Comment by leonidasrup

Lot of health impact of Chernobyl disaster was also because of Soviet's obsession with saving face.

The biggest radiation dose to the population was not from breathing air filled with radio-nuclides, but from drinking locally produced milk and eating milk products and leafy vegetables. In the first days after explosion Iodine-131, with half-life 8 days, is the biggest source of radiation dose.

Had the Soviets informed the population not to eat local milk, leafy vegetables for 3 months, the health impact would be much smaller (also distribution of Potassium Iodide would help). In case of Fukushima accident, health protection was implemented.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine-131

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission_product#Iodine