In secretive Belarus, Chernobyl's impact is breathtakingly grim

[Ksheed]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/17/belarus-border-town-chernobyl-30th-anniversary/82888796/

[Marlin]

 

While reading this note that Belarus is almost 200 miles from Chernobyl and the exclusion zone is 18.6 miles.

Advice on Conditions Pertaining to the Contaminated Areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia

http://www-ns.iaea.org/appraisals/chernobyl-living-advice.asp?l58

[GLW]

While reading this note that Belarus is almost 200 miles from Chernobyl and the exclusion zone is 18.6 miles.

Advice on Conditions Pertaining to the Contaminated Areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia

http://www-ns.iaea.org/appraisals/chernobyl-living-advice.asp?l58

the appraisals last statement:

...While this advice is given in good faith, neither the Agency’s Member States nor its Secretariat can be held legally responsible for its accuracy or applicability.

aka: thanks for nothing,...

sheeeeesh,...

[Ksheed]

While reading this note that Belarus is almost 200 miles from Chernobyl and the exclusion zone is 18.6 miles.

Advice on Conditions Pertaining to the Contaminated Areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia

http://www-ns.iaea.org/appraisals/chernobyl-living-advice.asp?l58

Looks like 12 miles to me. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chornobyl,+Kyivs'ka+oblast,+Ukraine/Hdzie%C5%84+%D0%93%D0%B4%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C/@51.2858135,30.4291006,12.16z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x472a8f00e898abcf:0x14bcceabdbfd5d2c!2m2!1d30.2218992!2d51.2763027!1m5!1m1!1s0x472a9b5daf679caf:0x875ef78847315130!2m2!1d30.4422667!2d51.3345556!4e1

[Marlin]

Looks like 12 miles to me. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chornobyl,+Kyivs'ka+oblast,+Ukraine/Hdzie%C5%84+%D0%93%D0%B4%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C/@51.2858135,30.4291006,12.16z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x472a8f00e898abcf:0x14bcceabdbfd5d2c!2m2!1d30.2218992!2d51.2763027!1m5!1m1!1s0x472a9b5daf679caf:0x875ef78847315130!2m2!1d30.4422667!2d51.3345556!4e1

Not what I get.

https://bit.ly/1SvI7at

[Ksheed]

Like every map search function I've ever used, if you only type in the name of the country it will put you at the geographical center of said country. It works that way for cities as well. Your link is providing the distance from Chernobyl to the geographical center of Belarus. The article was referring to southern Belarus. If you look at the border that separates Belarus from Ukraine it is less than 10 miles from Chernobyl.

https://www.bing.com/mapspreview/?&ty=0&rtp=pos.53.54347_28.05409_Belarus_Belarus__e_~pos.51.27222_30.22417__Chernobyl__e_&mode=d&u=0&tt=Belarus%20to%20Chernobyl&tsts1=%2526ty%253d0%2526rtp%253dpos.53.54347_28.05409_Belarus_Belarus__e_~pos.51.27222_30.22417__Chernobyl__e_%2526mode%253dd%2526u%253d0&tstt1=Belarus%20to%20Chernobyl&tsts0=%2526ty%253d18%2526q%253dbelarus%2526satid%253did.sid%25253a70f0e4f4-4cfb-8ee3-cfe6-041ba6b221bc%2526mb%253d53.624383~27.785612~53.462402~28.322568&tstt0=Belarus&cp=52.269628~27.310556&lvl=6&ftst=1&ftics=True&v=2&sV=1&form=S00027

If you would look at the map of the exclusion zone, it actually crosses into Belarus in a few different places: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zHS3zcbOh27E.kDYv5TU4bGNU&hl=en

P.S. Bing sucks 

[Ksheed]

Could add this article to this thread as well.

http://www.businessinsider.com/birth-defects-related-to-chernobyl-2016-4

[Marlin]

Like every map search function I've ever used, if you only type in the name of the country it will put you at the geographical center of said country. It works that way for cities as well. Your link is providing the distance from Chernobyl to the geographical center of Belarus. The article was referring to southern Belarus. If you look at the border that separates Belarus from Ukraine it is less than 10 miles from Chernobyl.

https://www.bing.com/mapspreview/?&ty=0&rtp=pos.53.54347_28.05409_Belarus_Belarus__e_~pos.51.27222_30.22417__Chernobyl__e_&mode=d&u=0&tt=Belarus%20to%20Chernobyl&tsts1=%2526ty%253d0%2526rtp%253dpos.53.54347_28.05409_Belarus_Belarus__e_~pos.51.27222_30.22417__Chernobyl__e_%2526mode%253dd%2526u%253d0&tstt1=Belarus%20to%20Chernobyl&tsts0=%2526ty%253d18%2526q%253dbelarus%2526satid%253did.sid%25253a70f0e4f4-4cfb-8ee3-cfe6-041ba6b221bc%2526mb%253d53.624383~27.785612~53.462402~28.322568&tstt0=Belarus&cp=52.269628~27.310556&lvl=6&ftst=1&ftics=True&v=2&sV=1&form=S00027

If you would look at the map of the exclusion zone, it actually crosses into Belarus in a few different places: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zHS3zcbOh27E.kDYv5TU4bGNU&hl=en

P.S. Bing sucks  

Because It's Not Google  

[Marlin]

Because It's Not Google  

Operator error aside the relative risk assessed by experts does not match the doom and gloom by both articles. I might add that the increases in health related effects may be from increased scrutiny not increased incidents. There may be an increase in thyroid cancers but the average exposures do not support the type of cancers and birth defects by these two articles.

[Marlin]

This thread has many parallels to the one on Scandinavia's reindeer.

https://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,40141.0.html

[Ksheed]

Operator error aside the relative risk assessed by experts does not match the doom and gloom by both articles. I might add that the increases in health related effects may be from increased scrutiny not increased incidents. There may be an increase in thyroid cancers but the average exposures do not support the type of cancers and birth defects by these two articles.

While I don't doubt that the "journalists" responsible for the articles put their own spin on the facts, you'll never convince me that the governments involved are providing all of the facts either. I would bet that the truth is somewhere in-between the two sides of the story. Of course if we started to dive into the "Big Brother Cover-Up" conversations this thread would end up on the other side of the forum...

[Marlin]

While I don't doubt that the "journalists" responsible for the articles put their own spin on the facts, you'll never convince me that the governments involved are providing all of the facts either. I would bet that the truth is somewhere in-between the two sides of the story.

Hard to hide this with all of the international publicity and I don't think the government of Ukraine would carry any water for Russia the accident happened 5 years before they gained independence.

Of course if we started to dive into the "Big Brother Cover-Up" conversations this thread would end up on the other side of the forum...

Discussion is not a problem, PolySci is a forum for controversial topics, where the users have agreed to a less restrictive set of rules. Discussion is not a problem provided as you say it does not drift into violation of the site rules. PolySci is loaded with issues such as politics, climate change, second amendment, and other contentious discussions.

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,4700.0.html

[Ksheed]

Pulled from the newsfeed, for what it's worth.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/30-years-chernobyl-nuclear-race/

[Marlin]

Pulled from the newsfeed, for what it's worth.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/30-years-chernobyl-nuclear-race/

Which was pulled from from Scientific American no wonder it was balanced as opposed to what I might expect from PBS on topics like this.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/engineers-race-to-entomb-the-decaying-chernobyl-reactor-video/

[Marlin]

Another balanced article with some nice pictures.


30 Years After Chernobyl Disaster, an Arch Rises to Seal Melted Reactor

Hanna Vronska, Ukraine’s acting minister of ecology and natural resources, said the Ukrainian government was considering the creation of a biosphere to preserve the unique ecosystem for further study.

Wildlife has flourished in the forest, which is largely off limits to humans. Officials say species such as lynx, wild boar, wolves, elk, bear and European bison have rebounded.

“It will be possible to do scientific research in the area as well as to preserve the unique ecosystem of the region,” Ms. Vronska said. “The biggest threat to nature is not the radiation, but humans.”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/30-years-after-chernobyl-disaster-an-arch-rises-to-seal-melted-reactor-1461526871

[Ksheed]

Which was pulled from from Scientific American no wonder it was balanced as opposed to what I might expect from PBS on topics like this.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/engineers-race-to-entomb-the-decaying-chernobyl-reactor-video/

Looks like I posted a different link then the one I intended. Here is the one I was reading.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/ap-exclusive-test-finds-chernobyl-residue-belarus-milk-38644447