Chernobyl radiation equal to everyday risks: Study

LONDON: The risk of survivors of the Chernobyl accident dying early is far less than supposed, ranking about the same as exposure to air pollution or passive smoking, according to new research published yesterday.

The human toll from the world's worst civil nuclear accident has been hotly debated ever since the Ukrainian power station's No 4 reactor blew up on April 26, 1986, spewing radioactive dust across Europe.

Now, a top British scientist has evaluated the comparative risks and concluded that for those most affected by the disaster, emergency workers and people living nearby, the increased risk of premature death due to radiation is around 1 percent.