The world's worst nuclear accidentoccurred in Chernobyl on April 26, 1986, releasing at least100 times as much radiation as the atomic bombs dropped onHiroshima and Nagasaki. The most affected country wasBelarus, for which the environmental, health, and otherconsequences of the Chernobyl accident were disastrous. Thepresent report reveals that notable differences existbetween zones with relatively mild levels of contaminationand those with higher levels; contaminated areas suffer froma distorted demographic structure; and the affectedterritories are mostly agricultural, and tend to be poorerthan urban areas; the potential for economic activity israther limited; the incidence of thyroid cancer in childrenhas increased as a result of radiation exposure; it isdifficult to separate the direct impact of radiation fromthe indirect impact that comes form psychologicalperceptions of risk, the consequneces of the economy, andthe quality of health services; people are ambivalent aboutthe effectiveness of government programs; and sufficientinformation is not reaching large groups of the populationand the information disseminated is not trusted. The fourchapters of the report discuss the current situation in thecontaminated districts, the fiscal implications and thegovernment's institutional arrangements, the governmentprograms designed to mitigate the consequences, andrecommendations for developing improved approaches thatwould lower the fiscal burden.
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