Chernobyl Legacy

[Honus]

A post on the LUG email list pointed me to a photographic essay on the Chernobyl disaster by Paul Fusco. If anyone questions the power of photography I would suggest that you send them here .

Robert

 

[jonasv]

According to IAEA, UN, UNSCEAR, and WHO, only 4% of all cancer and leukeamia cases in that area are caused by the Chernobyl incident. The other 96% are unrelated to Chernobyl.

But we know we need nuclear power so we will just shut up and pretend it's the truth, right?

 

[Andy K]

Many here have probably seen this but for those who haven't the best photo essay (IMO) on Chernobyl is Elena's Kidd Of Speed site. So, take a ride with Elena on her bike as she travels through the contamination zone to Chernobyl.

 

[Rafael]

That's an amazing photo essay. Last summer, I had the chance to see Robert Polidori's exhibition entitled Zones of Exclusion. Here is a link to some of the images. They do not appear nearly as spectacular on the web as they did hanging on the walls of the gallery. But I still think they are incredible images.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

There's also an article with just a few photos on the subject (well, now, post-disaster) on this month's National Geographic Magazine.

 

[BJ Bignell]

Many here have probably seen this but for those who haven't the best photo essay (IMO) on Chernobyl is Elena's Kidd Of Speed site. So, take a ride with Elena on her bike as she travels through the contamination zone to Chernobyl.

I'm pretty sure that this site was exposed as being partially fabricated:
http://mailman.mcmaster.ca/mailman/private/cdn-nucl-l/0405/msg00044.html
http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2004/05/fraud-exposed-and-true-thing.asp
http://extelligence.ringlet.net/roam/archives/000207.html

It's an interesting piece of work, but it mis-represents itself for what it really is.

 

[Dougg]

It's easy to find fault, and despite not wanting to seem a credulous fool, I prefer to think Elena's interesting story is true. 🙂

 

[dmr]

take a ridewith Elena on her bike as she travels through the contamination zone to Chernobyl.

That Elena story appears to be a hoax, or at least more fiction than fact. I was very sharply corrected by a co-worker when I brought it up in a meeting. He did have some good cites as to it being not totally true.

It's still a good story, though. 🙂

 

[sf]

in response to the original post, to the Chernobyl disaster, what can one say?

 

[Andy K]

I'm more inclined to believe the Ghost Town version. BJ, two of your links cite the same letter as evidence, the third leads to a dead page. It looks more like sour grapes by the 'tour guide' trying to discredit Elena to me.

 

[Taipei-metro]

Anyone watch the movie, 'Black Rain' (1989) directed by Imamura Shohei?
Young lady can not find a husband, because she was around Hiroshima area in Aug of 1945, since she may give birth to a deformed child.

The 'Litter Boy' and 'Fat Man' did big to the civilians.

No, Michael Douglas' same titled movie. 'Black Rain' has nothing to do w the A-bomb.

 

[Alec]

Lest we forget and let it happen again:
http://www.pripyat.com/en/photo_gallery/
(these look genuine)

 

[nomade]

According to IAEA, UN, UNSCEAR, and WHO, only 4% of all cancer and leukeamia cases in that area are caused by the Chernobyl incident. The other 96% are unrelated to Chernobyl.

Well maybe because it's mainly about thyroid cancer not leukemia, due to the rhuge amounts of radioactive iodine released into the air, also the unlimited number of active fission products including other gases, influence a lot of organs int he human body, and would cause a generation like the one in the photos, or the cat with 6 legs...
Let's not get into this accident because everything was handled the wrong way from the beginning.

I couldn't handle these photos...I can't forget the look of that kid on photo no 6.

 

[varjag]

According to IAEA, UN, UNSCEAR, and WHO, only 4% of all cancer and leukeamia cases in that area are caused by the Chernobyl incident. The other 96% are unrelated to Chernobyl.

But we know we need nuclear power so we will just shut up and pretend it's the truth, right?

The day, and the next day after accident it rained in most of Belarus - that's how we got about 70% of fallout. I was 9 at that time, but remember myself and friends hiding under concrete at a construction site, as we were told that the rain is unsafe, and trying to understand how the ordinary looking droplets could be dangerous. Many people who did not bother hiding that day got health problems soon after, typically vision-related.

Oh, and the dramatic Elena bike story is indeed a hoax.