Chernobyl: an urgent need for support and aid

On April 26, 1986 the greatest catastrophe ever experienced by human civilization occurred: the reactor accident in Chernobyl. Unsuspecting and innocent, millions of people were hit hard, 400 000 people had to leave their home cities and villages, many have since died, many more are threatened with diseases and death, all due to the fact that man lost control over a nuclear power station. Our senses cannot alert us to the presence of radiation exposure due to radioactivity in the environment, food and elsewhere, since radiation can only be detected by special instruments and expert knowledge.

Twenty years after the catastrophe, the dramatic and predicted effects became more and more recognizable, and the incidence of diseases, in particular cancer, increased. The affected regions have been and will be unable for a long time to cope with the Chernobyl catastrophe from their own resources and to give all affected people the necessary aid. In particular the thyroid gland is susceptible to cancer, because radioiodine, a product of the atomic fission process inside the reactor, was taken up by the body and was concentrated in this organ. The incidence of thyroid cancer rose dramatically, in particular among persons, who were less than 5 years old at the time of the accident. In the ten years before Chernobyl, there were only 7 such cases in the whole Republic of Belarus, whereas since Cherno¬byl until the end of 1996 already far more than 500 cases have appeared in children.

Among adults thyroid cancer increased over 7 fold up to the end of 2004, far more than 10 000 cases in Belarus. The district of Gomel is particularly affected, since Chernobyl lies only 10 km from its southern border. Among the private organisations rendering aid, the Otto Hug Radiation Institute has focused its attention on medical aid, further education and the improvement of the social situation. The physicians and radiation experts of this Institute have installed a thyroid centre in Gomel and operated the policlinic for the diagnosis and therapy of thyroid diseases for the last 13 years. Reagents for hormone analyses and medicaments have to be supplied regularly. Up to now, more than 100 000 patients have benefited from this essential aid. Unfortunately however, this is still insufficient and in the district of Gomel even a greater number of people need to be examined and receive the appropriate treatment urgently. It is important to detect as early as possible diseases such as cancer, in order to have the best chance of cure. Just 100 € is sufficient to give a patient the appropriate medical care. The Otto Hug Radiation Institute has demonstrated the feasibility of treating patients with thyroid cancer and metastases using the methods of modern nuclear medicine. Without these facilities, many of the patients would be doomed.