Chernobyl was the biggest nuclear disaster the world has ever seen, releasing 200 times the radiation collectively produced by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The long-term effects of this level of radiation on the children and adults living in the region, as well as the enduring effects on the environment, are largely unknown.
Research is critical to help us understand the ongoing consequences of these unprecedented levels of contamination, and find the best ways to help those affected.
CCI has contributed to the slowly growing pool of Chernobyl-related research by funding the work of the late, highly respected independent scientist Professor Vasily Nesterenko, a member of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus and a Director of the Belarusian Institute of Radiation Safety.
His efforts informed a programme which maps radioactive contamination in the land and monitors radioactive contamination in children in Belarus.
The resulting Mobile Radiation Monitoring Unit is a major breakthrough in scientific research, enabling children from the contaminated zones to be monitored on a long-term basis. This technology allows CCI to identify the children most in need of rest, recuperation and medical treatment in Ireland.
It also allows us to monitor the extent to which children have benefited from recuperative holidays in Ireland. In 1998, tests showed that children examined on their return had reduced their contamination levels by 30 to 50 percent. As well as funding the original research, CCI funded the development of three Mobile Radiation Monitoring Units and the transport of the units and other equipment necessary to identify the presence of radioactive materials in soil.
CCI continues to support new research by supporting Belarusian scientific researchers who are working on innovative treatments for radiation-related illnesses.