UN atomic radiation committee concludes session

VIENNA, 02 June 2006 (UN Information Service) - The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) at its 54th session, approved documents for publication, reviewing various aspects of the health effects of ionizing radiation. The Committee noted that the recent findings of the Chernobyl Forum confirmed its own essential scientific conclusions reached in the year 2000 on the health consequences of radiation exposure due to the Chernobyl accident. "But at the recent 20th anniversary of the accident, there was much uninformed reporting of numbers of projected deaths due to radiation from the accident. This created confusion among the public," said Peter Burns, Chairman of UNSCEAR. The Committee intends to clarify the assessment of potential harm due to chronic low-level exposures among large populations. It will also continue its work to provide the scientific basis for a better understanding of the radiation related health and environmental effects of the accident.

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