​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​2011-2015 Fukushima Dialogue Initiative​SPOTLIGHT - Lessons from Chernobyl

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Lessons from Chernobyl

Feedback from the experience of Belarus and Norway

​​​​On April 26, 1986, the building of reactor N°4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was destroyed by a powerful explosion releasing an unprecedented mass of radioactive material into the atmosphere.​​

Within a few days, the plume of contaminated air had been carried by the wind to a large part of the European continent. In many countries, rain and snow deposited significant amounts of radioactivity on the ground, in particular in nearby Belarus but also far away in Norway. Residents in these countries were highly impacted.

Feedback from the experience of Belarus and Norway

Lessons from Chernobyl

Feedback from the experience of Belarus and Norway

​​​​On April 26, 1986, the building of reactor N°4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was destroyed by a powerful explosion releasing an unprecedented mass of radioactive material into the atmosphere.​​

Within a few days, the plume of contaminated air had been carried by the wind to a large part of the European continent. In many countries, rain and snow deposited significant amounts of radioactivity on the ground, in particular in nearby Belarus but also far away in Norway. Residents in these countries were highly impacted.

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​Belarus: encouraging a spirit of self-sufficiency

In Belarus, many people were evacuated at the time of the accident and resettled elsewhere, either temporarily or definitively. Despite the mobilization of authorities and experts, the situation of the population that remained in the contaminated territories continued to deteriorate over the course of the following years, due to the collapse of the Soviet regime.

Starting in the 1990s, the international community took action to help the affected populations. It was in this context that foreign experts joined the local authorities and experts, working on initiatives to improve living conditions in contaminated areas with the direct involvement of residents in the daily management of their radiological situation.

​​Professor Iossif Bogdevitch, Belarusian Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry (BRISSA)
The main virtue of the Ethos approach was to create a positive mindset in residents of the villages contaminated by radiation, by allowing them to transition from the role of disaster victims to the role of people capable of managing the situation.​


 

VIDEO: THE ETHOS PROJECT IN BELARUS

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​Belarus: encouraging a spirit of self-sufficiency

In Belarus, many people were evacuated at the time of the accident and resettled elsewhere, either temporarily or definitively. Despite the mobilization of authorities and experts, the situation of the population that remained in the contaminated territories continued to deteriorate over the course of the following years, due to the collapse of the Soviet regime.

Starting in the 1990s, the international community took action to help the affected populations. It was in this context that foreign experts joined the local authorities and experts, working on initiatives to improve living conditions in contaminated areas with the direct involvement of residents in the daily management of their radiological situation.

​​Professor Iossif Bogdevitch, Belarusian Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry (BRISSA)
The main virtue of the Ethos approach was to create a positive mindset in residents of the villages contaminated by radiation, by allowing them to transition from the role of disaster victims to the role of people capable of managing the situation.​


 

VIDEO: THE ETHOS PROJECT IN BELARUS

​​Norway: protecting ancestral roots

Reindeer husbandry remains the main livelihood for most Sámi people, also called “Laps,” living in central Norway and Sweden. From the end of April to the beginning of May 1986, fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant contaminated vast mountain areas used for pasture. The integration of cesium was found to be especially high in reindeers, thus threatening an entire culture founded o​n herding these animals.

Thanks to close cooperation with the authorities and radiation protection and radioecology scientists, most herders gradually adopted practices such as measuring the radioactivity of their reindeers, feeding them with lichens brought from less contaminated regions, and using cooking techniques that reduce cesium content, among others. This is how they were able to safeguard their way of life.

 

Lavrans Skuterud ​Lavrans Skuterud, Senior Researcher, Norwegian radiation and nuclear safety authority (DSA, formerly NRPA)​.​

We met reindeer, goat, and sheep herders, we monitored reindeer slaughter... In Norway, we gained considerable experience with the practical consequences of radioactive fallout for the local population - local herders, farmers, producers - and management of these situations in terms of regulations, compensation, etc. I think all of this may be highly relevant for Japanese farmers and producers. Whether it's reindeer, sheep, or sansai, it has a lot to do with culture, food, way of life, all the things that make up the foundation of our everyday life.


 

VIDEO: THE SÁMI PEOPLE AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

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​​Norway: protecting ancestral roots

Reindeer husbandry remains the main livelihood for most Sámi people, also called “Laps,” living in central Norway and Sweden. From the end of April to the beginning of May 1986, fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant contaminated vast mountain areas used for pasture. The integration of cesium was found to be especially high in reindeers, thus threatening an entire culture founded o​n herding these animals.

Thanks to close cooperation with the authorities and radiation protection and radioecology scientists, most herders gradually adopted practices such as measuring the radioactivity of their reindeers, feeding them with lichens brought from less contaminated regions, and using cooking techniques that reduce cesium content, among others. This is how they were able to safeguard their way of life.

 

Lavrans Skuterud ​Lavrans Skuterud, Senior Researcher, Norwegian radiation and nuclear safety authority (DSA, formerly NRPA)​.​

We met reindeer, goat, and sheep herders, we monitored reindeer slaughter... In Norway, we gained considerable experience with the practical consequences of radioactive fallout for the local population - local herders, farmers, producers - and management of these situations in terms of regulations, compensation, etc. I think all of this may be highly relevant for Japanese farmers and producers. Whether it's reindeer, sheep, or sansai, it has a lot to do with culture, food, way of life, all the things that make up the foundation of our everyday life.


 

VIDEO: THE SÁMI PEOPLE AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

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To learn more

CEPN : the ETHOS project in Belarus (1996-2001)​​​ h​ttps://ethos.cepn.asso.fr  [In French]

IRSN : Lessons from Chernobyl's Accident https://www.irsn.fr/EN/publications/thematic-safety/chernobyl/Pages/overview.aspx 

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To learn more

CEPN : the ETHOS project in Belarus (1996-2001)​​​ h​ttps://ethos.cepn.asso.fr  [In French]

IRSN : Lessons from Chernobyl's Accident https://www.irsn.fr/EN/publications/thematic-safety/chernobyl/Pages/overview.aspx 

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