Initial and Long Term Impact
Between 31 and 54 people died from the initial blasts or Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) within a few months of the meltdown. There is a lot of debate on the true number of deaths caused by radiation from the meltdown, ranging anywhere from 4,000 to 93,000 depending on the study. The radiation doses caused health issues (thyroid problems, cataracts, etc.) for thousands of people in the surrounding areas.
