Do not go to Chernobyl

Chernobyl located North of Kiev, Ukraine is one of those places that everyone has heard of yet few people have actually visited.

The nuclear accident that occurred in 1986 spread radioactivity widely locally and to the entire Northern Hemisphere.

I remember recently studying physics at the U of M and I had just been lectures from my professors on the safety of nuclear power and I just couldn't believe the initial reports of the Chernobyl disaster..

Ukraine, Belarus, and other areas received massive fallout and many people developed cancer. I even remember how the Health Science Centre's D6 department was even taking care of Chernobyl Cancer survivors even years after. Today Ukrainians are very knowledgeable about radiation and listening to their own personal fears there is a parallel with the survivors of Hiroshima.

I recently travelled to Ukraine and encountered three young women who shared with me their different personal Chernobyl stories.

Oksana was only 8 hrs old and her father was a soviet official who quickly whisked her as far away as possible as the facts became known.

Tania's family was not so important and as a teenager she was forced to march through the streets of Kiev on May day celebrations held by officials in denial of the growing concerns.

Lastly Olga now 24, had told me how she had been forcibly sent to a youth camp separated from her parents. Olga told me these were the worst memories of her childhood being forcibly seperatd from her family.

Of the three only Tania has children- both of which are healthy. It is believed that not all the effects of radiation exposure will be apparent until at least 5 human generations.

After the disaster, Chernobyl and its vicinity it has been quarantined. No one lives in the zone but it is monitored. Much of the radiation is still in topsoil but it is relatively safe to travel within as long as you stay on the paved road. Ironically without man much of nature has rebounded.

There are guided tours available but to be truthful there is nothing really to see. A person is given a radiation counter and shown abandoned buildings with rebound growth of nature.

Travelers should not eat mushrooms or blueberries picked within the zone as these have been known to be radioactive. This is not a concern with any of the produce in Kiev.

I would urge travellers to Ukraine to avoid Chernobyl as this does little to address the issue and is more of a morbid diversion.

Instead they should definitely visit the Chernobyl museum in Kiev. This museum tactfully explains how the disaster and cleanup occurred and is a monument to those who have suffered. It is not grisly or macabre and is suitable for older children. The museum is non-profit and is advocating upgrading the current concrete sarcophagus, which might not be suitable for long term containment of the radioactive waste and could seep into the water table in Eastern Europe. At present there are not enough funds to do this.

Even twenty years later the issue of Chernobyl is not over.