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I find your dismissal of human suffering so annoying I actually came back to write more. It won’t change your mind so you may just want to skip reading it. My comments below are for others who are investigating this issue.

“I didn’t “downplay” thyroid cancer, I reported it honestly. It is a significantly better than generic ‘cancer’ and doesn’t deserve the same reaction as breast or lung cancer in most cases”

My response: Ah but exposure to ionizing radiation causes generic cancer and rare cancers, solid lump cancers and leukemia, countless syndromes, early dementia, cardiac arrest, suppression of immune system that may cause you to die from simple illnesses from which you would otherwise recover - or maybe you’ll “only” struggle with those illnesses for years. Let’s hope those in Fukushima with thyroid and other cancers are evacuated from contaminated areas permanently - they don’t need their immune systems suppressed while undergoing cancer treatments. Beware of people who minimize the suffering of those exposed to nuclear disasters by stressing repeatedly that “thyroid cancer is treatable.” Does any government or industry have the right to give your family cancer of any kind and then tell you to buck up, it’s not that bad?

“I’m not downplaying the suffering that came after Chernobyl, I’m downplaying some of the predicted problems which didn’t turn out to be so. We should learn from hindsight.”

My response: We’ll have to agree to disagree on the amount of text you spent a) “destigmatizing” thyroid cancer based on your experience treating patients not living in contaminated zones, b) focusing on predicted problems when the Ukraine is filled with literal medical problems, entire generations of children growing up in contaminated zones and c) noting that we should learn from hindsight while refusing to do so. I’ve never seen a nuke apologist acknowledge the continuing damage caused by Chernobyl. If anyone cares to study the issue, watch some videos on Youtube starting with The Battle For Chernobyl and then watch a few about the cover they are trying to build over the corium and then some one the radioactive contamination destroying lives today just as effectively as it did 25 years ago and as it will 25 years from now. Or just watch the news and read of radioactive mushrooms halted at the border of England for being well above accepted limits for radiation.

“The UN report suggests that much suffering and harm resulted from false (in hindsight) information and decisions based on it. “

My response: Hans Blix listened to the report from the USSR about the amount of radiation released by Chernobyl and then elected to accept 10% of the radiation reported into the “official record.” He’s on videotape doing that. The IAEA has subjugated WHO so now WHO cannot report on the medical rammifactions of any nuclear issue without the IAEA signing off on that. And the UN is quite content with this arrangement and so the distortion of the official record occurs from the top down. You’ll note that soon after Chernobyl, the international apologists were insisting, and still insist, that the populations made ill were actually a result of unfounded fears of radiation. ALl that leukemia and thyroid cancer was really the result of an ignorant fearful populace. No, I reject the UN and the IAEA as Machiavellian and I look to actual medical research like the BEIR VII for proof that x amount of radiation causes x amount of risk etc.

“We should learn from it and do better the next time, especially since that next time arrived in Fukashima two years ago. We shouldn’t proceed based only on 30 year old guesses as to what might happen. To not learn from the past is to be cruel to the present. And don’t forget worse things than nuclear accidents can happen.”

My responses: This, people, is disgusting but I will try to comment anyway. Yes they should learn from what happened and do it better next time but the nuclear industry decided not to and in fact, refuses to do so. “We” shouldn’t have a special interest (nuke power) industry protected by the federal government.

The incompetent management of nuclear power in the US and other countries is sadly entrenched and 100% defended by the resources of government and so the “little people” will always be lectured that they “worry to much” about radioactive waste.

“We shouldn’t proceed based only on 30 year old guesses as to what might happen” is laughable because you can ask any nuclear power apologist for a reasonably accurate account of the impact of Chernobyl and not one will even come close. It is not part of the professional development of nuke “professionals” to have even a passing understanding of the impact their industry has - but it is ever so easy to get one to sneer at you while offering pathetic, false comparisons to bananas and air travel.

I’ve had many debates with nuke professionals wherein they demand that I perform the mathematical calculations of dosimetry (the equations they use to determine exposure) and not one of them realizes that the industry standard dosimetry calculations are by design, worthless and do not reflect reality. A two-for is when they use that worthless dosimetry to try to “prove” to me that bananas are more harmful to me than nuclear fuel.

“To not learn from the past is to be cruel to the present.” Yes - and the nuclear industry is cruel to the point of sociopathy. Note how apologists may lift exhortations used by those worried about the incompetence on display in the nuclear industry to lecture the populace. It gets old.

Here’s some pointless strawmen:
“And don’t forget worse things than nuclear accidents can happen.”

Obviously I’m more concerned about this than you are. It’s why you are telling me I am over reacting and focusing on the wrong things.

“Ukrainians should know that better than nearly anyone. I would far rather try to live through what the Soviets did to them in 86-87 than what they did in 32-33. Stalin killed literally millions of Ukrainians through forced famine and the NYT won a Pulitzer for lying about it. And Stalin’s mentality produced the fools that destroyed Chernobyl. “

I always find it ghastly the way that nuke apologists purport to know the best interests of the Ukrainians.

Yes, we all know Stalin killed literally millions of people but we were supposedly not socialist and ruled over by a dictator yet our government and it’s nuclear power industry are abusing the public, lying to them, and making decisions damaging to them and the public is given no legal recourse. We are stripped of our rights to participate in decisions, which will effect us for many generations, by our government and routinely told that we wouldn’t be able to participate in decision making regarding nuclear power because we aren’t nuclear engineers!

Lethal famine or needless nuclear disasters with horrible legacies. Talk about a false dichotomy! Extermination level famine or nuclear disaster - take your pick! We shouldn’t have to choose between the two. The incompetence and greed entrenched in the nuclear power industry is killing people is the result of choices made and the sole response of the nuclear power industry is comprised of denial and obfuscation. Nuke apologists frequently resort to false dichotomy arguments to reinforce their straw men.

Rolling over the will of the people was both Stalin’s approach and that of nuclear power. If anyone chooses to watch the youtube video “The Battle For Chernobyl” you’ll note that the problem was one of incompetent management common to the nuclear power industry. Too much control given to too few people with too much incentive for their hubris and greed to resist.

Note that the man most responsible for Chernobyl’s decision to take safety precautions offline and test the reactor was chosen for his senior post even after he was thought to be responsible for the nuclear disaster on a Soviet submarine. The nuclear power industry will remain a festering swamp of back scratching arrogance and incompetence as long as there are no checks and balances and it continues to claim to regulate itself.