On April 26 the nuclear catastrophe from Chernobyl turns twenty

On April 26 the nuclear catastrophe from Chernobyl reaches the age of twenty years, sad occasion to commemorate the event by laying down flowers at the graves of the victims, offering material support for those alive, majority of them 1st or 2nd degree invalids. The explosion of the nr.4 reactor of the Atomic Power Plant affected the lives of thousands of people. According to the specialists of the World Health Organization, the consequences of the catastrophe are felt not only by the persons that participated at the liquidation of the damage but also by the persons that live on the territories of Byelorussia, Ukraine, Moldova and other neighbour countries. In the last years, every fifth person from 150.000 sent to Chernobyl died immediately after the catastrophe. These persons were between the ages of 30 and 50 years. In Byelorussia, at that time, the infant mortality raised to 250%. Today nine from ten children that live in the contaminated zone have fragile health. The important sanitary effects of the accident are the raise of the leukaemia rate, infant cancer of the thyroid gland and psychological effects, like neuropsychological, digestive, cardio-vascular diseases or chronic bronchitis. The thyroid cancer is a very rare disease, WHO reports, that records normally one case in a million during one year. At present in the contaminated zones are between 10 and 35 cases out of one million children, fact that according to the experts proves clearly the disease is a consequence of the radiation. Practically all 3500 citizens of the Republic of Moldova that sacrificed their lives and health for saving the humanity from a possible nuclear tragedy at a world scale by participating at the Chernobyl consequence liquidation inclusively nearly 1500 children, born after the catastrophe in these families are sick. More than 200 participants died during the last 20 years because of the radiation they got at the time they tried to cover the crater of the reactor. In order to support the persons affected by the nuclear catastrophe, the Government of the Republic of Moldova added some stipulations to an older decision for the commemoration of the explosion’s consequences. On this day several commemorative events will be organized, the most active participants at the catastrophe’s consequence liquidation will receive state distinctions, the others a specially manufactured medal – “Participant at the Chernobyl catastrophe consequence liquidation -20 years”, meals will be offered in all the districts, towns and in UTA Gagauzia. In Chisinau, already traditionally, will be organized a commemoration march and meeting. The participants from other localities willing to come to this event will have the support of the local authorities for travelling. 20 years after the nuclear catastrophe, Chernobyl is a ghost city and it looks the same way it was left by its inhabitants. The specialists say that 100 hundred years must pass until the radioactive emissions will come to normal.