Radiation-induced cancer has a latent period; for the survivors of the atomic bombs, the minimum was 2-3 years for leukemia, 3-4 years for bone cancers and over 10 years for various solid tumors. Although there have been several minor and major radiation exposures since l945, the most recent, best researched and analyzed is the l986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion since it coincided with the onset of ?glasnost? in the then Soviet regime. The population affected and/or directly involved with cleaning-up and securing the site has been followed with reasonable care and accuracy; morbidity and mortality data have been collated by Western scientists and are available. It is surprising that so far, the outcome from Chernobyl differs from that of the 1945 atom bomb survivors.
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