to resume a normal life. Social patterns and economic life have been severely disrupted, the STATE OF HEALTH OF THESE INDIVIDUALS APPEARS PERMANENTLY IN DOUBT, and the health facilities and diagnostic services available to them are meagre. Affected Populations. The three affected countries officially estimate that overall AT LEAST 9 MILLION people have in some way been affected by the Chernobyl disaster. The Chernobyl Committee of the Belorussian Parliament estimates that 2.5 million people in its country have been affected. UNICEF cites a figure of almost 2 million people: 130 000 people displaced from the contaminated zones in Belarus, and 1.8 million people who still live in regions with a contamination of more than 5 curies per square kilometre. The Ministry for Chernobyl of Ukraine estimated that in excess of 3.5 million people, including 800 000 children have been effected. MOREOVER, IN UKRAINE THE EFFECTS OF CHERNOBYL HAVE SPREAD AS FAR SOUTH AS THE BLACK SEA DUE TO THE SEEPAGE OF RADIONUCLIDES FROM THE NUCLEAR FUEL STILL INSIDE THE CHERNOBYL SARCOPHAGUS INTO THE WATER TABLE, AND FROM THEIR INTO THE DNIEPER RIVER. The Russian Federation estimated that 3 million people still live in the territories which have a radiation level of more than 5 curies per sq km. Liquidators. According to WHO, however, medical monitoring of the liquidators within the three affected countries IS ALREADY INDICATING GROWING MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES AMONG THIS GROUP. A second phase of WHO's International Programme on the Health effects of the Chernobyl Accident (IPHECA) will take a closer look at the registration and medical care of the liquidators. THERE ARE HOWEVER, FEW FUNDS AVAILABLE TO DO THIS. The WHO IPHECA figures suggest that there are some 800,000 liquidators in total. (200 000 Ukraine, 350 000 Russia, 130 000 Belarus) The main health concerns for the liquidators include cardiovascular and heart diseases, lung cancers, gastrointestinal inflammation and tumours and leukaemia. It is estimated by major a non-government organisation, the Chernobyl Union, that in the Russian Federation, 10% of liquidators have become invalids (invalidity is there defined as the inability to hold full-time employment). 38% of Russian liquidators, says the Ministry of Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of the Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCON) suffer from some type of disease. The Chernobyl Union claims that 7000 Russian liquidators have already died since the accident from various causes, including suicide. Increase in Morbidity ALL INDICES REPORT GROWING INCIDENCE OF MORDITY IN THE THREE AFFECTED COUNTRIES, SOME OF WHICH IS ATTRIBUTED TO CHERNOBYL; MORBIDITY IN THE MOST AFFECTED REGIONS APPEARS TO BE HIGHER THAN IN THE THREE EFFECTED COUNTRIES AS A WHOLE. The Belarussian Ministry of Health has reported that the OVERALL MORBIDITY RATE IN THE GOMEL REGION (THE SOUTHERN, AND MOST SEVERELY CONTAMINATED PART OF BELARUS) IS NOW 51%. Significant increases in diseases registered in Gomel include lung and stomach cancers and problems with the urninary system. According to the Ukrainian sources, there are 1521 diseases per 1000 in northern Ukraine (the contaminated region), while the figure for Ukraine as a whole is 1118/1000. Cases of invalidity are 263/1000 among the liquidators, while the rate in the country as a whole is 47/1000: in the Chernobyl affected areas the rate is six times as high. As a whole, according to Ukrainian Ministry of Health officials, THE MORBIDITY IS 30% HIGHER AMONG PEOPLE LIVING IN THE CONTAMINATED REGIONS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT AGE, WORKING AND LIVING CONDITIONS. Impact on Children. In Ukraine, 2 MILLION OUT OF A TOTAL POPULATION OF 12 MILLION LIVE IN CONTAMINATED ZONES (5 curies and above per sq km), while 900 000 of these are still living in risk zones. In Belarus, 500 000 children age 14 and below live in the contaminated zones, in the Russian federation 500 000 children live in the contaminated zones. UNICEF has assessed global statistics (ie. not just those in the contaminated areas) for Belarus between 1990 and 1994 and has noted significant increases in many types of health disorders of the child population: disorders of the nervous system and sensory organs have increased by 43%, blood circulation illnesses by 43%, disorders of the digestive organs by 28%, disorders of the genito-urinary system up by 39%, disorders of the bone muscle and connective tissue system have increased by 62%, illnesses of the haeogenic (blood producing) organs by 24%, iran deficiency anaemia by 10% endocrine system disorders by 8%, diabetes by 28%, congenital heart and circulatory diseases have increased by 25% and malignant tumours by 38% SINCE 1988. Thyroid Cancers. While Belarus registered only 21 cases of surgery for thyroid cancer on children between 1966 and 1985, according to Belorussian authorities, since 1986 it has registered 379 cases, according to the combined figures of Belarus and WHO. While between 1986 and 1989 there were 18 such operation, the number rose to 29 in 1990, 59 in 1991, 66 in 1992, 79 in 1993 and 82 in 1994, according to WHO. In the first half of 1995 there were 46 operations, according to Belorussian authorities. In Ukraine, 25 cases of surgery from 1981-85, according to WHO 208 case were registered between 1986-1994. While between 1986 and 1989 there were 34 such operations, the number rose to 26 in 1990, 22 in 1991, 47 in 1992, 42 in 1993 and 37 in 1994, according to WHO. While the Russian Federation registered a single case of child thyroid cancer between 1986 and 1989, WHO registered 23 cases between 1990 and 1994. Economic impact. Belarus has consistently had to spend 20% of its national budget for just this purpose. Ukraine devotes 4% of its annual budget to remedy the problems caused by Chernobyl, although it maintains it would require 20% of the national budget to rectify the problems caused by Chernobyl. The Russian Federation devotes 1% of its budget on Chernobyl rated affairs. Environmental contamination and its implications. The Chernobyl Committee of the Belorussian Parliament estimate that 30% of the Country's 208 000 square km has been contamated to various decrees. The government of Ukraine estimated that 7% of its 600 000 sq km, an equivalent in size to the Netherlands, have been rendered unusable, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Chernobyl further estimated that 40% of its forests are contaminated. The Russian Federation estimated that 1.6% of its European territory, or 57,650 sq km is contaminated by radioactivity of more than 1 curie of caesium per sq km.