Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Chernobyl Nuclear Meltdown And Health Complications Among The Citizens Of Pripyat, Elizabeth A. Tarter

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

On April 25, 1986, reactor number 4 in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the city Pripyat went into a catastrophic meltdown. In the aftermath of the atomic disaster, the Soviet government misrepresented the severity of the danger to those who lived in the immediate area near the plant. This paper uses medical studies and firsthand accounts to argue that the meltdown at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the delay of government involvement resulted in lifelong negative impacts on the lives and health of Pripyat citizens and neighboring towns.