estimated to be double for the next decade, and some genetic disorders may
appear in individuals who were exposed in utero. The total radioactivity of the
material released from the reactor was estimated to be 200 times that of the
combined releases from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, according to a 1995 WHO report.
The accident exposed millions of people, notably in Belarus, Russia, and
the Ukraine, to varying doses of radiation. According to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development and the Nuclear Energy Agency, 20
radionuclides were released into the atmosphere. They included iodine-131
with a half-life of 8 days; cesium-134 and cesium-137 with half-lives of 2 days
and 30 years, respectively; and several plutonium isotopes with half-lives
ranging from 13 to 24,000 years. Subsequent studies indicated a dramatic
increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer in children, mainly in Belarus and
the Ukraine, but also to a lesser extent in Russia.
9
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Environmental Toxicology
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Ref: 4365 MING-HO YU Chap-003 Page: 40 31-44
FIGURE 3.4 Location of Bhopal, India.