[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 46 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E491-E492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E491]]


          TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHERNOBYL REACTOR EXPLOSION

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 29, 1996

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, at 1:23 a.m. on April 26, 1986, a test 
conducted on reactor No. 4 at the nuclear facility at Chernobyl, 
Ukraine resulted in catastrophe. An explosion in the reactor core 
destroyed a large part of the reactor building. Since the entire 
facility had been built without any containment dome, there was no way 
for the reactor personnel to prevent the release into the atmosphere--
and into the wind--of huge amounts of radioactive materials. The total 
amount of radiation released in the course of this terrible incident is 
estimated by many to exceed that released by the atomic bomb blast at 
Hiroshima, Japan in 1945.
  For 2 weeks after the explosion, reactor personnel and firefighters 
fought to extinguish the fire, which was fed by the exposure of the 
reactor core to the atmosphere. Official records from the former Soviet 
Communist regime regarding the Chernobyl explosion state that 31 
individuals, mostly plant personnel and firefighters, died during or 
immediately after the explosion. It is very likely, however, that a 
greater number died at that point, with the Soviet regime choosing to 
cover up the extent of the damage and loss of life caused by the 
explosion.
  Mr. Speaker, I must take a moment to mention that a group of high 
school students from my district were visiting Belarus at the time of 
the Chernobyl explosion. As the radiation from Chernobyl spread north 
toward Belarus, we were all concerned for the safety of these young 
people and, after they cut short their trip and returned to the United 
States, I asked the Brookhaven Laboratories to check to ensure that 
they had not been exposed to radiation. In fact they had been exposed, 
but the radiation was limited to their shoes.
  Since that time, however, an effort has been mounted by those 
students from Ramapo High School and their faculty instructor, Mr. Don 
Cairns, to collect and distribute medical and other supplies for the 
children who are victims of radiation exposure in Belarus. To date, the 
Ramapo Children of Chernobyl Fund has collected over $12 million worth 
of medicines and other materials for those innocent young victims. In 
June 1994, President Clinton commended this group and those young 
American students for all they had done and were doing to help these 
children in Belarus. Today, I want to again voice my commendation for 
their continuing good work.
  Mr. Speaker, we are now approaching the 10th anniversary of this 
catastrophe, and I would like to provide my colleagues with some 
estimates of the damage caused over the last 10 years in the countries 
of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia by the catastrophe of April 26, 1986:
  Up to 125,000 individuals may have died due to radiation exposure, 
including 6,000 people who participated in postexplosion, cleanup 
activities;
  Millions of residents of the countries of Ukraine, Belarus, and 
Russia live on lands contaminated by radiation;
  Thyroid cancers have risen dramatically among children of the 
surrounding region;
  Radiation continues to work its way into the food chain, and the 
danger of the further spread of radiation from the site of the 
destroyed reactor is growing--even now, the concrete sarcophagus 
surrounding the destroyed reactor is believed to be in danger of 
collapse.
  Meanwhile, energy-starved Ukraine continues to operate the remaining 
three reactors, dependent on their electrical output to make it through 
the difficult time of economic transformation through which that 
country is now going. The danger of Chernobyl continues, however. As 
recently as November of last year, a serious radiation leak occurred 
when a nuclear fuel rod split open during refueling of reactor No. 1.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a grave situation, and one that requires the 
world's attention and concern. On April 8-9 of this year, the Children 
of Chernobyl Fund, Columbia University's Harriman Institute, and Yale 
University's Center for Russian and East European Studies, will cohost 
a 2-day conference on the long-term impact of the Chernobyl explosion.
  Mr. Speaker, I recommend to my colleagues' attention an article 
announcing this very important conference, printed in the March 17 
Ukrainian Weekly, and I include the article in my statement at this 
point.

               [From the Ukrainian Weekly, Mar. 17, 1996]

           Chornobyl Conference Slated for Columbia and Yale

       New York.--On April 8-9, the Harriman Institute at Columbia 
     University and the Center for Russian and East European 
     Studies at Yale will co-host a two-day conference to examine 
     the long-term impact of the Chornobyl nuclear accident and to 
     address the broad spectrum of environmental and medical 
     crises that continue to plague Ukraine, Belarus and 
     neighboring countries.
       The conference will bring together some of the leading 
     international experts on Chornobyl's aftermath. Among these 
     will be Prof. David Marples of the University of Alberta, Dr. 
     Alexander Sich of the European Bank for Reconstruction and 
     Development (EBRD), and Dr. Murray Feshbach, author of the 
     groundbreaking treatise titled ``Ecocide in the USSR.''
       The opening panel will also include Alla Yaroshinska, the 
     award-winning journalist who uncovered secret internal memos 
     from the Soviet Politburo which proved that the government 
     covered up the widespread incidence of acute radiation 
     sickness among thousands of Chornobyl victims. The ``secret 
     protocols'' were published in Izvestiya and provided 
     conclusive evidence that then President Mikhail Gorbachev was 
     fully informed of the scope of the accident and that he 
     deliberately tried to mislead the public and the Western news 
     media about the severity of the threat to public health and 
     safety.
       The first day of the conference, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 
     will be held at the Luce Center for International Studies at 
     32 Hillhouse Ave., on the Yale Campus in New Haven, Conn.
       On April 9 the conference will reconvene at 9 a.m. at 
     Altschul Auditorium at the School for International and 
     Public Affairs, 420 W. 118th St. (ground floor) at Columbia 
     University.
       ``We hope that this will be much more than a retrospective 
     on the events of 1986,'' said Prof. Mark Von Hagen, director 
     of the Harriman Institute and a leading scholar on Ukrainian 
     affairs. ``The legacy of Chornobyl continues, and this 
     conference is planned as a constructive step in the quest for 
     solutions to the many problems still affecting the 
     contaminated regions.''
       Titled ``Chornobyl Challenge `96'' the conference is part 
     of the nationwide campaign being mobilized under the same 
     name to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl 
     accident.
       ``Chornobyl is one of the most daunting challenges 
     confronting the scientific community and global policy-
     makers,'' said Alex Kuzma, coordinator of the Chornobyl 
     Challenge `96 coalition and director of development for the 
     Children of Chornobyl Foundation.
       ``Beyond the immediate need for medical relief, the nations 
     of Ukraine and Belarus are facing the massive task of 
     cleaning up thousands of acres of contaminated land and 
     irradiated equipment left over from the 1986 emergency. They 
     also need to reduce their dependency on Soviet-built 
     reactors, which everyone agrees are dangerously substandard, 
     and to develop benign energy alternatives,'' he added.
       A special workshop on Ukraine's energy policy will explore 
     the potential for greater energy efficiency in the industrial 
     sector, biomass and other promising technologies.
       ``We hope to offer useful insights and perspectives based 
     on the successes of Western environmental programs, and the 
     initiatives of other developing nations,'' said Susan Holmes, 
     program director for the conference at Columbia University. 
     ``We also need to remain sensitive to the unique 
     circumstances surrounding Chronobyl and the unprecedented 
     nature of this accident.''
       Numerous government officials from Ukraine and the United 
     States are also scheduled to address the conference. These 
     include U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Rep. 
     Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs. Both have been outspoken advocates of 
     greater U.S. assistance to the Chornobyl region.
       Also featured will be Deputy Volodymyr Yavorivisky, a 
     prominent member of the Ukranian Parliament and a former 
     commissioner for Chornobyl relief efforts, and Vice-Prime 
     Minister Vasyl Durdynets, chairman of humanitarian affairs in 
     the Ukranian government's Cabinet of Ministers.
       Principal funding for the conference has been provided by 
     Columbia University with a supporting grant from the 
     Shevchenko Scientific Society. The cost of admission to the 
     conference will be $35 per person for both days, or $20 per 
     day. Admission will be free for students and faculty with 
     valid Columbia or Yale University identification.
       For more information, contact Susan Holmes at the Harriman 
     Institute, (212) 854-

[[Page E492]]

     8487; Ellis Mishulovich at the Yale Center for East European 
     Studies, (203) 432-3423, or the Children of Chornobyl 
     Foundation, (201) 376-5140.

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