Despite the horror of Chernobyl, the health risk from radiation in such accidents is not much greater than everyday hazards such as gaining weight and passive smoking, a new report claims.

The report, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in London, appears in the online peer-review journal, Biomed Central.

Its author is a respected scientist and mathematical modeller, Jim Smith.

"The mortality risk to populations exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl accident may be no higher than that for other more common risk factors such as air pollution or passive smoking," says his report.
Source: Tobacco.org