A Personal Experience Reducing Radiation Exposures: Protecting Family in Kiev during the First Two Weeks after Chernobyl
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident occurred in 1986. The plume from the explosions and fires was highly radioactive and resulted in very high exposure levels in the surrounding regions. This paper describes how the people in Kiev, Ukraine, a city 90 miles (120 km) south of Chernobyl, and in particular one individual in that city, Professor Vitaly Eremenko, became aware of the threat before the official announcement and the steps he took to mitigate potential impacts to his immediate family. The combination of being informed and using available resources led to greatly reduced consequences for his family and, in particular, his newborn granddaughter. He notes how quickly word of some aspects of the hazard spread in the city and how other aspects appear to not have been understood. Although these events are being recalled as the 20th anniversary of the terrible event approaches, the lessons are still pertinent today. Threats of possible terrorist use of radiation dispersal devices makes knowledge of effective individual actions for self-protection from radiation exposures a topic of current interest.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 890720
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-48644; TRN: US0604675
- Journal Information:
- Health Physics, 91(8) (Suppl 1):S39-S46, Journal Name: Health Physics, 91(8) (Suppl 1):S39-S46
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
PLUMES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
UKRAINE
CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
RADIATION PROTECTION
Chernobyl
nuclear reactor accidents
applied radiation protection
contamination control
applied radiation measurements
emergency response
protecting the public
sheltering