Apr 4, 2006- The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

HON. MARCY KAPTUR
 OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2006

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as the world prepares tocommemorate the 20th anniversary of the Chernobylnuclear disaster, I rise in support of House Resolution 703 recognizing the20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nucleardisaster and supporting continued efforts to control radiation and mitigate theadverse health consequences related to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The scope of the devastation that followed that explosionwas truly unprecedented. More than 600,000 emergency workers, liquidators,risked their lives putting out the reactor's inferno that raged for 10 dayswhile exposing themselves to extremely high and deadly doses of radiation.Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes because ofradioactive contamination. More than 5 million people in Ukraine, Belarus,and Western Russia found themselves copingwith life in towns and villages contaminated by iodine and cesium.

In the RECORD I will place a full statementregarding this resolution as well as support from the Children of ChernobylRelief Fund and the Chernobyl Children's Project International for theincredible work that they continue to do two decades later in dealing with thedevastation that still lives.