The Wire

In April 1986 a small town in the Soviet Union rocked the world, with an explosion that changed attitudes to atomic power forever. It’s now been 20 years since the world’s worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former USSR but the ramifications continue to be felt today. In the lead up to the anniversary of the disaster, conflict has broken out in the scientific world over how many deaths can be attributed to the accident. Greenpeace say the toll could top 100,000 while an internationally renowned cancer expert from Wales, who co-authored a World Health Organisation report, puts the total at 9,000. Mary Mycio is a freelance journalist who has written a book about Chernobyl titled Wormwood Forrest, and she talks about the night of the accident. The UK charity Children of Chernobyl fund have been working in the Ukraine and Belarus to make sure children affected by radiation can get medical help. Their spokeswoman Claire Chetto explains their work.