Chernobyl Humanitarian Trip

                On April 26, 1986 reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Plant located in the Northern Ukraine, formerly the USSR, exploded. This explosion released 190 tons of radioactive Uranium and Graphite into the air. The release of Radiation was 90 times greater than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II and excessive levels of radiation were recorded as far away as Sweden, Wales, Ireland, Greece and Alaska. Over 400,000 residents of the Chernobyl area were evacuated and more than 2000 villages were demolished. The Russia government sent in 600,000 people to clean up the disaster and since that time more than 13,000 of them have died.

 Statistics of the disaster aftermath:

1.       The rate of Thyroid cancer is 10,000 times higher than the period prior to the accident.

2.       Congenital Defects have increased by 250% since prior to the accident.

3.       Cesium levels remain high as far away as 125 mile from Chernobyl.

4.       In Gomel, 50 miles from Chernobyl and a population of 700,000, contains Cesium levels 40 times the recognized danger level.

5.       Also in Gomel only 15 to 20 percent of babies born are healthy and the infant mortality rate is 300% higher than the rest of Europe.

6.       The “Chernobyl Heart”, a direct result of the radiation, is one of the largest health issues with newborns. This is a situation where the heart has holes and can not pump correctly. There are currently 7000 children on the surgical waiting list. Only approximately 300 children will be seen this year. Most of the children on the list will die within 2 to 5 years.

7.       The United Nations estimate that over 6 million people continue to live in the effected area.

 John Kenney, CPO, FAAOP, owner of Kenney Orthopedics of Lexington and Mount Sterling Kentucky, has just returned from his second humanitarian trip to the city of Jhitomir, in the northern Ukraine, about 80 miles from Chernobyl. He was accompanied by Dr. Chuck Ditezen, Physical Medicine, and Karen Cornell, Social Worker and Jennifer Garda, RN. The teams treated about 25 children during their week stay using prosthetic and orthotics that had been donated or purchased by Kenney Orthopedics and then modified to fit the children. This is the second annual Humanitarian trip to the Ukraine; Mr. Kenney also goes annually to Mexico.