Chernobyl-exposed women were more likely to be nulliparous and have fewer children (2.1 + 0.8 vs. 3.1 + 1.8, p < 0.001), were more likely to undergo fertility treatments (8.8% vs. 5.8%, adjusted OR = 1.8, 95%CI 1.04–3.2, p = 0.036), and were also more likely to have anemia after delivery (49.4% vs.
Long-Term Health Consequences
There has been a 200% increase in birth defects and a 250% increase in congenital birth deformities in children born in the Chernobyl fallout area since 1986. In Belarus, 85% of children are deemed to be Chernobyl victims with genetic changes.
The study showed that children aged under 1 year at the time of the disaster had about a 2.2 times higher risk of thyroid disease than children aged 1 year and older. Children born after the disaster, however, had about a 1.4 times higher risk than those older than 1 year at the time of the disaster.
Exposure to radioactive iodine (131I) from the Chernobyl accident caused an increased risk of thyroid cancer. I gives off radiation that breaks the chemical bonds in DNA. Mutations can form when the body attempts to repair these bonds.
A 2010 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found a correlation between the presence of hazardous levels of strontium-90 — a radioactive element produced by nuclear fission — and dramatically high rates of certain congenital birth defects.
Two months later, Lyudmilla gave birth to a daughter, who died after four hours from congenital heart malformations and cirrhosis of the liver (both of which have been linked to radiation exposure).
The possible link between autism and radiation exposure
Research has suggested that families exposed to radiation such as radioactive iodine after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 are more likely to have children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The immediate and short-term effects resulting from heavy fallout exposure include radiation sickness and cataracts. Late effects are thyroid cancer, especially in children and adolescents, and leukaemia among exposed workers.
To date, epidemiological studies reported increased long-term risks of leukemia, cardiovascular diseases, and cataracts among cleanup workers and of thyroid cancer and non-malignant diseases in those exposed as children and adolescents.
By the 20th anniversary (2006), ∼6,000 children under age 18 in 1986 were diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer1, an otherwise rare disease. At the 25th anniversary (2011), the liquidators were found to have increased rates of leukemia, other hematological malignancies, thyroid cancer, and cataracts2.
Valery Khodemchuk was killed instantly when the Chernobyl reactor exploded. His body was never recovered.
Mutations did occur in plants and animals after the plant explosion. Leaves changed shape and some animals were born with physical deformities. Despite the increased radiation levels, rare species are now returning in large numbers to the area.
During the disaster, local hospitals saw a huge increase in birth abnormalities, with newborns suffering adrenal cancer and thyroid cancer, the birth of so-called 'sirens' - babies with the whole lower part of their body fused like a fish tail - and even a two-headed baby.
Multiple studies have shown that there were no pregnancies affected by radiation from Chernobyl, although many unnecessary abortions were performed out of unfounded fear.
Today, an area with a roughly 19-mile radius surrounding the plant is essentially uninhabited by humans—but it hosts hundreds of dogs.
What is this? A liquidator, clad in a gas mask and protective clothing, pushes a baby in a carriage who was found during the cleanup of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The infant had been left in an abandoned house in the village of Tatsenki. The worker found the child when he was measuring radiation levels.
Of 600 workers present on the site during the early morning of 26 April 1986, 134 received high doses (0.8-16 Gy) and suffered from radiation sickness. Of these, 28 died in the first three months and another 19 died in 1987-2004 of various causes not necessarily associated with radiation exposure.
More than 30 years on, scientists estimate the zone around the former plant will not be habitable for up to 20,000 years. The disaster took place near the city of Chernobyl in the former USSR, which invested heavily in nuclear power after World War II.
These studies showed that at present the area hosts great biodiversity. In addition, they confirmed the general lack of negative effects of current radiation levels on the animal and plant populations living in the zone. All the studied groups maintain stable and viable populations inside the exclusion zone.
After the Chernobyl disaster, studies of clean-up workers (liquidators) and adults from contaminated areas found a two-fold increase in post-traumatic stress and other mood and anxiety disorders and significantly poorer subjective ratings of health.
'For Centuries, If Not Millennia'
Experts have said it will be at least 3,000 years for the area to become safe, while others believe this is too optimistic. It is thought that the reactor site will not become habitable again for at least 20,000 years, according to a 2016 report.
When Will Chernobyl Be Safe? With that being said, the most dangerous place to be in Chernobyl is anywhere near the reactor - that area will take at least 20,000 years to disperse as far as radiation breakdown.
Depending on the stage of fetal development, the health consequences of exposure at doses greater than 0.5 Gy can be severe, even if such a dose is too low to cause an immediate effect for the mother. The health consequences can include growth restriction, malformations, impaired brain function, and cancer.
Contrary to reports that the three divers died of radiation sickness as a result of their action, all three survived. Shift leader Borys Baranov died in 2005, while Valery Bespalov and Oleksiy Ananenko, both chief engineers of one of the reactor sections, are still alive and live in the capital, Kiev.
No excess mutations in the next generation
From 2014 to 2018, a team led by Meredith Yeager, a researcher at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, sequenced the genomes of 130 children who were conceived after the accident and born between 1987 and 2002, as well as the genomes of the children's parents.