Radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster may cause as many as 100,000 more cancer deaths than earlier predicted, environmental group Greenpeace says, according to UPI.
In a report released Tuesday, Greenpeace says most of the deaths will be in Ukraine, the site of the nuclear power plant explosion of April 26, 1986, and in nearby areas of Belarus and Russia, the BBC reported.
The environmental organizatio says most of the deaths will be in Ukraine, the site of the nuclear power plant explosion of April 26, 1986, and in nearby areas of Belarus and Russia, the BBC reported.
The environmental organization says the International Atomic Energy Agency`s prediction of just a few thousand casualties grossly underestimates the effects of the radioactive particles released by the explosion, which spread across a large part of Western Europe.
Several million people still live in contaminated areas.
Greenpeace says that radiation affects the immune, circulatory and respiratory systems, and causes an increase in fetal abnormalities and birth defects.
Dr. Oksana Lozova, who works at a children`s hospital about 190 miles west of Chernobyl, said, "I think the fallout from Chernobyl has affected the immunity of those who were young children at the time of the disaster.
"We now have to deal with people who are a lot weaker than their fathers and grandfathers were. They`re falling ill at an age when they really should still be quite fit."
