THE RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
Chernobyl, 26th April 1986. Just before half-past one in the morning, the most serious nuclear explosion in history occurred. Much worse than the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The radioactive cloud could even be seen in countries such as Germany, Sweden or Finland, but the worst was yet to come.
Twenty years later, much of the population of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia still live alongside high levels of radioactivity. The absence of international help over the years has forced the population to consume home-grown produce, which means that people are subject to internal radiation as well as external. The cases of cancer, leukaemia and alterations in their metabolism have considerably increased. The radiation controls imposed at the beginning ceased to be systematic.
In the regions near Chernobyl, the local daily “diet” now includes caesium-137, which is quickly absorbed into the body’s system and can cause gastro-intestinal and blood problems; iodine, that accumulates in the thyroids and which is greatly increasing the cases of child cancer; strontium-90, which the body confuses with calcium provoking cancer of the bone marrow and bones; and plutonium. This last substance is the most toxic element created by man. It only exists as a result of a nuclear reaction. The body recognises plutonium as iron and it is absorbed through the red blood cells. This can cause blood disorders, leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other types of tumour.
The forecast is that the radiation coming from the nuclear explosion will be noticeable for the next 48,000 years. In its last 2005 report, the UN, for its part, pointed out that, even though to date no more than 50 deaths have been directly caused by the radiation, this figure will rise to around 4,000. As the only health improvement treatment, the WHO recommends that people, particularly children, leave the country for two months a year. The problem is that they live in extreme poverty and the sectors most affected by the radiation cannot afford the travelling expenses.
The text published by the UN, “The Chernobyl Legacy: health, environmental and socio-economic repercussions” highlights the deep pessimism felt by the people in the affected area that hinders any initiative to improve the situation. Moreover, it requests that the rehabilitation and social benefit programmes started by the former Soviet Union be updated so that the change in the radiation situation be taken into account, as well as the deficiencies in the selection of beneficiaries and the lack of funds.
On an international level, it asks for help to be concentrated in the most affected areas, and to eliminate programmes that encourage dependence and a victimist mentality, to replace them with opportunity-creating initiatives that back local development and inspire confidence in the future, which is something that in many cases was lost a long time ago.
On the other hand, there is currently a staunch campaign in defence of nuclear energy. These people claim that the radiation emitted by the reactors in their normal activity is a lot less than the radiation that comes from the electrical appliances in our homes. Besides they believe the risk of another accident of this nature is minimal, now that we have modern security measures.
Without entering into the nuclear energy debate, the problem comprises the thousands of people living in an environment that has been contaminated by human beings. And if the consequences were not so serious, as stated by different sources, the truth is that many people are living in misery because of the absence of outside help that would enable them to start again.