A chara, - Thursday, April 26th is the 15th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster - a tragedy classified by the United Nations as the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of humanity.
Nine million people in Belarus, the Ukraine and Western Russia have been directly affected by the fallout from the explosion at the nuclear reactor. Over 70 per cent of the radiation fell on Belarus. Fifteen years later, many of the problems associated with the disaster it are only beginning to manifest themselves. Many of those who were children at the time are now starting families themselves. As radioactivity crosses the placental barrier from mother to foetus, the next generation are being directly affected. The people of Belarus are faced with soaring levels of infertility and genetic changes, affecting the very future of their race. The entire gene pool of the Belarussian people is now under threat. The Irish people have always shown great solidarity with the victims of Chernobyl. Through the Chernobyl Children's Project, they have delivered over £18.5 million worth of humanitarian and medical aid to the affected regions and brought over 8,000 children to Ireland for much-needed rest and recuperation. We are calling on the Irish people to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the disaster by observing a minute's silence at 11 a.m. on April 26th. We are aiming to ensure that the victims of this tragedy are remembered, and their plight never forgotten. - Is mise,
Eugene Cahill, Press Office, Chernobyl Children's Project, 2 Camden Place, Camden Quay, Cork.