The explanation is that I’ve been busy for the past 5 months writing a new report on the health effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster -TORCH-2016. This is an update of the 2006 TORCH report. (TORCH means The Other Report on Chernobyl.)

The report (120 pages) was commissioned by Global 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria and funded by the Vienna City Council Environmental Ombuds Office.

The report updates the new health evidence which has been published in peer-reviewed journals during the 10 year period 2006-2016.

In a nutshell, the report finds

• 5 million people in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia still live in highly contaminated areas
• 400 million people in less contaminated areas
• 37% of Chernobyl’s fallout deposited on western Europe; 42% of western Europe contaminated
• 40,000 fatal cancers predicted
• 6,000 thyroid cancer cases to date, 16,000 more expected
• increased radiogenic thyroid cancers now seen in Austria
• increased radiogenic leukemia, cardiovascular disease, breast cancers confirmed
• new evidence of radiogenic birth defects, mental health effects and diabetes
• new evidence that children in contaminated areas suffer radiogenic illnesses   https://www.global2000.at/sites/global/files/TORCH%20-%20The%20other%20Report%20of%20Chernobyl.pdf