In this July 23, 1998 file photo, a chimney towers over the sarcophagus that covers destroyed Reactor No. 4 in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. -- PHOTO: AP
CHERNOBYL - FALLOUT from Chernobyl remains a poorly-investigated hazard for the environment a quarter of a century after the disaster, say experts.According to anecdotal evidence, animals such as beavers, deer, wild horses, hawks and eagles have returned in abundance to Chernobyl's 30km exclusion zone since humans fled and hunting was outlawed.
But this picture is misleading, said University of South Carolina biology professor Tim Mousseau, one of the few scientists to have probed biodiversity around Chernobyl in depth.
'Chernobyl is definitely not a haven for wildlife,' he said in a phone interview. 'When you actually do the hard work, of conducting a scientific study, where you rigorously control for all the variables, and you do this repeatedly in many different places, the signal is very strong. There are many fewer animals and many fewer kinds of animals than you would expect.'
In 2010, Professor Mousseau and colleagues published the biggest-ever census of wildlife in the exclusion zone. It showed that mammals had declined and insect diversity, including bumblebees, grasshoppers, butterflies and dragonflies, had also fallen. And in a study published in February this year, they netted 550 birds, belonging to 48 species at eight different sites, and measured their heads to determine the volume of their brains. Birds living in 'hot spots' had five per cent smaller brains than those living where radiation was lower - and the difference was especially great among birds less than a year old. Smaller brains are linked to a lower cognitive ability and thus survival. The study suggested many bird embryos probably do not survive at all.
Mr Valery Kashparov, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, said the government cut off funds for radiation monitoring in 2008. Around 400,000 euros (S$716,000) are needed annually to ensure this food is uncontaminated. -- AFP
