Chernobyl Through the Eyes of a First Medical Responder with Dr. Alla Shapiro is a fascinating interview with a doctor of pediatrics who was on call during the time of the nuclear accident. She is the author of the book Doctor on Call: Chernobyl Responder, Jewish Refugee, Radiation Expert
Chernobyl Through the Eyes of a First Medical Responder with Dr. Alla Shapiro is a fascinating story of the time period of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Dr. Alla Shapiro was a first physician-responder to the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine on April 26, 1986. Information about the explosion was withheld from first responders, who were not given basic supplies, detailed instructions, or protective clothing.Dr. Shapiro treated traumatized children as she tried to protect her family. No protocols were in place because no one had anticipated the consequences of a nuclear accident. From the outset of the disaster, the Soviet government worsened matters by spreading misinformation; and first responders, including Alla, were ordered to partake in the deception of the public.
After years of persistent professional hostility and personal discrimination that she and her family experienced as Jewish citizens of the USSR, four generations of the Shapiro family fled the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. As émigrés, they were each allowed to take no more than 40 pounds of possessions and $90 in cash.
Motivated by her Chernobyl experiences, Alla Shapiro ultimately became one of the world’s leading experts in the development of medical countermeasures against radiation exposure.
Her book can be found here https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Call-Chernobyl-Responder-Radiation/dp/1942134738