Saturday, May 20, 2006

Experts estimate Chernobyl deaths at somewhere between 0 and 1,800,000

Controversy surrounds the Chernobyl Report from the European Green Party - TORCH Report.

I take a look at the summary of the TORCH report and have read Chris Busby's "ANORAC" critique of the TORCH report on Low Level Radiation Campaign.

There are a variety of bottom lines to choose from.

James Lovelock asserted in Bristol this that nobody died as a result of Chernobyl apart from the fire fighters.

The IAEA/WHO in 2005 gave an estimate of 4,000 to 9,000 deaths.

The TORCH report concludes that Chernobyl caused 60,000 cancer deaths.

LLRC quotes three respectable reports which put the deaths nearer 1,000,000 up to a maximum of 1.8 million (Bertell).

It would seem therefore that the German Greens have been taken for a bit of a minimalisationist ride by Fairlie and Sumner, but having said that, 60,000 deaths is quite enough to be going on with thank you very much, and the conclusion is - No More Nukes. That is the work that we should be getting on with - getting the word out that 60,000 is a conservative estimate, and the full tally may be 30 times that number, and that nuclear power is a diversion from the serious task of opposing global warming, not a solution to it.

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