Communicating radiation risks to the residents of the Chernobyl-affected areas in Russia: key lessons learned.

Abstract

This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.This article analyses the communication experiences of radiation protection experts at federal/regional and local level. Efforts to justify protective measures were more successful at federal level, while the task of adjusting risk perception among local residents remains unresolved. At the recovery stage (15 years after the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power plant), the main difficulties were associated with the fact that expert knowledge was in conflict with public perception of the risk of low doses and legislative approaches. In these situations, communication success depends directly on an expert's personality. When large areas are affected, the efforts of a few dedicated experts are clearly not sufficient. More systematic approaches (training of doctors, teachers, etc.) require governmental support and experienced personnel. Federal authorities had changed their attitudes by the 15th anniversary of the accident. However, at regional level, this process stretched out for another 15 years. Public perception of large-scale health consequences still persists. Examples and survey results are presented in this article.