International

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CHERNOBYL FORUM Forum reports 20-year findings, offers recommendations EARLY 20 YEARS after the Nearly 20 years after the Chernobyl accident, an April 26, 1986, accident at the N Chernobyl-4 reactor in , international forum says a different approach is the Chernobyl Forum met as an interna- tional conference, held September 6Ð7 in needed in addressing the region’s recovery. Vienna, and arrived at a consensus on its scientific findings, as well as on measures the World Bank. The governments of Be- site and the nearby area, since designated to alleviate the health and environmental larus, Russia, and Ukraine are also mem- the “Exclusion Zone.” The number of reg- problems that remain. The conference, the bers of the forum. istered liquidators was later increased to theme of which was Chernobyl: Looking 600 000, but only a small fraction of those Back to Go Forwards, was attended by Findings were exposed to dangerous levels of radi- some 200 scientists and senior-level gov- The findings discussed at the conference ation. The highest doses were to about ernmental representatives, including some were prepared by international experts con- 1000 liquidators during the first day of the from the three most affected countries— vened as two working groups—on environ- accident. Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. mental impacts, under the IAEA, and on About 5 million people are living in ar- The Chernobyl Forum was established health impacts, under WHO. eas contaminated above 37 kBq/m2 of Cs- by the International Atomic Energy Agency The official consensus summary report 137, of whom some 400 000 had lived in (IAEA) in 2003 with the aim of developing describes the accident as explosions ruptur- more contaminated areas, classified by So- an authoritative consensus on the impact of ing the reactor vessel of Unit 4 and causing viet authorities as areas of strict control the accident that would guide future re- a fire that continued for 10 days. The result- (above 555 kBq/m2 of Cs-137). Some search and the rehabilitation of the people ing cloud spread numerous types of ra- 116 000 people were evacuated from the and the environment. In addition to the dioactive materials, most significantly io- Exclusion Zone (which is in Belarus and IAEA, the other UN bodies involved in the dine and cesium radionuclides, over much Ukraine, adjacent to the power plant) to forum are the Office of the Coordinator for of Europe, with the greatest concentrations noncontaminated areas in the spring and Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN De- occurring over large areas of Belarus, Rus- summer of 1986, and another 230 000 in velopment Program (UNDP), the Food and sia, and Ukraine adjacent to the reactor. subsequent years. Agriculture Organization, the UN Environ- Some 200 000 emergency and recovery Reliable information about the accident ment Program, the UN Scientific Commit- operation workers, known as “liquidators,” and the resulting radioactive contamination tee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the were initially involved in containment and was not initially made available to the af- World Health Organization (WHO), and cleanup work in 1986Ð1987 at the stricken fected people and remained inadequate for

46 NUCLEAR NEWS October 2005 about two years following the accident. fects, trauma, and possible persistent psy- currently receive an annual effective dose This led to widespread distrust of official chological or mental health problems— of less than 1 mSv (the recommended dose information and the mistaken attribution of were more readily acceptable. limit for the general public), although the many ill health conditions to radiation expo- In regard to exposures, the report says roughly 100 000 in more contaminated ar- sure. The forum’s aim was to fill this void that with the exception of on-site reactor eas still receive more than 1 mSv annually. and promote better understanding of the personnel and emergency workers, most of Between 1992 and 2000, about 4000 post-accident situation, and also to recom- the recovery operation workers and people cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed in mend measures to better deal with the im- living in the contaminated territories re- Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine among those pacts. ceived relatively low whole-body radiation who were children and adolescents (0Ð18 doses, comparable to background radiation years) at the time of the accident, including Health impact levels. Those who worked on site shortly some 3000 in the 0Ð14 age group, attributed The findings on health effects raised con- after the accident received external gamma to uptake of iodine-131, one of the princi- troversy and lengthy debate over the num- radiation of 2 to 20 Gy, and as a result 28 pal radionuclides released by the accident. ber of deaths already caused by the accident died within four months and another 19 Of those treated, nine died of the disease. and how many were anticipated as likely to over the years up to 2004. Doses to recov- Because of differing doses received, an occur. The report of the WHO-led expert ery operation workers, who worked for increased risk of leukemia associated with group noted “the deaths of 30 power plant short periods during the following four radiation exposure from Chernobyl may be- employees and firemen within a few days years, ranged up to about 500 mSv, with an come evident for the higher exposed acci- or weeks,” of whom 28 died of acute radi- average of about 100 mSv. dent liquidators, but would be quite un- ation syndrome (ARS). It did not project a Exposure levels of the evacuees from the likely for the general population. Ongoing figure for future deaths. Chernobyl accident area were also of con- studies may reveal possible increased risk The summary report states, “Claims have cern, the report says, with doses that could to the liquidators, although as the risk de- been made that tens or even hundreds of only be estimated some time after they oc- creases over the decades, its contribution to thousands of persons have died as a result of curred. By careful evaluation of all avail- morbidity and mortality is likely to become the accident. These claims are exagger- able information, doses to Ukrainian evac- less significant. ated.” It says that total deaths amounted to uees were 17 mSv on average, with doses There appears to be some recent increase 50 liquidators, who died of ARS in 1986 to individuals ranging from 0.1 to 380 mSv. in morbidity and mortality caused by solid and other causes in later years, and nine The average dose to Belarusian evacuees cancers and possibly circulatory system dis- children, who died of thyroid cancer. It put was 31 mSv, with the highest average dose eases in Russian emergency and recovery the estimated possible deaths from cancer in two villages being about 300 mSv. operation workers. The incidence of circu- contracted as a result of radiation exposure Ingestion of food contaminated with ra- latory system diseases should be interpreted at 3940 from among the 200 000 1986Ð87 dioactive iodine did result in significant with special care because of the possible in- liquidators, 116 000 evacuees, and 270 000 doses to the thyroid of inhabitants of the direct influence of confounding factors, residents of the most contaminated areas. contaminated areas of Belarus, Russia, and such as stress and unhealthy lifestyles. Controversy seemed to be laced with Ukraine. Thyroid doses varied widely ac- There remains no evidence of solid cancers some confusion when cancer specialist cording to age, level of ground contamina- in the general population as a result of the Elisabeth Cardis, of WHO, in a detailed tion with I-131, and milk consumption rate. accident except for childhood thyroid can- presentation during the conference sug- Individual thyroid doses ranged up to about cer in children in contaminated areas. Med- gested that another 4000 might die from 50 Gy, with average doses in contaminated ical care and annual examinations of highly among the 5 million to 6 million in areas areas being about 0.03 to 0.3 Gy. Thyroid exposed Chernobyl workers should con- with low-level contamination. So, asked a doses to residents of (the city built tinue, however, because elevated radiation- Green Party member of the European Par- to house plant staff) were substantially re- induced solid cancer morbidity is sustained liament, what is the number now? Another duced by the timely distribution of stable for decades after exposure, following a la- participant said that after 20 years of hear- iodine tablets. Drinking milk from cows tency period of about 10 years. ing that this was the world’s worst nuclear that had eaten contaminated grass immedi- Tests on children and liquidators have accident, nobody would believe a total of ately after the accident was one of the main shown that exposure to radiation doses per- 4000 deaths—that it was unbelievably low. reasons for the high doses to the thyroid of haps as low as 250 mGy could be catarac- Michael Repacholi, of WHO, and other children, many of whom subsequently de- togenic, the report says. Follow-up studies forum officials were put to some pains to veloped thyroid cancer. will allow greater predictive capability of explain that none of the predictions were The report estimates that the accumulated the risk of radiation cataract onset and, meant to be exact, but merely to indicate effective dose (from external and internal more important, provide the data necessary scope. The estimates, he said, were based exposure) for the general public in the con- to be able to assess the likelihood of any re- on models of dose-effect relationships, taminated areas in the 20-year span of sulting visual dysfunction. which in turn were based mostly on data 1986Ð2005 varies in different regions be- There is no likelihood of a radiation- from the survivors of the Hiroshima and tween 10 and 20 mSv, with some receiving related decrease in male or female fertility Nagasaki bombs. It was noted that the two up to about 100 mSv. “It should be noted in the general population given the rela- events were very dissimilar: The bomb sur- that the average doses received by residents tively low dose levels, which are also un- vivors received a burst of acute exposure, of the territories contaminated by Cher- likely to have any effect on the number of and the accident at Chernobyl caused a nobyl fallout are generally lower than those stillbirths, adverse pregnancy outcomes, chronic low-level condition. The same received by people who live in well-known delivery complications, or the overall models could not be applied to both. The areas of high natural background radiation health of children. Birth rates may be lower scientists did not want to include numbers in India, Iran, Brazil, and China. Some res- in contaminated areas because of concern for predicted deaths, but public relations of- idents in these areas receive over 25 mSv about having children, and this issue is ob- ficials had wanted them in the summary, per year from the radioactive materials in scured by the very high rate of medical Repacholi said in answer to questions. the soil on which they live without any ap- abortions. No discernable increase in The other findings on health impacts— parent health effects,” it says. hereditary effects is expected. relating to exposures, diseases caused and Most of the 5 million living in contami- Noting that the accident resulted in the likely to occur, inherited or reproductive ef- nated areas of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine traumatization of many people by rapid re-

October 2005 NUCLEAR NEWS 47 INTERNATIONAL location, breakdown in social contacts, and minated by the accident, air dose rate above Secondary contamination by runoff of fear and anxiety about what health effects solid surfaces has returned to the pre- long-lived Cs-137 and Sr-90 from contam- might result, the report poses the question: accident background level. But the air dose inated soils continues, but at a much lower Are there persistent psychological or men- rate remains elevated above undisturbed level. Activity concentrations in surface tal health problems? soil in gardens, kitchen gardens, and parks waters and in fish are currently low, so irri- Three studies found that exposed popu- in some settlements of Belarus, Russia, and gation with surface water is not considered lations had anxiety levels that were twice Ukraine. a hazard. Cs-137 and Sr-90 levels in water as high as control groups, and they were In rural areas, contamination of agricul- and fish of rivers, open lakes, and reservoirs three to four times more likely to report tural plants and plant-consuming animals are currently low, but in some “closed” multiple unexplained physical symptoms was dominated by surface deposits of ra- lakes, with no outflowing streams, water and subjective poor health than were unaf- dionuclides during the first months. Ra- and fish will remain contaminated with Cs- fected control groups, the report says. In dioiodine caused the most immediate con- 137 for decades. general, the psychological consequences cern because it was rapidly absorbed into Irradiation caused numerous acute ad- found in Chernobyl-exposed populations milk at a high rate. Later, uptake of radionu- verse effects on the plants and animals in were similar to those in atomic-bomb sur- clides (chiefly Cs-137 and Cs-134) through high exposure areas, up to a distance of vivors, residents near the Three Mile Island plant roots became important, and highly 20Ð30 km from the site (the Exclusion accident, and those who experienced toxic affected areas still may require environ- Zone). No acute effects have been reported exposures at work or in the environment. mental remediation. Sr-90 could still cause in plants and animals outside the zone. The But findings of multiple extreme stresses problems in areas close to the reactor, but natural environment responded in a com- and culture-specific ways of expressing dis- other radionuclides such as plutonium iso- plex interaction between radiation dose and tress unleashed by Chernobyl are difficult topes and Am-241 did not cause real prob- plant/animal radiosensitivity. to interpret, the report says. In addition, in- lems in agriculture, either because deposi- Cell death was observed in biota within dividuals in the affected population offi- tion was low or they were poorly available the Exclusion Zone, at the individual and cially labeled “Chernobyl victims” are fre- for root uptake from soil. population levels, with increased mortality quently taking on the role of invalids rather In general, there was a substantial reduc- of coniferous plants, soil invertebrates, and than perceiving themselves as survivors and tion in the transfer of radionuclides to veg- mammals, and reproductive losses in plants are encouraged to perceive themselves as etation and animals in intensive agricultural and animals. No adverse radiation-induced helpless, weak, and lacking control over systems within the first few years after de- effect has been reported in plants and ani- their future. position, due to weathering, physical decay, mals exposed to a cumulative dose of less migration down into the soil, and reductions than 0.3 Gy during the first month after the Environmental consequences in bioavailability in soil. But there has been accident. The report of the IAEA-led expert group little further obvious decline—only about With radionuclide decay and migration, on environmental impacts covers radioac- 3Ð7 percent per year in the last decade. biological populations have been recover- tive releases and depositions, radionuclide Cs-137 activity concentrations in foods ing, starting in the first growing season fol- transfers and bioaccumulation, countermea- produced in areas affected by the Cher- lowing the accident but taking a few years sures, and effects on plants and animals. nobyl fallout are now generally below na- for recovery from major radiation-induced The major releases, which continued for tional and international action levels. But in adverse effects. Genetic effects in both so- 10 days, included radioactive gases, con- some limited areas with high radionuclide matic and germ cells were observed in densed aerosols, and a large amount of fuel contamination or poor organic soils, milk plants and animals in the Exclusion Zone particles. The total release of radioactive may still be produced with Cs-137 activity during the first few years. Different cytoge- substances was about 14 EBq (1 EBq = 1018 that exceeds national action levels of 100 netic anomalies attributable to radiation becquerel), including 1.8 EBq of I-131, Bq/kg, and environmental remediation may continue to be reported from experimental 0.085 EBq of Cs-137, 0.01 EBq of stron- still be warranted. studies, both in and beyond the Exclusion tium-90, and 0.003 EBq of plutonium ra- Vegetation and animals in forests and Zone, but it is not known whether the dioisotopes. Noble gases contributed about mountain areas have shown particularly anomalies have any detrimental biological 50 percent of the total release. high uptake of radiocesium, with the high- significance. More than 200 000 km2 of Europe (more est recorded Cs-137 levels found in forest Biota recovery in the Exclusion Zone has than 70 percent in the three most affected food products. Particularly high Cs-137 ac- been facilitated by the removal of humans countries) were contaminated above 37 tivity concentrations have been found in and the cessation of agricultural and indus- kBq/m2 of Cs-137. Deposition, which was mushrooms, berries, and game. These lev- trial activities. As a result, populations of extremely varied, was enhanced by rain. els have persisted for two decades, and for- many plants and animals have expanded. Most of the Sr and Pu radioisotopes were est food products still exceed intervention Indeed, environmental conditions have had deposited within 100 km of the accident levels in many countries. In some areas of such a positive impact on the biota that the site. While many significant radionuclides Belarus and Russia, consumption of forest Exclusion Zone has paradoxically become have decayed away, Cs-137 will continue foods with Cs-137 dominates internal ex- a unique sanctuary for biodiversity. for decades as the primary contaminant, and posure and can be expected to continue for Sr-90 the secondary. Over the longer term several decades. Forum recommendations (hundreds to thousands of years), plutonium Radioactivity from Chernobyl-contami- The scientists, politicians, and govern- isotopes and americium-241 contamination nated surface water systems in areas close ment officials attending the conference will be significant. to the reactor site and in many other parts were in agreement that the health and so- In urban areas, open surfaces were the of Europe was initially due primarily to di- cioeconomic recovery of areas affected by most heavily contaminated. Wind, rain, rect deposition of mostly short-lived ra- the Chernobyl accident now depends on and human activities, including traffic, dionuclides on the surface of rivers and weaning people away from a pervasive street washing, and cleanup, which signif- lakes. Contamination fell rapidly within “victim” mindset and helping communities icantly reduced contamination in inhabited weeks, through dilution, physical decay, become economically productive. and recreational areas, caused secondary and absorption of radionuclides to catch- To help people move forward more ac- contamination of sewage systems and ment soils. Bed sediments are an important tively, the Chernobyl Forum decided that sludge storage. In most settlements conta- long-term sink for radioactivity. UN-led activities related to Chernobyl

October 2005 NUCLEAR NEWS 49 would in the future be coordinated by the UNDP, rather than OCHA. “This shift in responsibility recognizes that the chal- International Briefs lenges facing the communities of Cher- ASME HAS OPENED AN OFFICE IN BRUSSELS TO BUILD UP ITS TIES to nobyl are best met by focusing on economic the engineering community in Europe and surrounding regions. The initial role of the development and the creation of new liveli- American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ first European office is to assess the state of hoods, rather than on the provision of hu- engineering practice in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and to gauge the technical manitarian aid,” as has been done up until community’s interest in ASME’s array of technical products and services. now, said Kalman Mizsei, UNDP assistant The Brussels office will promote dialogue with local engineers, corporations, educational administrator. institutions, and technical associations and will administer programs and events. The focus Participants in the conference called on of the outreach efforts will include government relations, continuing education, and the national and local governments of the technical codes and standards. ASME staff have already begun to meet with engineers and three most affected countries—Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine—and other govern- their employers to gain an understanding of the needs and challenges facing Europe’s ments and organizations that contribute engineering and technology community and also to assess the interests and needs of young funds and services for rehabilitation to fo- practitioners. cus resources more realistically. It stressed GENKAI-3 HAS BEEN CLEARED TO OPERATE WITH MOX FUEL by Japan’s that the sick must be properly treated, Nuclear Safety Commission and Atomic Energy Commission. According to the Japan rather than everyone being treated as sick. Atomic Industrial Forum, with these two assessments presented at the end of August, the Funds could thus be freed to help the larger Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency can now give the go-ahead to Kyushu Electric to load community fashion its future and return to normality. mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel into the 1180-MWe pressurized water reactor. The utility, Focusing resources—which already are however, must still obtain agreement from the local municipalities. scarce—on those most in need while ac- ONAGAWA-1, -2, AND -3, IN MIYAGI, SHUT DOWN AUTOMATICALLY tively fostering mainstream growth is the when a strong earthquake hit the region on the morning of August 16. According to the only alternative if sustained recovery is the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter of the event—which measured 7.2 on the aim, the conference participants agreed. Richter Scale—was offshore of the Miyagi Prefecture. All plants were operating normally People in real distress must be adequately treated. At the same time, a process of com- when the earthquake struck. At Onagawa-3, an 825-MWe unit, glass windows in the munity healing, based on good information, visitors’ gallery of the reactor building cracked, and a tank in the plant’s Environmental would address the widespread psychosocial Radioactivity Measurement Center leaked about 45 liters of dilute sulfuric acid. The effects of the accident. A holistic approach earthquake did not affect operations at other reactors in the region, which include Tokyo would protect the most vulnerable and pro- Electric’s Fukushima and Kashiwazaki Kariwa sites. mote an orderly process of recovery over THE START OF COMMERCIAL OPERATION OF HIGASHIDORI-1 has been the coming years. delayed two months, from October to December 2005. According to the Japan Atomic Informing the public Industrial Forum, Tohoku Electric has pushed back the date to allow sufficient time to The forum report presents a series of spe- inspect isolation valves similar to a main steam isolation valve that malfunctioned during cific recommendations, with public infor- trial operations in June. The unit achieved its first criticality on January 24 and was mation topping the list. Communication connected to the grid on March 9. with the public on the effects of the acci- ARMENIA WAS PROMISED SUPPORT FOR ESSENTIAL SAFETY UPGRADES dent was poor at the start and remains inad- at the Metsamor nuclear power plant by International Atomic Energy Agency Director equate, the report says. “Accurate informa- tion on living in conditions of low-dose General Mohamed ElBaradei during a two-day visit to the country at the end of July. radiation is available, yet it is either not ElBaradei also promised help to revise an assessment of Armenia´s energy needs during a reaching some people, or people are unable meeting with the country’s president, other government ministers, and the head of the to digest it or act upon it.” Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, and agreed to provide assistance for a feasibility Innovative ways need to be developed to study for constructing a new nuclear power plant in the country. increase knowledge about how to live safely Also included in ElBaradei’s visit was a courtesy call to His Holiness Karekin II Supreme in environments that have suffered radioac- Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians at St. Etchmiadzin. The Armenian Apostolic tive contamination, the report says. Equally, Church leader said the safe and uninterrupted operation of Metsamor, which provides those living in areas where exposure is too more than 35 percent of Armenia´s domestic energy needs, was vital to Armenia. low to pose any real threat to health and well-being need to be reassured of this. Problems of credibility and comprehensibil- disease and rising mortality that affect Be- tion and cultivation. The far smaller areas ity have hampered past efforts. “Information larus, Russia, and Ukraine should also ad- with higher levels of contamination require targeted to specific audiences is needed, as dress a variety of causes other than radia- a different strategy focused on greater mon- well as trusted community sources” that tion, such as excessive drinking and itoring, provision of health and social ser- could both help identify the type of infor- smoking, participants said. vices, and other assistance. mation required and transmit it. The report notes that government inter- Also noted is that programs should be “Any new information strategy should vention programs need to take into account streamlined and refocused to meet the ob- embrace a comprehensive approach to pro- the fact that levels of contamination vary in jectives of reducing the exposure to radia- moting healthy lifestyles, and not simply the different zones and to focus interven- tion and providing support to those directly focus on radiation hazards. Health educa- tion on highly contaminated areas. They affected, in a cost-effective way. They tion aiming at reducing internal and exter- also should clarify to the public that many should abandon measures that have created nal radiation should be just one part of areas previously considered to be at risk are, a dependency mentality and energize those health promotion.” Policies and interven- given natural processes as well as correc- that support opportunity, promote local ini- tions that aim to reduce the main causes of tive measures, now in fact safe for habita- tiatives, involve the people, and spur confi-

50 NUCLEAR NEWS October 2005 INTERNATIONAL dence in people shaping their own destinies with available resources.

Targeting the needy State benefits should be targeted better. “Many entitlements,” the report says, “are not related to the health impact of radiation, but are mainly socioeconomic in nature and correlated with residence rather than with any demonstrated need.” These should be replaced with programs that target the needy. Benefits and privileges should be folded into a conventional social assistance system that is targeted and means-tested. Elimination of benefits should be consid- ered for people in areas of mild contamina- tion, the report suggests. It also points to the enormous sums “cur- rently spent on benefits that make little sig- nificant difference to individual households, yet pose a huge burden on national bud- gets—or are not paid at all owing to rev- enue shortfalls. Moreover, correlating ben- efits with area of residence alone is unsound public policy, particularly where radiation levels are as low as natural background lev- els in other parts of Europe. Inhabitants should not be eligible for most benefits un- less a causal connection between the acci- dent and individual ill health can be demon- strated. Those who need state assistance on poverty grounds should be covered by a na- tionwide targeted and means-tested system of social assistance.”

Strengthening health care The report stresses the strengthening of primary health care services in contami- nated areas, saying that this should be a priority and should include the promotion of healthy lifestyles, improvements in ac- cess to and the quality of reproductive health care, especially obstetric health care in the most contaminated areas, and the provision of psychological support as well as diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems, especially depression. On the other hand, the provision of medicine and dental services should be eliminated [from Chernobyl-focused programs], ex- cept where some causal connection can be demonstrated between the accident and health status. The report recommends a rethinking of “health recuperation” programs. “The pro- vision of sanatoria and recuperation is not cost-effective, and such holidays offer lit- tle that is of direct health benefit to those exposed to low-dose radiation. In addition, they carry a strong suggestion that the af- fected areas are somehow ‘poisonous’ and thus unsuitable for human habitation. More- over, access to the programs is not always equitable.” The money spent on them could be better used to provide primary health care and promote healthy lifestyles. Inter- national charities that offer health holidays should also be asked to rethink this policy

October 2005 and encouraged to refocus their energies on sufficiency and self-reliance would free up the local level, including village-level en- measures that promote better health out- large national resources, which at present terprise clusters, to boost the incomes of the comes in affected communities—or to la- are tied up in subsidies and special Cher- poorest households. “Such initiatives must bel their activities something broader than nobyl-related assistance. draw on the growing body of international “Chernobyl.” An improved business climate and the en- experience in this area and be sensitive to couragement of investment, along with sup- the very special problems affecting commu- Producing safe food port for private sector development, are ad- nities that largely depend on food produc- On the desirability of promoting safe vocated. “Appropriate national policies tion in areas suffering from radioactive con- food production where radionuclides are would need to be supplemented by a proac- tamination.” present in the soil, the report says, “Know- tive approach to stimulating economic de- The report stresses that community struc- how is available, but some countermeasures velopment at the regional and local levels. tures need to be built to replace those lost in are currently not being applied due to the Economic incentives, such as special zones, the process of evacuation and as a result of lack of funds. Little is being done to ensure should be used only in tandem with im- the breakup of the Soviet Union. Initiatives the production of clean food on private provement in the business environment, as specifically designed to strengthen social in- plots, and thus to address the issue of food the use of tax and other incentives to attract teractions and promote community and eco- being produced for personal consumption entrepreneurial and skilled people to the re- nomic leadership in towns and villages are or for sale on village markets. But cost- gion may not work in an unfriendly business needed to underpin sustainable recovery. benefit analysis is essential in propagating environment, or because badly designed in- Possibilities for promoting “specialized eco- [radionuclide] mitigation measures, as the struments may lead to perverse incentives.” logical tourism” and for maximizing the costs of producing ‘clean food’ may exceed The report encourages support for initia- contribution that these areas can make to the any reasonable market value.” tives that promote inward investment, both preservation of international biodiversity domestic and international, to create small should be explored. Promoting economic, social viability and medium-size enterprises in the affected A digest report, Chernobyl’s Legacy: The report stresses that development areas and in the adjacent towns and cities Health, Environmental and Socio-economic aiming to make the affected communities “using the whole range of business support Impacts and Recommendations to the Gov- economically and socially viable in the techniques that have been tried and tested ernments of Belarus, the Russian Federa- medium and long term should be at the core in other parts of the world.” Particular ef- tion and Ukraine, contains the forum’s find- of strategies to address the effects of Cher- forts are needed to promote indigenous ings and recommendations and is available nobyl. Very large resources would be agricultural and food processing businesses. on the IAEA’s Web site at .—Gamini Seneviratne these communities, but community self- supporting very small-scale businesses at

52 NUCLEAR NEWS October 2005