Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans is calling for an independent inquiry at European level into the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

A report published today in Brussels by Ms Evans' parliamentary group challenged the two UN organisations - the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) - and their estimate of 4,000 deaths from cancer as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. Today's report puts the predicted additional cancer deaths at between 30,000 and 60,000.

April 26th is the twentieth anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster and Jill Evans is visiting the site of the accident this weekend.

Today's report says:

- Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were heavily contaminated, however more than half of Chernobyl’s fallout was deposited outside these countries

- Fallout from Chernobyl contaminated about 40% of Europe’s surface area

- About 2/3rds of Chernobyl’s collective dose was distributed to populations outside Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, especially to western Europe

- About 30,000 to 60,000 excess cancer deaths are predicted, 7 to 15 times greater than IAEA/WHO’s published estimate of 4,000

Speaking ahead of her visit to Chernobyl Jill Evans said:

"Twenty years later we do not know the truth about the after effects of the the terrible disaster at Chernobyl. New reports show that the 'official' number of cancer deaths is a serious underestimate.

"What concerns me is that in the twenty years since Chernobyl there hasn't been an independent inquiry into the effects of the disaster. It's vital that we have such an investigation so that we know what we are dealing with and what a nuclear accident really means.

"That's why I'm backing moves to establish an independent European Commission inquiry to uncover the truth about the contamination."

Diwedd/End

Notes

TORCH was prepared by two UK scientists, Ian Fairlie PhD and David Sumner DPhil and an executive summary can be viewed at www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/118/118559.torch_executive_summary@en.pdf

Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans will visit Chernobyl and attend events to mark the twentieth anniversary of the disaster, including a visit to the reactor itself, this weekend 21-23 April.

Even twenty years on, the effects of the disaster continue to be felt in Ukraine and wider afield including in Wales where restrictions apply to 359 farms. Rates of childhood cancer in Ukraine rose sharply following the Chernobyl disaster and many children continue to travel abroad for treatment and respite care and many continue to visit Wales.

A prominent anti-nuclear campaigner, Jill is Chair of CND Cymru and the Vice President of Plaid Cymru.