The immune system of nearly every child living in the hot zone is suppressed to some degree. In 40 percent of the youngsters this problem is serious. Their ability to ward off diseases is weak. So is their resiliency. They catch every ailment that comes along and stay sick for long periods.
Diseases Increase Other consequences read like an unholy litany.
Physicians saw a sharp rise in leukemia in the years immediately following the accident. The incidence is no longer rising, but the leukemia they now see is changing. It is a more difficult type to treat. Aplastic anemia and radiation-induced hemophilia and also are on the rise. Thyroid disease and thyroid cancer have increased dramatically over the past 10 years.