The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has
created severe environmental problems in northwestern
Ukraine. Vast areas of land are contaminated by dangerous
short- and long-lived radioactive isotopes, notably
strontium-90, which can replace calcium in foods and
become concentrated in bones and teeth. Contaminated
agricultural lands near Chernobyl will be unsafe for
thousands of years, though some of these areas continue to
be occupied and farmed. Several thousand premature
cancer deaths are expected over the long term.