Voices from Chernobyl

A SCREAM

Stop, good people! We have to live here! You talk and leave, but we have to live here!

Here, I have the medical cards right in front of me. Every day I have them. I take them into my hands—every day!

Anya Budai—born 1985—380 becquerels.

Vitya Grinkevich—born 1986—785 becs.

Nastya Shablovskaya—born 1986—570 becs.

Alyosha Plenin—born 1985—570 becs.

Andrei Kotchenko—born 1987—450 becs.

They say this is impossible? And how can they live with this in their thyroids? But has anyone ever run this sort of experiment before? I read and I see, every day. Can you help? No! Then why did you come here? To ask questions? To touch us? I refuse to trade on their tragedy. To philosophize. Leave us alone, please. We need to live here.

Arkady Pavlovich Bogdankevich,

rural medical attendant