A

Absinthe, 7, 31

Acute radiation syndrome, 15, 22, 39, 196, 199, 223

Africa, fallout in, 19

Agrobacterium tumefaciens, 61

Allergies, 207

Americium, 19, 47, 48, 49, 58, 73, 103, 105, 209, 210

Antropov, Valery, 25–26, 27, 28–29, 175

Andropov, Yuri, 219, 240

Apocalypse, 6, 8

Apocalyptic connections, 1, 6, 8–9, 34, 153

Aquifers, 178, 179–180.

See also Water contamination

Arizona State University, 238

Artemenko, Nadia, 212

Askania Nova reserve, 129, 130–131, 132–133, 134, 135, 137, 142, 144, 145, 148, 150

Aspen, 42, 49

Atmospheric nuclear testing, 18, 41, 47, 52, 139, 164

Atomic bomb survivors, 196–197, 198

Atomic numbers, 11

Atomic nucleus, 10–11, 40

Austria, fallout in, 16–17

Azure tits, 32, 84

B

Babchyn, 80–82, 86, 87, 89–91, 93

Bacteria, 52, 62

Badger, 114

Barium isotopes, 16, 50, 55, 117, 120–121, 153, 200

Bay boletus (Boletus badius), 64

Beaver, 106, 114, 115

Beekeeping (bortnytstvo), 187–188, 232

Belarus

canals, 157

cleanup, 24, 71

compensation of victims, 197, 198

contaminated lands, 35–36, 68, 75–76, 77, 78, 232

earnings in, 205

economy, 69

endemic goiter, 202

evacuations and resettlements, 23, 74, 77, 191, 198

exclusion zone, 68, 69–75, 78, 80–91, 115, 130, 132, 135, 140, 156, 186

government, 71

immigration policy for evacuated areas, 80

independence, 28

number of people affected, 198

peat fires, 94

PSRER management, 69–70

radioactive fallout, 14, 19, 54, 75, 78, 83, 91–92

radiation standards for food, 122

resettlement of contaminated areas, 232

thyroid cancer, 77, 78, 202

wildlife, 101, 185

Berovsky, Oleksandr (Sasha), 101–103, 106–111, 129, 132, 135, 136, 138, 141, 142, 143, 144, 147, 149, 150, 151

Berries, 56, 57, 61, 71, 122, 195

Beta burn, 22

Bialowiecza reserve, 106, 130

Biblical flood story, 168

Bidna, Svitlana, 2, 5, 6, 14, 25, 28–29, 37, 40–41, 43, 45, 48, 49, 53, 56

Birch, 42, 49, 84, 214

Birds.

See also individual species

aquatic, 84, 95–97, 174, 192

migratory species, 19, 44–45, 85, 123

mutants, 85

as radiation vectors, 223

raptors, 100, 113

rare and endangered species, 32, 113

strontium in eggshells, 85, 96

Upper Swamps sanctuary, 95–96

Birth rates, 197

Bismuth, 11

Bison grass, 43–44

Black birch, 96

Black grouse, 84, 158

Black redstart, 45

Black Sea, 168

Boars, 33, 45, 93, 108, 109, 112, 114–115, 117, 121, 122, 123, 133, 138, 141, 142, 143, 144, 149

Bogs, 51, 95, 96

Bondar, Yuri, 89, 90, 91

Bragin, 24, 71, 92

Braginka River, 161, 180

Breast cancer, 200

Brest region, 202

Brezhnev, Leonid, 219, 240

Brookhaven National Laboratory, x

Brown, Kate, 184–186, 188 187–188, 191, 194

Bryansk region, 76, 202

Bulgaria, fallout, 16

Burakivka barrows, 25–26, 59, 109, 179, 229, 241

C

Calcium, 49, 50, 56–57, 85

Carbon-14, 55, 124

Cardiovascular diseases, 203, 206, 207

Carotenoids, 85

Cemeteries, 60, 186, 187–188, 208, 209, 211–215, 234

Cerium-144, 29, 200

Cesium

in aquatic organisms, 84, 167, 169–170, 171, 172

bacterial fixing in soils, 52

bioavailability, 49–50, 51–52, 117, 121–122, 123, 164

chemistry, 55

condensate, 17, 47, 50–51, 78, 94, 108

contaminated area, 19, 51–52, 54, 68, 73, 74, 75, 76–77, 78, 83, 91–92, 93, 94, 101, 142, 171, 177, 193, 208

curies in exclusion zone, 18, 68, 177, 193

decay and radiation hazard, 16, 29, 46, 50, 104, 117, 120–121

detoxification, 203–204

half-lives, 46, 231, 239

in hot particles, 50–51

human exposure, 123–124, 193, 195, 201, 203

in inhabited areas, 209–210

internal contamination, 49, 85, 120–121, 123, 124, 193

isotopes, 16, 46, 47

measurement in humans, 123–124, 193

migration, 51–52, 63, 64, 160

in mushrooms, 64, 65, 195

from nuclear weapons testing, 47

permissible levels in food, 103, 122, 138, 214

on and in plants, 38, 41, 49–50, 57, 172, 234, 235

turnover, 123

water pollution, 155, 158, 160, 161, 169–170, 172, 178

in wildlife, 85, 103, 117, 120–122

Chabad Children of Chernobyl project, 204, 205

Chain reaction. See Nuclear fission

Chala, Maria, 192

Challenger disaster, x

Channel catfish, 164

Chanterelle mushrooms, 96

Cherevach, 53, 54, 142

Chernenko, Konstantin, 240

Chernihiv, 92

Chernobyl accident victim syndrome, 197

Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station

accessibility to people, 222–223

bubbler pools, 222, 229

Cascade and Buttress Walls, 222, 225, 226, 228

cause of disaster, 9, 13

cleanup, 24, 25, 177

closure of plant, 72, 73, 174, 200, 219

cooling pond, 153–154, 160, 162–168, 169, 179

core meltdown, 17, 18, 22–23, 44

decommissioning and decontamination, 177, 219, 220–221, 228–229, 230, 231

earthquake risks, 226, 229

elephant’s foot and fuel-containing masses, 217, 218, 222, 223, 224, 228, 229, 230, 241

explosion, 2, 3–4, 8, 13, 18–19, 54, 83, 155, 171, 221, 222, 226

fission reaction risk, 223–224

graphite fire, 4, 5, 16, 54, 76, 221, 222

groundwater contamination, 222

long-term dangers, 217

missing fuel, 221–222, 229

monitoring, 223, 226

New Safe Confinement, 227–229, 230, 239, 241

occupational exposures, 227, 228

post-accident operation, 25, 200–201, 219

radiation levels around, 166, 217, 220, 222–223, 225, 226, 229

radiation releases, 9, 13–20, 22–23, 139

radionuclide inventory, 16, 17, 21–22

reactors 5 and 6, 165

RBMK design, 12–13

Sarcophagus/Shelter Object, 17, 25, 26, 44, 68, 73, 77, 85, 90, 139, 159, 161, 162, 171, 177, 179, 206, 207, 217, 218–219, 220, 221–222, 223, 225, 226–227, 230, 232, 234, 235, 240

secrecy about disaster, x, xi, 118, 181, 240, 242

Shelter Implementation Plan, 227

torch monument, 9, 14, 19

“unit water,” 223–224

Vector waste storage facility, 230, 231

Visitors Center, 225

waste disposal, 224, 225, 227, 229–230, 231

water supply, 178

Western attitudes about disaster, ix, x, xi

wildlife, 85, 162

workers, 73, 206, 207, 219, 220, 227, 231

Chernobyl Children’s Project International, 75

Chernobyl Ecological Center, 72

Chernobyl Heart (film), 75, 203

Chernobyl Maria, 201

Chernobyl museum, 3, 23, 240

Chernobyl region. See Exclusion zone

Chernobyl-2 radar station, 149–150

Chernobylinterinform, 30, 33–34, 37, 48, 70, 72, 80–81, 88, 159, 184, 208

Chernov, Serhiy, 208, 209, 214, 215

Children

health holiday initiatives, 203–205

mutations in, 206

psychological effects of accident, 232

radiation exposure, 21, 71, 200

thyroid cancer, 77, 78, 197, 200, 201–203

China Syndrome (film), xi

Chistohalivka, 239

Chizhevsky, Igor, 113, 114, 116–117, 118, 119, 122, 123, 188

Chornobyl (mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris), 6–7, 8, 53

Chornobyl (town)

cleanup, 24, 71

cultural background, 36, 53

evacuation, 23

Jews of, 184

life in, 30–34, 69, 72, 80, 90, 91, 101–102, 207

radiation levels, 16, 18, 31, 34

samosel populations, 233

water supply, 154–155, 178

wildlife, 33, 140

wormwood connection, 7

Comb-and-Pit culture, 36

Congenital deformities, 200, 203, 206

Cormorants, 84, 162, 175

Costs of Chernobyl disaster, 76–80

Crimean Tatars, 131

Crown gall disease, 61

Crucian carp, 163–164

Cultural losses, 35–37

Cultural artifacts, preservation, 59, 177

Curium, 47

Currants, 56

Cutaneous radiation syndrome, 22

Cynipids, 61

D

Decomposition, 62–63, 100–101, 103, 179

Decontamination and waste management. See also Radiological contamination

bacteria and, 52

Belarus, 24, 71

Burakivka barrows, 25–26, 59, 109, 179, 229, 241

buried villages, 23–24, 28, 59–60, 93, 137, 239

costs, 168

dust control, 219, 228–229

equipment graveyards, 24, 25–26, 59, 155, 175–176

erosion control, 171

facility for decommissioning reactor, 177

fire prevention as, 30

leaky radioactive dumps, 27–29, 37–38, 41, 77, 175–176, 178–179

“liquidators,” 24–25, 72, 73, 77, 197, 198, 199–200, 205–206

protection of water supply, 24, 155–162, 165, 169, 170–171, 173, 174, 175–176, 177, 179

reactor, 24, 25, 177, 206, 207

reoccupied villages and towns, 71

runoff from, 153, 175

trees for fixing radionuclides, 59–60, 82

“Dirty bombs,” 73, 237

DNA breakage and repair, 206–207

Dnieper basin, xi, 153, 154, 161, 168, 180

Dneister River, 154

Dogs, 23

Drevlyany/Derevlians, 36, 46

Duckweed, 170

Dymer, 110

Dytiatky, 44

E

Eagle owls, 85

East View Cartographic, 84

Economic costs of disaster, 76–77

Ehrlich, Paul R., 99–100

England, fallout in, 47

Equipment graveyards, 24, 25–26, 59, 155, 175–176

Erosion control, 171

Eurasian brown bear, 114, 140

European bison, 106, 112, 130, 132

European jay, 46

European Union, 112, 122, 139

Europium-154, 47, 48

Evacuations, 4–5, 15, 20–23, 36–37, 45, 68, 74, 77–78, 86, 162

Evening primrose, 108

Exclusion zone.

See also Wildlife, post-disaster;

specific places

Belarusan reserve, 68, 69–75, 78, 80–91, 115, 130, 132, 135, 140, 156, 186, 231–232

buried and abandoned villages, 23–24, 28, 59–60, 93, 137, 239

checkpoints and border crossings, 67–68, 70–72, 73, 82–83, 90, 94, 107, 156, 185

clean areas, 68, 71, 108, 192, 231

cleanup, 23–30, 37–38, 72, 88

economic activities in, 230, 231–232

equipment graveyards, 24, 25–26, 59, 68, 155, 175–176

evacuations, 4–5, 15, 20–23, 36–37, 45, 68, 74, 77–78, 86, 162

fallout and contamination patterns, 23, 41–42, 47, 50–51, 67, 68, 75, 78, 81, 83, 94, 96, 101, 137, 138–139, 142, 155, 175, 177, 185, 187, 193, 208, 235

feral fields, 45

fire hazards, 60, 89, 94, 106, 132, 158, 171, 209, 232

information pamphlets, 74–75

inhabited areas, 77, 79, 86, 94, 208;

see also Human life in contaminated areas

introducing species into, 129, 132–136, 137–138

livestock in, 23, 86, 87–89, 106, 119, 123, 132, 202, 208

management of, 27–28, 60, 68, 69–70, 71–73, 80–83, 88, 132, 140, 156

maps, 83–84, 157

poaching and looting in, 59–60, 61, 140, 239–240

post-disaster landscape, 1–2, 25, 32–33, 45–46

priority rehabilitation lands, 230

protective clothing for, 26

radiation levels, 2, 9, 14, 16, 18, 26, 29–34, 38, 41, 45, 48, 57, 75, 81, 82, 86, 93, 96, 154, 177, 209, 231

radioecology research in, 58–59, 112–119

radionuclide amounts in, 48, 68, 75

reflooding of peat lands, 94–96, 174

repopulation of, 231–232, 235

security measures, 68, 69, 71, 73, 82–83, 89, 93, 188, 214, 239

size of, 24

succession in, 5–6, 32, 33, 45–47

10-kilometer zone (desiatka), 23, 25, 26, 29, 45, 47, 50–51, 59, 64, 75, 96, 100, 107, 137, 149, 156, 157, 162, 218

Ukrainian Zone of Exclusion and Zone of Unconditional (Mandatory) Resettlement, 23–34, 35–38, 45–47, 48, 50–51, 59–61, 64, 69, 72, 80–81, 112–119, 128–136, 140, 156, 186, 192–193

uninhabitable areas, 35–36, 45, 47, 69

workers in, 60–61, 72–73, 81, 90, 92, 113, 122–123, 124

Exploitation of disaster

films, 186

by workers, 201

F

Fauna program, 132–133, 135, 136

Fens, 51, 85, 95, 96

Field sagewort, 42

Finland, fallout, 19, 76

Fires and firefighters, 60, 89, 94, 106, 132, 158, 171, 198, 209, 232

Fish

consumption by zone residents, 195

farming, 230

radioactivity levels, 122, 163–165, 166, 168, 172

Food

radiation standards, 103, 122, 138, 194, 214

reducing radiation in, 195–196

sources for zone residents, 193–194, 195, 214

Foxes, 100, 101, 115

Fruit, 122

Fungi, 65.

See also Mushrooms

mycelia, 63–64

G

Gall wasps, 61

Gashchak, Serhiy, 113

Gden, 71

Golden eagle, 33

Goloskokov, Oleg, 221, 222, 223, 225

Gomel, 76, 78, 79, 84, 91–92, 202

Gorbachev, Mikhail, x, 118, 219, 240, 242

Gore, Al, 233–234

Graphite moderator, 4, 5, 16

Grasses, 56, 103, 138–139

Gray herons, 86, 95

Great tits, 85

Great white egrets, 84, 95, 191

H

Helium, 11

Herodotus, 36

Honey bees, 124

Hoopoes, 117–118, 192

Horses, 88–89, 133, 231–232.

See also Przewalski’s horses

Human effects of Chernobyl disaster

accident victim syndrome, 197

acute radiation syndrome, 15, 22, 39, 196, 199

atomic bomb survivors compared, 196–197, 198

beta burn, 22

cancer (solid, nonthyroid), 196–198, 200, 203, 206–207

cardiovascular diseases, 203, 206, 207

on children, 21, 71, 200, 201–203, 206, 232

compensation for victims, 74, 197–198, 204

congenital deformities, 200, 203, 206

cutaneous radiation syndrome, 22

evacuations and resettlements, 23, 73, 74, 77, 78–80, 86, 184, 190, 193, 198, 199, 209, 212–213

firefighters, 198

humanitarian assistance, 203–205

immune system disorders, 203, 207

infant mortality, 197

leukemia, 196, 198, 201, 206

“liquidators,” 77, 197, 198, 199–200, 205–206

number of people affected, 198

psychological effects, 232, 241–242

radiation doses, 79, 196, 198–200

thyroid cancer, 77, 78, 197, 200, 201–203

Human life in contaminated areas

attitudes about radiation safety, 165, 195, 233

beekeeping (bortnytstvo), 187–188, 232

birth rates, 197

children, 201, 208, 232

crime and lawlessness, 59–60, 61, 140, 188–189, 210

cultural preservation, 59

demographics, 209

dwelling characteristics, 30, 86, 191, 210–211

economic activities, 88, 187–188, 231–232

experimental farm, 87–89, 210

food, 79, 193–197, 210, 211, 214–215, 233

future of, 231–232

historical background, 36, 53, 183–184, 185, 187–188, 191

immigrants, 80, 188–189

Internet Web sites, 186, 192

khutir (independent homestead), 191

lunch with the dead (provody), 207–209, 211–215

poaching and hunting in, 59–60, 61, 83, 97, 115, 140, 189, 233

population, 198

poverty, 194

radiation risks, 77–78, 193–197, 209–211, 214–215, 232, 233

reoccupied villages and towns, 71, 185, 190–193

roadways and vehicle traffic, 109, 157, 177, 190, 191–192

samosels (squatters), 31, 32, 124, 184, 185, 190–197, 201, 208–209, 210–215, 232–233

tourists and tourism, 184, 186–187

trespassers and vagrants, 189

K

Kaczynski, Ted, 231

Kaluga-Tula-Orel region, 76

Kestrels, 84, 100

Kharkiv stud farm, 134

Khoiniki, 69, 70, 74, 78, 80, 81, 89, 90

Kholosha, Volodymyr, 230, 231, 232–233, 235

Kiev

Chernobyl museum, 3, 23

contaminated area, 51–52, 92

decontamination, 24

forced collectivization, 187–188, 191

internal exposure levels in, 123, 124

radiation levels, 82

radioactive fallout, 17, 18, 60, 90, 94

water supply, 161, 178, 180

Kiev Sea (reservoir), 44, 155, 156, 168, 180, 185, 190

Kievan Rus’, 36

Kolesnik, Yuri, 102, 106, 107, 110

Komarin, 68, 71, 72, 92–93

Kopachi, 50–51, 100, 137, 239

Korean demilitarized zone, 127–128

Korohod, 138, 143, 149

Kosharovka, 173

Koshiva, 157

Kostenko, Lisa, 217

Kouprey, 127

Krasne, 155, 160

Kriuky, 94, 96

Kuchma, Leonid, xii, 187

Kulaks, 183

Kulazhyn, 94

Kyselytsia, Rimma, 2–3, 5, 9, 14, 25, 31–32, 37, 38, 48, 56, 70, 72, 80, 82, 84, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 122, 123, 124, 184, 185, 188, 194, 206, 207, 218, 219, 220, 225, 234, 239, 240

Kyshtym nuclear spill, 221

L

Ladyzhichi, 108, 186, 187

Lake Azbuchyn, 171–172, 173, 179

Lake Daleke, 173

Lake Hlyboke, 159, 160, 165, 171–172, 173

Lapwings, 192

Leaky radioactive dumps, 27–29, 37–38, 41, 77, 175–176, 178–179

Leliv, 45, 107, 108

Lenin, V. I., 219–220

Leukemia, 196, 198, 201, 206

Lichens (Xanthoria), 5, 18–19

“Liquidators,” 24–25, 72, 73, 77, 197, 198, 199–200, 205–206

Livestock, 23, 86, 87–89, 106, 119, 123, 132, 202, 208

Lovelock, James, 235–236

Lubianka, 208–209, 211–215

Lung cancer, 105, 196

Lynx, 115, 147

M

Mammoths, 128

Marsh harriers, 100, 192

Martin, Paul, 128

Maybugs, 116, 120

Melnychenko, Mykola, 187

Mexico, deforestation, 235

Minsk, 90

Mires, 51, 83, 85, 94, 95, 174

Mitochondrial DNA, 118

Mogilev, 76, 78, 92, 202

Molybdenum-99, 21, 47

Monarch butterfly, 235

Mongolia, 140

Moose, 93, 96–97, 101, 106, 107, 110, 111–112, 114, 120–121, 140, 142, 158, 171

Moscow, 76, 91, 94

Mosses, 61, 234

Mozyr, 86

Mushrooms, 61, 62, 64, 65, 71, 96, 109, 122, 195, 196

Mutations, 85, 99, 118–119, 163, 206

Mute swans, 95

N

Naked brimcap (Paxillus involutus), 64, 65

Nature preserves.

See also Exclusion zone;

Wildlife, post-disaster;

specific preserves

combat zones as, 127–128

in exclusion zone, 230–231

involuntary parks, 128, 218, 236

re-creation of Ice Age world, 128

Rock Flats nuclear facility, 127

Zone of Alienation to protect, 235–236

Necropolis (film), 186

Neptunium, 21–22, 47, 105

Neuri, 36

Night herons, 84

Novoshepelychi, 59–60, 209–210

Nuclear fission, 218

natural chain reaction, 12

principles, 11–12, 40

risk from Chernobyl FCMs, 223–224

Nuclear fuel, 222

Nuclear power

alternatives to, xi

conventional combustion plants compared, 9–10, 12

graphite-moderated reactor, 12–13

principles of, 9–11

probability of reactor meltdown, xi–xii, 241

support of, 235

water-moderated reactor, 12, 13, 224

Nuclear waste disposal, 12, 139, 224, 235–236, 241

warning signs for, 236–239

Nuclear weapons industry spills, 58, 85, 127, 166, 218

O

Oak, 42, 49

Obrazhei, Olena, 210

Obrazhei, Sava, 210

Oklo natural reactor, 12

Otashiv, 108

P

Palytayev, Petr, 70, 72, 74, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86–87, 89, 91, 92, 102

Partridges, 158

Paryshiv, 70, 71, 72, 156, 185, 195

Pasichnyk, Volodymyr, 4

Pasqualetti, Martin, 238

Peat, 51, 174

Periodic table of elements, 11

Pike perch, 164

Pines, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 49, 57, 60, 82, 100–101, 103, 144–145, 170, 176, 218

Plants.

See also Trees;

individual species

adaptation to radioactive environment, 58

aquatic, 170, 172

cesium, 38, 41, 49–50, 57, 172

chloroplast damage, 43

crown gall disease, 61

deposition of fallout on, 41–42

in Exclusion Zone, 29, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43–44, 45–46

gigantism, 42

meristems, 42

radiation doses to, 42

radiomorphism, 29, 37, 40, 41, 42, 170

radionuclide uptake by, 16–17, 31, 38, 47, 49, 50–52, 57, 60, 61, 96, 103, 165, 234

at Savannah River site, 41

sterility, 43

stunting, 42, 43

Plum, wild, 49

Plutonium

Chernobyl inventory, 16

contaminated area, 47, 67, 83, 104, 137

curies in exclusion zone, 48, 75

decay and radiation hazard, 21, 58, 104–105, 218

fission, 11–12, 224

half-lives, 29, 47, 104, 239

health hazard, 60, 104–105, 137, 193

hot particles, 47, 137

in inhabited areas, 209–210

isotopes, 16, 104

measurement, 49, 193

mobility, 78, 160

in plants, 103

terrorism concerns, 73

Podzolic soils, 54

Polecat, 114

Poliakova, Maryna, 30, 31

Poland, fallout, 76

Polissia

Comb-and-Pit culture, 36

forests, 46

peat lands, 51–52, 174

wetlands, 20

Polissia Sea, 173

Polissia State Radiological and Ecological Reserve (PSRER), 68, 69–70, 72, 78.

See also Exclusion zone

Pond scum, 169–170

Pond weed, 172

Porcini mushrooms, 64, 65, 109, 195

Potassium, 49–50, 55, 56–57, 117, 124

Potassium iodine prophylaxis, xi, 22, 202

Prague Zoo, 146

Pripyat

day of disaster, 3

decontamination, 24, 71

evacuation, 4–5, 15, 21, 31, 73, 240

future of, 233, 235

life in, 207

post-disaster landscape, 2–3, 5, 9, 233–234, 235, 239–240, 242

potassium iodine prophylaxis, 22

radiation levels, 2, 3–4, 5, 13, 15–16, 18, 92, 234, 235

transmutation to forest, 5–6, 32, 33, 233–234

wildlife, 33, 85

Pripyat River basin, 86

contamination, 24, 154, 155, 156, 157, 160, 168, 173, 180, 234

delta area, 190

economic significance, 154

fish, 164

flooding hazards, 155, 157, 158, 160, 169, 170–171, 173, 175, 176, 179

groundwater flow, 180

reclaimed peat lands, 94–96, 157, 174

wetlands, 20, 84, 94–96, 157, 173

wildlife, 106, 108, 158

Provody (lunch with the dead), 207–209, 211–215

Przewalski, Nikolai, 130

Przewalski’s horses

aggressiveness, 134, 142, 146, 148, 149

appearance, 145

bachelor herds, 134, 135, 140, 149, 151

captive breeding programs, 129, 131, 134, 137–138, 140, 142, 145, 146–147

diet, 144–145, 148

discovery, 130

extinction in the wild, 131

genetics, 133

health of, 144, 147

hybrid foals, 134

habitat losses, 130, 131

inbreeding, 146–147, 148–149

introduction programs, 129, 133–135, 140

Orlitza III, 146–147

Pioneer’s herd, 134

population, 148, 150

predators, 136, 141

Pripyat (mare), 148, 149

radiosensitivity, 132

release into exclusion zone, 129, 133–135

social structure and behavior, 135, 144, 146, 147, 148–149, 150–151

stallions, 134, 135, 136, 142, 149

stress-related deaths, 133

studbook, 145–146, 150

territory, 135, 136–137, 140

Volny’s herd, 134, 135, 136–137, 148

Vypad’s herd, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 142, 143, 144–146, 147, 148, 150–152

Vyzitka (Blondie/mare), 145, 146, 151

Puchkova, Vasilina, 123, 124, 126

Purple loosestrife, 42–43

Q

Quarks, 10–11

R

Raccoon dog, 114, 115

Radiation, ionizing, 22.

See also Radionuclides

air travel and, 15, 199

alpha particles, 16, 19, 21, 22, 39, 40, 42, 48, 50, 104–105, 121, 137

atmospheric nuclear testing fallout, 18, 41, 47, 52, 139

atomic bomb survivors, 18, 39, 196–197, 198

attitudes about safety, 165, 195, 233

beta particles, 16, 21, 22, 39, 42, 48, 50, 55, 58, 65, 85, 104, 117, 121, 126, 188, 211

in Brazilian black sands, 14

children’s exposure, 21, 71, 200

chronic exposure, 39, 116, 193, 196, 198–199, 203

current levels around Chernobyl, 2, 9, 14, 26, 29, 32–33, 34, 38, 188, 209

damage mechanisms, 42, 50

dose limits, 74, 122, 211, 234

dose measurement, 38–39, 43, 49, 123–124, 193, 198–199, 233

exposure routes, 20–21, 161

fear of, 217–218, 240

gamma rays, 14, 15–16, 21, 22, 23, 39, 42, 48, 50, 121

health effects of exposure, 14–15, 20–21, 22, 39, 42, 47, 116, 196–197, 199–207

internal vs. external exposure, 48, 49, 61, 120–121, 187, 194

lethal doses, 39, 43, 44

medical diagnostic doses compared, 19, 37

natural background, 14, 15, 19, 74, 77

occupational doses, 15, 37, 37, 60

and prophylactic iodine tablets, xi, 22

protective clothing, 26, 48–49

quantum principles, 38–40

radionuclide decay process and, 11

reproductive effects, 173–174

resistance to, 42, 43, 132, 174, 207

smoke detectors compared, 19–20

trefoil symbol, 40–41, 237

units, 14, 19, 37, 43

warning signs for, 40–41, 236–239

Radiation keratoses, 22

Radiation sickness, 4, 15

Radioecology research, 58–59, 112–119

Radiological contamination.

See also Decontamination and waste management;

Water contamination

animals, 2, 18–19, 120–121

anomalous releases, 139, 180

from atmospheric nuclear testing, 18, 41, 47, 52, 139, 164

Belarus, 14, 19, 35–36, 54, 68, 75–76, 77, 78, 83, 91–92

compensation for victims, 74

control measures, 24–25, 60, 76, 82, 89, 91, 94–96, 97, 122, 123, 174

cooling pond, 153–154, 160, 166–167, 169, 179

defined, 76–77

from explosion, 3–4, 13, 18, 54, 83, 155, 171, 222

fallout patterns from Chernobyl, 13–20, 23, 28, 41–42, 47, 50–52, 54, 59–60, 67, 68, 73, 74–77, 78, 81, 83, 90, 91–92, 93, 94, 101, 137, 138–139, 142, 155, 171, 175, 177, 185, 187, 193, 208

from fires, 60, 94, 60, 89, 94, 106, 132, 158, 171, 209, 232

of food chain, 30, 31, 49, 51–52, 54, 59, 71, 79, 83, 100-101, 119–126, 161, 167, 171

from graphite fire, 4, 5, 54, 76

in graveyards, 60

humor, 157

internal, 49, 85, 119–121, 122–123, 124

“Kiev trousers,” 17

mapping, 55

“Minsk shoe,” x, 17

risks to zone inhabitants, 77–78, 193–197, 209–211, 214–215, 232, 233

samosels as sources of, 211

seasonal influences, 41–42, 49, 53, 61, 62–63, 103, 108, 123, 159, 172, 195, 234

scrap metal and looted articles, 189

soil properties and, 51–52, 54, 59, 62–64, 160

standards for food, 103, 122, 138

urban heat islands and, 92

weather conditions and, 76, 91, 138–139, 144, 159, 166, 179, 232

zones of periodic radiation control, 79

Radionuclides.

See also Radiological contamination;

individual radionuclides

amounts in exclusion zone, 48, 68, 75

bioaccumulation, 200

bioavailability, 49–52, 57, 108, 117, 121–122, 123, 164

Chernobyl inventory, 16, 17, 21–22

condensates, 16, 17, 47, 50–51, 54, 55, 78, 94, 108

core-melt indicators, 17

decay process and radiation hazard, 11, 16, 19, 21, 26, 29, 40, 44, 46, 50, 104, 117, 120–121

defined, 15

deposition on plants, 41–42

half-lives, 21–22, 29, 46–47, 105

in hot particles, 47, 50–51, 54–55, 108, 137, 154, 160, 161

migration through ecosystems, 51–52, 54, 63, 64, 96, 100–101, 105, 160, 180

natural, 124, 194

plant uptake of, 16–17, 31, 38, 47, 48, 49–50, 56–57, 96, 103, 108, 119–120

primordial, 124

reproductive tissues and, 56

Radioprotective supplements, 207

Radon gas, 77

Raspberries, 56, 57

Reactor core meltdown, 17, 18, 22–23, 44

Reagan, Ronald, 8

Red deer, 107, 110, 111, 114, 116, 132, 133, 142, 147–148

Red Forest, 37–38, 40–41, 43–44, 54, 73, 75, 85, 96, 104, 119, 137, 155, 159, 171, 179, 230, 234

Reindeer, 18

Resettlement of evacuees, 73, 74, 78–80, 86, 209

Roach (fish), 167

Rocky Flats nuclear facility (U.S.), 127

Rodents, 100, 111–112, 118, 120, 121, 123

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 102–103, 106, 108, 110, 111, 112, 114–115, 117, 122, 132, 138, 141, 142, 143, 162

Rupashchenko, Mikhail, 92–97

Rusalkas, 7, 52–53

Russia

cleanup, 24

contaminated area, 76, 77

evacuations and resettlements, 23, 77

number of people affected, 198

thyroid cancer, 77, 202

Russian Orthodox Church, 8

Ruthenium, 17, 29, 200

S

Sakhan River, 210

Sandy Plateau, 177, 178, 180

Sarcophagus/Shelter Object, see Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station

Savannah River site (U.S.), 41, 127, 166

Savichi, 94, 191

Scandinavia, 18

Scott, Wayne, 184–185, 187, 188, 191

Semykhody, 177

Semykhody Bay, 177, 179, 180

Senyuk, Olia, 205, 206, 207

Shamenko, Nikolai, 86–87, 195

Shekstelo, Stanislav, 220

Shevchenko, Maria, 209, 211

Shevchenko, Motrona, 213, 214, 215

Shevchenko, Paraska, 213, 214

Short-eared owls, 85, 100

Sievert, Rolf, 43

Sikora, Marian, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 161, 162, 163, 169, 171, 172, 173, 177, 180, 181

Silkwood (film), xi

Slavutich, 73, 113, 157, 200

Soils, as radiation sink, 51–52, 54, 59, 62–64, 160, 178, 179, 187, 209–210

Sorrel, 56

Soviet Union, collapse of, xi, 219–220

Spadefoot toad, 118–119

Spruce, 42, 49

Stag beetles, 116

Stalin, Josef, 183

Stanford University, 99

Sterling, Bruce, 128, 218

Storks

black, 32, 44, 95, 185

white, 44–45, 86, 95

Strelichevo, 80

Strong nuclear force, 10–11, 12, 39

Strontium

in aquatic organisms, 165, 167, 168

bioaccumulation, 57, 65, 123, 125–126, 165, 171, 204

bioavailability, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54–55, 56, 165

chemistry, 55

contaminated area, 19, 54, 73, 75, 78, 171, 173

curies in exclusion zone, 48

decay and radiation hazard, 17, 29, 46, 50, 55, 65

in eggshells, 85, 96

half-lives, 46, 231, 239

in hot particles, 54–55, 65

human exposure, 193, 201

in inhabited areas, 209–210

internal contamination, 49, 65, 85, 125–126

isotopes, 16, 17, 46

limits in food, 122, 214–215

measuring, 125–126, 193

in mushrooms, 64–65, 195

mapping Exclusion zone, 55

from nuclear weapons testing, 47

plant uptake, 38, 49, 56–57, 172, 215

water pollution, 155, 158, 160–161, 172, 173, 178, 179, 180, 208

in wildlife, 117

Succession, 5–6, 32, 33, 45–47

Swallowtail butterfly, 137

Sweden, fallout, ix, 16, 76, 94, 240

Symbolism

storks, 44

torch monument, 9, 14, 19

Ukrainian trident, 40–41

wormwood, 6, 7–9

T

Taras, Yaroslav, 59

Tarpans, 130, 131

Teasdale, Sara, 35

Tellurium-132, 22, 153

Teremtsi, 168, 190, 192–193, 194, 195, 209

Thatch, 57, 94

Thujone, 7

Thyroid cancer, xi, 77, 78, 197, 200, 201–203, 205

Tigers, 127

Tkachenko, Oleksandr, 209, 211, 214, 215

Tourists and tourism, 184, 186–187

Tovstiy Lis, 188

Trees

absorption of radionuclides, 50–51, 60, 82, 139, 218–219

as firewood, 211

fixing radionuclides with, 59–60, 82

radioactive, 38

radiomorphism, 29, 37, 40, 41, 42

radionuclide preferences, 49

resistance to radiation, 42, 43

Tulgovichi, 86–87, 94, 191, 195, 208, 210, 214

Tumor suppressor gene TP53, 206

Tuteshni (“locals”), 183

U

Ukraine

Chernobylinterinform, 30, 33–34, 37, 48, 70, 72, 80–81, 88, 159, 184, 208

Chernobylvodexpluatatsia (CheVE), 154, 159, 161–162, 165, 169, 174, 176

contaminated areas, 23, 41–42, 47, 50–51, 67, 68, 75, 76, 77, 78, 92

culture and customs, 7, 52–53, 192

decontamination in, 24

earnings in, 205

EcoCenter, 112–119

evacuations and resettlements, 23, 30, 77, 78, 190–191

Eve of Ivan Kupala, 52–53

government and politics, xii, 71, 183–184, 187, 194

health care expenditures, 205

independence, xi, xii, 28, 40, 129

kurgans, 26, 239, 241

Ministry of Agriculture, 194

Ministry of Emergencies, 59, 177, 194

nature preserves, 129

number of people affected, 198

radiation standards for food, 122

rusalka folklore, 7, 52–53

soil fertility, 62

storks, 43–44

thyroid cancer, 77, 202

trident symbol, 40–41

Zone of Exclusion and Zone of Unconditional (Mandatory) Resettlement, 23–34, 35–38, 45–47, 48, 50–51, 59–61, 64, 69, 72, 80–81, 112–119, 128–136, 140, 156, 186, 192–193

Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, 225

Ukrainian brook lampreys, 166

Ukrainian Riding Horses, 129

Ultraviolet radiation, 119

United Nations, 79, 80, 122, 175, 186–187, 200, 203

University of Arizona, 128

University of Maryland–Baltimore, 184

Upper Swamps sanctuary, 94–96

Uranium isotopes, 11, 21, 137

Uranium oxide fuel, hot particles, 54–55, 137

U.S. Department of Energy, 41, 236, 238

Uzh River, 53, 161, 180, 208

V

Vernadsky, Vladimir, 127

Vietnam War, 127

Voles, 112, 118, 120, 121

von Falz-Fein, Friederich E., 130–131

Vorotets, 87–89

W

Wasps, 118

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (U.S.), 236–237, 238, 239, 241

Water contamination.

See also individual waterways

and aquatic organisms, 84, 167, 169–170, 171, 172

cesium, 84, 155, 158, 160, 161, 167, 169–170, 171, 172, 178

drinking water, 155, 161, 178

groundwater, 60, 166–167, 169, 177–181, 222

irrigation water, 155, 161

lakes, 159, 160, 165, 171–176, 179

from leaky radioactive dumps, 27, 60, 175–176, 178–179

lentic vs. lotic systems, 164

mobility of radionuclides, 155, 160

monitoring, 172, 175, 179

protective dike and canal system, 24, 155–162, 165, 169, 170–171, 173, 174, 175–176, 177, 179, 234

radiation levels, 158, 159, 170, 171, 172–173, 175, 208

reactor cooling pond, 153–154, 160, 162–168, 169, 179

reservoirs, 168

riverbank anomalies, 153, 180, 234

secondary, 154

sediments, 153, 154, 159, 160, 166–168, 172, 178, 179

sources, 153, 155, 158, 178–179, 222, 224

and wildlife, 163–168, 169, 171, 173–174

Weasels, 100

Wels catfish (Silurus glanis), 163

White-tailed eagles, 84, 113

Wild beekeeping (bortnytstvo), 187–188

Wildlife, post-disaster.

See also Birds;

Insects;

Fish;

individual animals

cesium-137 in, 85, 103, 117, 120–122

combat zones compared, 127, 174

fertility, 100–101, 111–112, 121

food-chain contamination, 18, 49, 56, 59, 71, 79, 83, 100-101, 103, 105, 108, 109, 115, 119–123, 164

game animals, 56, 83, 93, 96–97, 101–112, 114–115, 122

health of, 42, 116, 121

Korean demilitarized zone compared, 127–128

life span, 121

monitoring, 113, 124

mutants, 85, 99, 118–119, 163

plutonium in, 105

poaching and hunting, 59–60, 61, 83, 97, 115

populations, 2, 32–33, 45, 62, 84–85, 100–101, 110, 115–116, 119, 141, 142, 185

predator-prey balances, 33, 100, 115–116, 136

radioactivity levels, 2, 18–19, 101, 108, 109, 112, 115, 117, 138

rare and endangered species, 32, 85, 106, 112, 113, 114, 115, 129–136, 137, 174

scavengers, 100

species diversity, 62, 115, 119

strontium, 117

weapons production facilities compared, 127

Wills, John, 218

Wolf-dog hybrids, 162

Wolves, 106, 114, 115, 120, 136, 141, 142, 162

Worms, aquatic, 173–174

Wormwood

Artemisia absinthium (polyn), 53, 234

Artemisia judaica, 8

biblical symbolism, 6, 7–9

X

Xanthoria, 5

X rays, 39

Y

Yaniv, 23–24, 64, 174, 195, 239

Yaniv Bay, 174–176, 177, 179, 180

Yasynetska, Natalia, 129, 132, 133, 134, 137, 141, 143, 144, 148, 150, 151

Yellowhammers, 192

Yucca Mountain waste repository, 238

Yushchenko, Viktor A., xii

Z

Zabuzhko, Oksana, 67

Zalissia, 209, 215

Zapillya, 101

Zebra mussels, 167–168, 171, 172

Zeleny Mys, 73

Zharkikh, Tatiana, 129, 131, 132, 135, 136, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 147, 148, 149, 151

Zirconium, 17, 47, 54–55, 222

Zona Vidchuzhennya (Zone of Alienation), 126.

See also Exclusion zone

deliberate creation of, 235–236

Zymovyshche, 157

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