# What's going to happen to Chernobyl and surrounding areas?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-to-happen-to-chernobyl-and-surrounding-areas/468260>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 16, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-to-happen-to-chernobyl-and-surrounding-areas/468260 "2008-10-16T20:14:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-to-happen-to-chernobyl-and-surrounding-areas/468260/21 "2008-10-18T15:05:05Z")

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> [@Charlie\_Tan](#):
>
> One thing they looked into was how many deaths directly attributable to radiation from Chernobyl has occured. The answer might surprise you:
> 
> 56. Yes fiftysix.

I suspect the “directly attributable” is the problem. If you get cancer and are living near the exclusion zone, it doesn’t mean Chernobyl radiation caused the cancer. After all, people get cancer anyway. Even if the cancer rates go up locally, you generally can’t prove \*your particular \*cancer was caused by Chernobyl.

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**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-to-happen-to-chernobyl-and-surrounding-areas/468260/22 "2008-10-18T16:06:41Z")

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> [@Santo\_Rugger](#):
>
> Your buddy was able to go actually to the actual site? :dubious:  
> With a tour guide, no less? :dubious::dubious:

ah, yes, actually. Tours to the actual site have been rather popular for awhile now.

I have no reason to doubt the numerous photos he has of himself and several of his friends at Chernobyl.

I will not post links, but a simply Google search confirms that tours, albeit pricey, are certainly available.

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**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-to-happen-to-chernobyl-and-surrounding-areas/468260/23 "2008-10-18T18:54:07Z")

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This isn’t a factual answer, but Martin Cruz Smith wrote an Arkady Renko mystery novel set in the exclusion zone. It’s called Wolves Eat Dogs and it’s very good.

In the novel, several people live in the area around Chernobyl. I don’t know if that’s accurate, but it does go into detail about how nature has taken over and how some animals that are rare elsewhere in the Ukraine are flourishing.

I highly recommend it.

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**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-to-happen-to-chernobyl-and-surrounding-areas/468260/24 "2008-10-18T19:14:50Z")

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> [@The\_Scrivener](#):
>
> There was a TV program [IIRC on Discovery, but it might’ve been The History Channel] awhile back on the pace of nature’s reclamation of civilization, should humanity suddenly vanish. There was a segment on that process in the deserted city nearest Chernobyl.

It was called “[Life After People](http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=57578&display_order=2&mini_id=57517)” and aired on the History Channel. I found it quite interesting.

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