The Impact of War on the Environment and Health: Implications for Readiness, Response, and Recovery in Ukraine
Publisher: Lancet
Author(s): Francesca Racioppi, Harry Rutter, Dorit Nitzan, Anja Borojevic, Zhanat Carr, Tanya Jean Grygaski, Dorota Jarosińska, Sinaia Netanyahu, Oliver Schmoll, Karien Stuetzle, Amber Van Den Akker, and Hans Henri P Kluge
Date: 2022
Topics: Assessment, Basic Services, Public Health, Renewable Resources, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Russian Federation, Ukraine
Since the Russian invasion began on Feb 24, 2022, Ukraine has suffered a dramatic escalation of a humanitarian, health, and environmental emergency, spurring the most rapid forced population movement within Europe since World War 2. By Aug 10, 2022, there had been 12 867 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including 5401 deaths; more than 6 million people had registered as refugees in Europe alone; and an estimated 6·6 million people had been internally displaced. The war has devastated much of Ukraine's infrastructure, disrupting essential services in many parts of the country. This damage has affected the provision of and access to energy, water, food, sanitation and hygiene, waste management, health care, education, housing, transport, and agricultural and industrial products. In addition to environmental contamination, including toxic chemical releases resulting from damage to industrial facilities, there are concerns about nuclear hazards given the presence of 15 reactors at four operational nuclear power plants, and multiple radioactive sources at other sites in Ukraine.