Report for Belarus

For ten years the Republic of Belarus has been living under conditions of large-scale radionuclide contamination caused by the explosion of a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April 1986. It was the most powerful disaster of its kind anywhere on the planet. The radiation released affected practically the entire northern hemisphere. The most highly radioactive trace left by the accident was on Belarus territory. Scientists are still arguing about the quantity of radionuclides released into the atmosphere as a result of the nuclear reactor explosion. The most conservative estimates compare it to the effect of at least 10 atom bombs exploding. The consequences of the Chernobyl accident have had a serious effect on all - including social, economic and political - aspects of life in the afflicted regions and in Belarus as a whole, and have been an extremely destructive factor. The entire Republic suffered in the immediate post-accident period from radionuclide releases, including short-lived radionuclides. 2 tabs