Chromosome aberrations in inhabitants of Byelorussia: consequence of the Chernobyl accident

Title: Chromosome aberrations in inhabitants of Byelorussia: consequence of the Chernobyl accident

Author: L. Verschaeve, E.V. Domracheva, S.A. Kuznetsov and V.V. Nechai

Reference: Mutation Res., 287 (1993), pp. 253–259

Keywords: Chromosome analysis; Chernobyl, Belarus

Abstract: A cytogenetic analysis was performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes from 35 persons belonging to the ‘general population’ of Gomel or its surroundings (Byelorussia). This region was heavily contaminated by the nuclear fall-out following the radiation accident at Chernobyl. An elevated frequency of chromosome aberrations was found in most of the subjects. The type and frequency of the aberrations revealed past and possibly present radiation exposure which could be ascribed to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant about 5 years prior to the analysis.

URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/002751079390018B/pdf?md5=4f0e1b750d191debe663fe3df6b88a86&pid=1-s2.0-002751079390018B-main.pdf

Chernobyl’s Sixth Sense: The Symbolism of an Ever-Present Awareness

Title: Chernobyl’s Sixth Sense: The Symbolism of an Ever-Present Awareness

Author: Sarah D. Phillips

Reference: Anthropology and Humanism, Volume 29, Issue 2, pages 159–185, December 2004

doi: 10.1525/ahu.2004.29.2.159

Keywords: Chernobyl, Ukraine, memory, symbol, museum

Abstract: [This article examines the symbolic life of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. I argue that Chernobyl symbols serve as a set of resources: they produce memory, and they are the grounds for making a new society. My analyses are based on representations of Chernobyl in academic and popular discourse, literature, and museums. Through discussions of embodiment and collective memory, I argue that Chernobyl has produced a sort of sixth sense or “awareness-plus” among those who share the experience of the disaster.]

URL:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/ahu.2004.29.2.159/abstract