Anyone been to Belarus?

[BrianW]

Just curious as to what it is like. Thanks.

[viking]

I just came back 2 weeks ago. If you have a specific question, I will try to answer it.

[ambach123]

Belarus is heavily polluted with nuclear waste from Chrenobyl disaster. The incidence of some cancers is 2400 % that of other countries.

[pitbull]

Belarus is heavily polluted with nuclear waste from Chrenobyl disaster. The incidence of some cancers is 2400 % that of other countries.

This is not true, Belarus is not heavily contaminated, other than the immediate territory (50 miles) around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Other than some increase in thyroid cancer after childhood exposure, "there is no evidence of a major public health impact related to ionising radiation 14 years after the Chernobyl accident". The data is from the UN Committee, 2000 (UNSCEAR 2000).

Belarus is a beautiful country, and most people are better off (financially) than Russians and Ukrainians.

Oh, and even Russian men say Belarusian women are the most beautiful.    Let me know if you have specific questions about Belarus.

"Apart from the substantial increase in thyroid cancer after childhood exposure observed in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine there is no evidence of a major public health impact related to ionising radiation 14 years after the Chernobyl accident. No increases in overall cancer incidence or mortality that could be associated with radiation exposure have been observed. The risk of leukaemia, one of the most sensitive indicators of radiation exposure, has not been found to be elevated even in the accident recovery operation workers or in children. There is no scientific proof of an increase in non-malignant disorders related to ionising radiation. … For the most part [the public] were exposed to radiation levels comparable to or a few times higher than the natural background levels. Lives have been disrupted by the Chernobyl accident but from the radiological point of view, based on the assessment of this Annex, generally positive prospects for the future health of most individuals should prevail."

[GoodOlBoy]

ANYONE seriously dating a woman from Belarus might want to peruse through some of this information:

http://www.belarusguide.com/chernobyl1/chernobyl.htm

http://www.belarusguide.com/chernobyl1/cyauh.html


GOB

[Faux Pas]

I was watching a Natgeo show on Chernobyl just this past weekend. According to it even though the contamination still exists, scientist are baffled at how both the eco-system and the wildlife are thriving. They can only conclude that it is because of the absence of humans. 

[pitbull]

ANYONE seriously dating a woman from Belarus might want to peruse through some of this information:

http://www.belarusguide.com/chernobyl1/chernobyl.htm

http://www.belarusguide.com/chernobyl1/cyauh.html


GOB

And how is this information supposed to affect the dating process?

[BrianW]

How is Minsk?

[ecr844]

How is Minsk?

Fair to partly cloudy

[Boethius]

ANYONE seriously dating a woman from Belarus might want to peruse through some of this information:

http://www.belarusguide.com/chernobyl1/chernobyl.htm

http://www.belarusguide.com/chernobyl1/cyauh.html


GOB

Not all of Belarus is contaminated.  Parts near Chernobyl' are.  I do recall reading about higher rates of cancer and birth defects, but it is very localized.

When my husband worked in the Chernobyl' zone, one of his tasks was to measure radiation levels.  Even by 1990, a lot of vegetation had rebounded - lots of wild dill, parsley, mushrooms, etc., and none of it was contaminated.  But, there were hot spots in Kyiv.  The worst were the river port and Podil'.

[kievstar]

Areas of Belarus got hit very hard.  But so did other countries as well. I have worked with several Belarussians and Ukrainians from Kiev whose parents left in the late 1980's for the Milwaukee USA when they were children and they all have health issues with their throat.  They also have had several misscarriages.  There annual health care costs were among the highest in a 10,000 person company healthcare plan. 

I have posted in past how I know expats who lived in Obolon area of Kiev for several years and now they have cancer.  More and more testing is being done in parts of Kiev as new construction is unearthing radiation.  There is more than 200 tons of radiation estimated to be sitting in the river of the Dnipro in Kiev area.  On more than one flight I have had to Kiev the person sitting next to me was going there to address the growing radiation problem. 

I would never marry any girl from Belarus or Kiev.  Most are ok but for me it was a non negotiable.  I can no longer find the report but women in areas of the radiation zone have a much higher % of miscarriages and births with defects.

But parts of Belarus are fine.  Wind patterns were favorable for Eastern and Southern Ukraine during the accident.  Popultion wise Belarus is a very small country and there are direct flights from Germany.  Many German men go there for RW.  Not sure if there is German version of RWD but if there is probably a lot of men there can tell you what to do.