Top gear

[RattyMcClelland]

The wildlife at Chernobyl is absolutely fine. There is even a women still living there. Some of the animals like birds have mutates but 90% has adapted. Radiation is the enviorment now in all the plants that grow and the ecosystem. Nature has just adapted.

[Donald]

You just have to remember the radiation isn't consistent across all planes like most imagine, it's more or less concentrated in different areas. Some species are more susceptible than others. Most of it is saturated in the topsoil and so affects insects which in turn has an effect on birds and small mammals (the two groups with highest visible mutations). However you look at it there is radiation, it just happens that the two most persistent isotopes can function biochemically in the place of calcium and potassium so life can continue to function but the overall health may not be so good. A lot of studies base the health of an area on quantity and diversity as opposed to actual health.

[mercutio]

seen a program on the wildlife of Chernobyl was really good showing how it has carried on pet cats turned feral and foxes and wolves moving back in

[wurlycorner]

Moss there has the highest absorption rates of radioactivity from what I've read.

[bennyboy]

They do tours, I've seriously looked into it, which is odd for a guy that was petrified of the word nuclear when he was a kid

Saw a great doc on it once, the old school with all the books still open etc.
They spoke to an old couple that had lived there continuously, just refused to leave. They were perfectly fine, albeit more radioactive ..
The guy doing the doc got a bit carried away and shared a vodka or two with them, then completely shat himself after thinking about it, they gave him a full check and said you are a bit more radioactive, but you're fine
The maddest/saddest story from that doc thigh - A lot the occupants of the nearbyhigh rise flats sat on the roof, drinking and watching it literally glow green , most were oblivious to the danger

[Donald]

I'd read that it was mushrooms, bet they give you some visions

[lewd lude lover]

you can go hunting radioactive wolves in belarus from the back of a heli sop I have read.

£2000 for two weeks. Ivan wakes you up in the morning with vodka, they give you big rifle and strap you to the open door of the heli and off you go, anotgher great day of missing wildlife and getting ratarsed.

sounds like my kinda holiday.

[macky_6]

I watched a science show on Chernobyl and they were expecting to see mutations in rats etc but found that their DNA had been hardened by the radioactivity and were less likely to mutate as a result. There is also a myth that thousands of people have died as a result of the radiation but the actual death toll is less than 40. Most of these occurring as a result of the actual explosion!

Love seeing all these cold war installations, terrifying how close we were to apocalypse

Top Gear has been in decline for years. Tries too hard to be funny and the "arguments" they have are borderline pathetic. Why can't they just agree that all the cars in a group test are amazing when clearly they are.

If they have to so obviously script everything for the presenters, perhaps it's time to get someone who is spontaneously funny instead??

And the dumming-down for kids/girls has gotten worse. Give us adults a post-watershed version with swearing etc or even better, an episode for car enthusiasts who want to see proper reviews, tech, figures, tits etc

[wurlycorner]

There is also a myth that thousands of people have died as a result of the radiation but the actual death toll is less than 40. Most of these occurring as a result of the actual explosion!

There are huge rises in birth defects and particular cancers in several areas (both of which are ongoing) as a direct result of it.

A lot of the long term damage is not yet fully determined - it's still too early days.

[Donald]

I don't think the figure will every truly been known but I've read figures varying between 4000 and 93,000 deaths directly attributed to cancers caused by the fallout. There are something like 7000 cases of thyroid cancer in children (very rare) to date that are linked.

Let's not forget the Soviets aren't the most trustworthy of people, they didn't evacuate Pripyat until day 2 and didn't even tell the clean up operatives what exactly they were dealing with. Most thought it was an electrical fire I've read?

Might be interesting for some of you:

http://www.nrer.ru/byelorussia_eng.html
http://users.physics.harvard.edu/~wilso ... ter_1.html

Second link is basically data from the first put into a readable format. I think you would have to be very naïve to think ~40 deaths is it.


(liquidator = clean up operative)