The 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear nightmare is a reminder of the deadly hazards of nuclear power. The effects of the meltdown continue, including astronomically high cancer rates. Huge swaths of land are uninhabitable, including 25 percent of Belarus. More than 9 million people in the region suffer from the effects of the radiation. The cost has been an enormous burden on workers and farmers. And recent accidents at the portion of the plant still in use are warnings that it can happen again.

The response of the magnates of world capital and the Stalinist bureaucrats of the former Soviet Union has been to cover up the scope of the disaster and deny adequate care to its victims. As if to add insult to injury, U.S. secretary of state Warren Christopher recently offered a measly $10 million donation to Ukraine for a mobile radiation monitoring laboratory.

In stark contrast, the revolutionary government of Cuba has offered a model of international solidarity, providing medical treatment to more than 13,000 children and 2,400 adults from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

Chernobyl was the worst nuclear accident in history - one that could be repeated anywhere in the world. There is no known way to make nuclear power safe. It is inherently dangerous because it produces massive amounts of radiation that is extremely harmful and potentially catastrophic.

Even if no accident occurs at a nuclear plant, there is no method of safely disposing of the mounting tonnage of nuclear waste. For example, a nuclear waste facility that just opened in Aiken, South Carolina, uses chemicals that have generated large amounts of explosive compounds during the processing of the deadly material.

There is only one way to protect people from catastrophic accidents at nuclear plants, from the cancer and genetic damage caused by nuclear power, and from the growing accumulation of deadly radioactive waste that cannot be stored safely. Shut them down! Workers and farmers must take the lead in dismantling these facilities, as well as demanding the resources be made available to aid those affected by Chernobyl and other nuclear disasters.  
 
 
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