Those who lived in the area around the nuclear power station at the time of the accident have had mutations in their germ cells due to the radiation. Germ cells, sperm and eggs, are the "genetic building blocks of future generations." Thus, the children of such people can turn out deformed and disfigured.

About 760 children in the contaminated "Safety Zone" have been reported to have thyroid cancer, though only 3 children have died from it so far. It is the children that has local doctors the most worried about. Doctor Oleksandr Urin reports that the immune system in the children is weakening. Birth defects have more than doubled inside the "Safety Zone". There have also been isolated cases of liver and rectal cancer, which is uncommon in children of their age. "These are isolated cases so far, but they are warning signals about what may follow," says Dr. Urin. It may take another decade before the full effect can be seen.