Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment is a translation of a 2007 Russian publication by , Vassily B. Nesterenko, and Alexey V. Nesterenko, edited by Janette D. Sherman-Nevinger, and originally published by the New York Academy of Sciences in 2009 in their "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences" series. The book presents an analysis of scientific literature and concludes that medical records between 1986, the year of the Chernobyl disaster, and 2004 reflect 985,000 premature deaths as a result of the radioactivity released. The
Effects of the Chernobyl disaster levels of radiation have statistically significantly smaller brains, which has shown to be a deficit to viability in the wild. Barn swallows ("Hirundo rustica") that live in or around Chernobyl have displayed an increased rate of physical abnormalities compared to swallows from uncontaminated areas. Abnormalities included partially albinistic plumage, deformed toes, tumors, deformed tail feathers, deformed beaks, and deformed air sacks. Birds with these abnormalities have a reduced viability in the wild and a decrease in fitness. Moeller et al. claimed in 2007 that these effects were likely due to radiation exposure and elevated teratogenic effects of radioactive isotopes in