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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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081489
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08148900.018
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1990-09-17
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WORLD, Page 42World NotesSOVIET UNIONA Dose of Nuclear Fallout
When the nuclear-power plant at Chernobyl blew, lethal
contamination forced the evacuation of 100,000 citizens. But 600
residents told Izvestiya last week that they had not been moved
until a week after the accident, after even the livestock had been
led to safety. Now, three years later, the supreme soviet of the
Byelorussian Republic has suggested that an additional 106,000
people be relocated. If approved by Moscow, this evacuation would
confirm suspicions that Soviet officials downplayed the severity
of the mishap and grossly underestimated the risk it posed to human
life.
Residents of the accident zone have grown increasingly
concerned about the health of their children, who are developing
respiratory infections and vision problems. They say their children
have been eating contaminated food from local stores and contend
that government limits for radiation are too high. In an article
titled "Mysterious Medicine: People with Chernobyl Experience Have
No Faith in Doctors' Diagnoses," Moscow News reported that Soviet
doctors refuse to attribute any health problem in the region to
radiation. Dependent on Moscow for funding, local officials hope
some support will come from Premier Nikolai Ryzhkov, who has
reportedly "listened attentively" to their complaints.