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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Global impact of the Chernobyl reactor accident

Journal Article · · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)
Radioactive material was deposited throughout the Northern Hemisphere as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station on 26 April 1986. On the basis of a large amount of environmental data and new integrated dose assessment and risk models, the collective dose commitment to the approximately 3 billion inhabitants is calculated to be 930,000 person-gray, with 97% in the western Soviet Union and Europe. The best estimates for the lifetime expectation of fatal radiogenic cancer would increase the risk from 0 to 0.02% in Europe and 0 to 0.003% in the Northern Hemisphere. By means of an integration of the environmental data, it is estimated that approximately 100 petabecquerels of cesium-137 (1 PBq = 10(15) Bq) were released during and subsequent to the accident.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6441408
Journal Information:
Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 242:4885; ISSN SCIEA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English