Chernobyl's Deadly Effects Estimates Vary
By John LaForge
848 words
April 26 marks the 33rd anniversary of the 1986 radiation disaster at Chernobyl reactor Number 4 in Ukraine, just north of Kiev the capital. It is still nearly impossible to get scientific consensus on the vast extent of the impacts. The explosions and two-week long fire at Chernobyl spewed around the world something between one billion and nine billion curies of radiation -- depending on whose estimates you choose to believe. The accident is classified by the UN as the worst environmental catastrophe in human history.
Chernobyl's radioactive fallout has been blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acknowledges only 56 deaths among firefighters who suffered and died agonizing deaths in the disaster's immediate aftermath. However, the IAEA's officially chartered mission is "to accelerate and enlarge the contributions of nuclear power worldwide." Because of its institutional bias, one can dispute nearly everything the IAEA says about radiation risk.
Also on the low-end of fatality estimates is the World Health Organization which has to have its radiation studies approved by the IAEA! In 2006, the WHO's "Expert Group concluded that there may be up to 4,000 additional cancer deaths among the three highest exposed groups over their lifetime (240,000 liquidators; 116,000 evacuees, and the 270,000 residents of the Strictly Controlled Zones)." The WHO added to this 4,000 the estimate that "among the five million residents of areas with high levels of radioactive cesium deposition" in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine" predictions suggest "up to 5,000 additional cancer deaths may occur in this population from radiation exposure..."
Alternately, Ukraine's Minister of Health Andrei Serkyuk estimated in 1995 that 125,000 people had already died from the direct effects of Chernobyl's radiation. Serkyuk said a disproportionate share of casualties were among children, pregnant women and rescue workers or "liquidators." Liquidators were soldiers ordered to participate in the removal and burial of radioactive topsoil, heavy equipment, trees, and debris, wearing no protective clothing, respirators or radiation monitors.
On January 10, 2010 The Guardian reported that "reputable scientists researching the most radiation-contaminated areas of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine" dispute the IAEA estimates that only 56 firefighters died "and that about 4,000 will die from it eventually." The paper noted for example, that, "The International Agency for Research on Cancer, another UN agency, predicts 16,000 deaths from Chernobyl; an assessment by the Russian academy of sciences says there have been 60,000 deaths so far in Russia, and an estimated 140,000 in Ukraine and Belarus."
The Guardian further noted that, "Meanwhile, the Belarus national academy of sciences estimates 93,000 deaths so far and 270,000 cancers, and the Ukrainian national commission for radiation protection calculates 500,000 deaths so far."
The Los Angeles Times reported in 1998 that, "Russian officials estimated 10,000 Russian 'liquidators' died." The article quoted health officials who said "close to 3,600 Ukrainians who took part in the cleanup effort have died of radiation exposure." In 2001, the BBC upped the estimate and reported, "More than 30,000 Russians have died from radiation, half of whom were involved in dealing with the immediate aftermath...."
An August 4, 2003 New Yorker magazine article noted vaguely that, "Thousands of people died of cancers and other diseases in the years after the Chernobyl disaster," while The New York Times said April 23, 2003, "Thyroid cancer, leukemia and other cancers have skyrocketed in the area around the reactor." Around the 10th anniversary, under the headline, "Genetics: Chernobyl's burst in mutations," The Washington Post reported that, "Studies indicated that people ... living near Chernobyl are giving birth to offspring with a higher number of genetic mutations." In her April 27, 1996 dispatch for the Associated Press, journalist Angela Charlton noted "a hundred-fold increase in the incidence of childhood thyroid cancers in the affected region."
Chernobyl's health effects were felt much further away than the area around the reactor. The Los Angeles Times reported July 25, 1996, that radiation from Chernobyl was "linked to leukemia cases in Greece." Epidemiologic Reviews in Oxford Journals for March 30, 2005 reported, "The releases of radioactive materials were such that contamination of the ground was found to some extent in every country in the Northern Hemisphere." In its 1988 Report to the General Assembly, the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation found, "The accident at the Chernobyl ... resulted in radioactive material becoming widely dispersed and deposited ... throughout the northern hemisphere."
In 2001, Alex Kuzma, executive director of the Children of Chernobyl Relief Fund, documented an 80-fold increase in cancers in Belarus and Ukraine, and reported that 50 million people, including 1.26 million children, are affected. Eugene Cahaill of the Dublin-based Chernobyl Children's Project reported in the Irish Times in 2005 that, "Nine million people in Belarus, the Ukraine and Western Russian have been directly affected by the fallout."
Thirty-six hundred deaths, or 125,000? Nine million people affected, or 50 million? The health effects of exposing everyone in the hemisphere to Chernobyl's radiation (and Windscale's, and Santa Susana's, and Fukushima's) -- effects that are often delayed for decades -- are quite incalculable. Got cancer?
-end –
John LaForge, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Co-director of Nukewatch, a peace and environmental justice group in Wisconsin, and is co-editor with Arianne Peterson of Nuclear Heartland, Revised: A Guide to the 450 Land-Based Missiles of the United States.
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Gov. Gary Herbert to Ceremonially Sign 15 Pieces of Air Quality Legislation, Recognize $29 Million of Clean Air Funding
What:
On Earth Day, Gov. Herbert will ceremonially sign clean air legislation and recognize the legislature’s unprecedented investment in Utah’s air quality during the 2019 General Legislative Session.
Who:
Gov. Gary R. Herbert
Alan Matheson, Executive Director, Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Thom Carter, Executive Director, Utah Clean Air Partnership
Rep. Patrice Arent, Co-Chair, Clean Air Caucus
Rep. Steve Handy, Co-Chair, Clean Air Caucus
When:
Monday, April 22, 2019, 2:00 PM
Where:
State Capitol Complex, North Plaza
Notes:
B-roll opportunities showcasing state efforts to decrease emissions and improve air quality will be available following the signing event.
Governor Herbert will ceremonially sign the following bills:
HB107S01 - Sustainable Transportation and Energy Plan Act Amendments
HB139S01 - Motor Vehicle Emissions Amendments
HB148S04 - Vehicle Idling Revisions
HB218S02 - Construction Code Modifications
HB353 - Reduction of Single Occupancy Vehicle Trips Pilot Program Amendments
HB357S01 - Voluntary Wood Burning Conversion Program HB411S02 - Community Renewable Energy Act
HCR2S01 - Concurrent Resolution Supporting Renewable and Sustainable Energy Options to Promote Rural Economic Development
HCR3S01 - Concurrent Resolution Urging the Environmental Protection Agency to Update Switcher Locomotive Emission Standards
HCR5 - Concurrent Resolution Urging Policies that Reduce Damage from Wildfires
HCR9 - Concurrent Resolution Commending Jordan School District on its Fleet of Natural Gas School Buses
HCR11 - Concurrent Resolution Encouraging the Purchase of Tier 3 Gasoline
HCR13 - Concurrent Resolution Encouraging Utah Refiners to Manufacture Tier 3 Gasoline to Improve Air Quality
SB21 - Sunset Reauthorization - Air Conservation Act
SB144S01 - Environmental Quality Monitoring Amendments
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With National Small Business Week approaching and over 50% of the U.S. population working for a small business, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best Small Cities to Start a Business as well as accompanying videos, along with its 2019 Small Business Owner Survey.
To determine the most business-friendly small markets in the U.S., WalletHub compared more than 1,200 cities with fewer than 100,000 residents across 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from small business growth rates and accessibility of financing to investor access and labor costs.
Top 20 Small Cities to Start a Business
1
Holland, MI
11
Dania Beach, FL
2
St. George, UT
12
Carbondale, IL
3
Fort Myers, FL
13
Minot, ND
4
Redmond, OR
14
Boca Raton, FL
T-5
Cheyenne, WY
15
Deerfield Beach, FL
T-5
Huntsville, TX
16
Salisbury, NC
7
Bozeman, MT
17
Kearney, NE
8
Aberdeen, SD
18
Clearfield, UT
9
Bend, OR
19
Cedar City, UT
10
Wilson, NC
20
Springville, UT
Key Stats – Small Business Owner Survey
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-small-cities-to-start-a-business/20180/
Expert Commentary:
24% of Business Owners Say Small Business Week Is Helpful
National Small Business Week will run from Sunday May 5 through Saturday May 11 this year. But whom will it actually help? Almost 1 in 4 small business owners say the event helps their business, according to a new, nationally representative survey by WalletHub.
Small Business Week “has a great message that small businesses impact communities, families, and neighbors, but because it’s a very broad message, many people don’t know which companies are small businesses,” said Margaret King, the president of InfoRich Group, Inc., which advises organizations on how to improve their fundraising capacities. “Buyers generally buy products or services when they need them, and that may not be during Small Business Week,” said King. “I do think it raises awareness…but awareness doesn’t always translate to sales or revenue.”
Though most small business owners don’t feel particularly helped by National Small Business Week, younger owners are more optimistic. Business owners age 18-29 are 8 times more likely than business owners age 59+ to say that National Small Business Week helps them. Since today’s young business owners will have an impact on the economy for decades to come, that’s an important statistic.
Business-Owner Concerns
National Small Business Week brings the successes of small businesses to light. However, it’s also important to learn about the areas in which small businesses struggle. For example, WalletHub’s survey found that 65 percent of small business owners feel they pay too much in credit card processing fees, the fees the business is charged each time customers use credit cards to pay.
“Shop around and use your leverage,” said Daniel Cohen, the executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Wake Forest University. “You have nothing to lose. Also, experiment with accepting other forms of payment such as Venmo, Pay Pal, etc. My advice is to generate multiple ways that customers can pay you. These costs ultimately get passed down to customers anyway.”
Staffing vs. Customer Acquisition
As technology advances, small business owners can find more and more innovative ways to accept payment from their customers. And they can bring in tech-savvy younger staff who will be able to more easily adapt to modern business practices. In fact, small business owners aren’t especially worried about finding good workers. They’re twice as likely to say their biggest frustration has to do with marketing and acquiring new customers, according to WalletHub’s survey.
“A business is nothing without paying customers,” said Tommy White, executive-in-residence and co-director of the entrepreneurship incubator at American University. “However, customers are being bombarded with scores of ads and communications every day and are becoming numb to the messaging. Small business owners must put in the time and resources to innovate and test new ways to reach their customers.”
White went on to describe the ideal ratio of resources businesses should spend on acquiring good workers versus advertising to customers. “Staffing is often considered an afterthought with small business owners, something that will ‘take care of itself’,” said White. “This is a huge mistake. Spending the time up front identifying and recruiting quality staff will bring productivity rewards at 10x. Too often small business owners spend 80 - 90% of their time on their product and service and only 10 – 20% of their time on customer acquisition. A successful business should be split 50 – 50 between the two.”
Business Credit Card or Personal?
One other big issue for small businesses is whether to use a business credit card or personal credit card for company spending. According to WalletHub’s survey, 7 out of 10 small business owners have used a personal credit card for business purposes. This is perfectly legal but can lead to messy bookkeeping if personal charges are also on the card.
“It is really not a good idea to combine personal and business accounts,” said Robert N. Lussier, an author and professor of business management at Springfield College. “Even if you are a sole proprietorship, unless you have very few business transactions, keep two separate sets of accounts. Have a separate checking and credit card account for your business. The two accounts can be personal and free of charges; if they are cheaper than business accounts, so long as you only use one for business.”
Small business owners and their employees provide an enormous benefit to the U.S. economy, so it’s important to support them not just during National Small Business Week but all throughout the year. And though many small business owners think the week honoring them isn’t particularly helpful in terms of sales, there are still plenty of resources and events that they should consider taking advantage of.
The centerpiece of this week is the National Small Business Week Awards, which recognizes outstanding businesses nominated from across the country. Other events include a virtual conference to help business owners meet each other and learn more about topics of their choice, hackathons to solve business problems and more.
