1. a) Where is Chernobyl?
b) List the countries affected directly by the disaster.  (Go to brama.com/ukraine/cbyl.html for a map.) 
c) What was the date of the Chernobyl disaster?
d) Describe the events of that day.

2.  How many people actually died the day of the explosion?  How many subsequent deaths were there as a result of radiation sickness in the following years, according to the U.N.?

3.  How many deaths from cancers caused by Chernobyl radiation has the U.N.'s WHO and IAEA estimated are likely?
(For the U.N.'s IAEA page on Chernobyl, go to iaea.org/blog/Infolog/?page_id=25)

4.  How does the estimated death toll by some Russian scientists differ with that of the U.N.?  With which are you more likely to agree?  Why?

5.  a) What is ABRO? 
b) How is ABRO helping children living in the Chernobyl contaminated regions? 
c) In addition to their main work, how do some volunteers help the children permanently?
d) Why do you think the Belarussian government has now prohibited this assistance? 
(If you're not sure, do some research on the leader of Belarus - who is he? What do you learn about him that might give you a hint?)

6.  Why would ABRO and other groups volunteer to help Belarusian children who don't speak English?

For a report "Chernobyl 20 years later" from the BBC that includes photos, go to news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/2006/chernobyl/default.stm .

OPTIONAL:  There is much debate about the safety of nuclear power plants:

• Greenpeace, a liberal group, says that nuclear power plants are very dangerous to humans and the environment. 
  (For information on nuclear power and the Chernobyl disaster from Greenpeace, click here.)
• Junk Science, a conservative group, says that nuclear power plants are safe and that exposure to high-levels of radiation (caused by a nuclear explosion) does increase cancer risk, but only slightly.  (For a commentary about Chernobyl related deaths by Steve Milloy, president of Junkscience.com click here.)

With which side do you agree?  Why?