ChErnobyl Disaster

The disaster of Chernobyl

The Disaster of Chornobyl: this event is commonly remembered due to forced relocation and the high death toll it caused; however, the long-term effects that this blast had on the health of thousands of individuals remain widely unknown.

For some background, the disaster of Chornobyl was caused when a reactor at a power plant in Chornobyl, Ukraine exploded in 1986. This explosion was mainly due to poor reactor design, and some negligence on the part of the power plant employees. This blast would immediately kill multiple people, but the radiation released into the atmosphere would lead to many fatalities due to acute radiation sickness, with over 600 thousand people being displaced. 

Although rumors regarding the Chornobyl disaster’s impact on cancer genomes arose for many years after the tragedy, a 2021 study disproved that adverse genes were passed down by victims and survivors of the Chornobyl disaster.  Despite this, some issues still exist today as shown in a study by Aleksandra Fučić. The study found that people who live in Chornobyl face higher rates of alcohol issues, as well as worse levels of mental health. This study shows that even though adverse genetic factors may not be in play, there may be many underlying issues in the Chornobyl area that still are creeping behind the shadows.