Scientists say Chernobyl Exclusion Zone could be SAFE for humans – and the proof can be found in bizarre black mutated frogs
Civilization could return to the irradiated forests of Chernobyl after scientists studying mutated black frogs in the exclusion zone made a shocking discovery.
In 1986, a meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history.
A 2022 study later found that eastern tree frogs living near the site in northern Ukraine had black rather than green skin.
Now scientists studying the frogs have discovered that they live as long as their green counterparts, and that they do not age any faster.
That could mean that the exclusion zone – 1,000 square kilometers around Ground Zero where access is limited – is suitable for human habitation again.
Germán Orizaola from the University of Oviedo in Spain, co-author of the new study, said: ‘There does not appear to be any difference in age between dark and normal colored frogs.
‘We did not find any difference in age – or aging rate – between frogs collected across the entire gradient of radioactive contamination, including sites outside the exclusion zone.
‘The message of our research is that the current radiation levels experienced by tree frogs in Chernobyl do not affect their age or aging processes.
Civilization could return to Chernobyl’s irradiated forests after scientists studying mutated black frogs in the exclusion zone made a shocking discovery
In 1986, a meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused the largest release of radioactive material into the environment in human history.
‘The age structure and average age we detected in Chernobyl is comparable to that of other populations of the species in Eastern Europe or the Middle East.
‘It also resembles populations of a sister species: the European tree frog, or Hyla arborea.’
Melanin, the pigment that darkens frogs’ skin, protects against radiation.
But Dr. Orizaola said this mutation was linked to increased radiation levels shortly after the accident, and not to the radiation levels now.
The frogs’ ability to live normally within the exclusion zone could therefore demonstrate that it is safe for human habitation again.
He said: ‘We don’t think radiation is hurting these frogs now.
‘One of the main reasons would have to be the decline in radiation levels over the past 38 years.
‘More than 90% of the radioactive material released in the accident has already decayed and disappeared from the zone.
A 2022 study found that eastern tree frogs living near the site in northern Ukraine have black rather than green skin
The findings could mean that the exclusion zone – 1,000 square kilometers around Ground Zero where access is restricted – is suitable for human habitation again
‘And the most harmful radioisotopes, 131-I for example, disappeared months after the accident.’
He continued: ‘Large parts of the exclusion zone now maintain radiation levels that are comparable to background or ‘natural’ radiation levels in many places around the world, even lower than in some areas.
‘So reoccupation of most of the zone by humans should be possible at any time.
‘That wildlife lives there and is in many ways unaffected by constant exposure to current levels of radiation proves that these levels can be considered safe for humans.’
The exclusion zone was introduced shortly after the accident by the Soviet authorities that ruled Ukraine at the time.
Most residents were evacuated and today only a few remain – mainly those who refused to leave or returned secretly.
In the absence of human activity, biodiversity within the zone flourished.
However, for this reason, Dr. Orizaola believes that the zone should not be resettled – even if it is safe to do so.
In the absence of human activity, biodiversity flourished within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
He said: ‘The value of the area as a natural laboratory for understanding the long-term effects of radiation, and as a key area for conservation, exceeds that of the area for human settlement.
‘The ideal situation, in my opinion, is to keep the area protected from human activities – especially extractive activities – and dedicate it to preserving the memory of the accident.
‘It must be preserved as a unique nature reserve.’
As part of their work, Dr. Orizaola and his co-author, Pablo Burraco, recorded more than 200 frogs at more than a dozen different locations between 2016 and 2018.
They identified the age of their specimens by examining the growth lines on their bones, and assessed their aging rate by measuring their telomeres.
Telomeres are DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes that protect genetic material but shorten with each cell division.
Dr. Burraco and Orizaola, and their colleagues from France and America, published their research in the journal Biology Letters.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE 1986 CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER?
On April 26, 1986, a power plant on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a major accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, spreading radioactive material into the area.
More than 160,000 residents of the city and surrounding areas had to be evacuated and unable to return, leaving the former Soviet site as a radioactive ghost town.
A map of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is pictured above. The ‘ghost town’ of Pripyat is located near the site of the disaster
The exclusion zone, which covers a significant area in Ukraine and part of neighboring Belarus, will remain in place for generations until radiation levels drop to safe levels.
The area is called a ‘dead zone’ because of the extensive radiation that persists.
However, the proliferation of wildlife in the area contradicts this and many argue that the region should be handed over to the animals that have settled in the area, creating a radioactive protected nature reserve.