Sir, - Professor Philip Walton (September 26th) attempts to make several criticisms of the work of the Chernobyl Children's project in bringing sick children to Ireland for specialist treatment, rest and recuperation. In our view these criticisms are inaccurate and invalid on both moral and scientific grounds.
One of Professor Walton's claims is that a World Health Organisation report states that the only health effects of the Chernobyl disaster are an increase in childhood thyroid cancers and psychological problems. In fact, the WHO established an international programme on the health effects of the Chernobyl accident (IPHCEA) in 1993. This programme has five specific health research programmes which study both children and adults in the contaminated zones: the haematology project; the thyroid project; the brain damage in utero project; the epidemiological registry project; the oral health project.
If, as Professor Walton claims, the WHO believed that the only observable health defects of Chernobyl were an increase in childhood thyroid cancers and psychological problems it seems unlikely that they would have gone to the trouble of setting up the above programmes.
The 1995 United Nations Report on the Chernobyl disaster (to which the WHO contributed) says: "Children, especially those born between 1981 and 1987, are the most susceptible to Chernobyl-related diseases. Both children and embryos exhibit a particular sensitivity to the effects of radiation." (Section E, paragraph 29.)
UNICEF research has noted "significant increases in many types of health disorders of the child population" among children in Belarus between 1990 and 1994: ". . . disorders of the nervous system and sensory organs have increased by 43 per cent, blood circulation illnesses by 43 per cent, disorders of the digestive organs by 28 per cent, disorders of the genito-urinary system up by 39 per cent, disorders of the bone, muscle and connective tissue system have been increased by 62 per cent, illnesses of the haemogenic (blood-producing) organs by 24 per cent, iron deficiency anaemia by 10 per cent, endocrine system disorders by 8 per cent, diabetes by 28 per cent, congenital heart and circulatory diseases have increased by 25 per cent, and malignant tumours by 38 per cent since 1988." (Section E, paragraph 31, United Nations 1995 report).
Professor Walton claims that some of the children with birth defects brought to Ireland by the project "could have come from any country in the world". Yet he himself makes the point that the Chernobyl disaster has led to "major social disruption". It is as a result of this disruption that children like Alexei Shmarlovski, whose photograph appeared on The Late Late Show, have not received the medical attention they need in Belarus.
Belarus has spent over 10 annual budgets in coping with the aftermath of Chernobyl and this has left health services overstretched. Belarussian doctors told the Chernobyl Children's Project that Alexei faced certain death in a home for abandoned babies in Minsk. We believe that the project took the correct course in bringing him to this country for the operation and subsequent care that saved his life. In the case of children like Alexei, the project cannot wait for scientists to reach absolute agreement that their birth defects were a direct result of the Chernobyl disaster.
Our view is endorsed by the United Nations 1995 Report which states: "The fact that there is as yet no conclusive scientific proof that certain of the diseases which have shown increases since the Chernobyl disaster have been caused by exposure to radiation has led to a reluctance in the international community to offer decisive and meaningful assistance. It is a situation that sharply demonstrates the danger of wholly subordinating an obvious and urgent moral obligation to scientific and statistical evidence." - Yours, etc.,
Chernobyl Children's Project Staff, Bellevue Park, St Luke's, Cork.