Evidence from the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident: The Effect on Health, Education and Labor Market Outcomes in Belarus

Abstract

The Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 had deleterious health consequences for the population of Belarus, especially for children who were younger at the time of the disaster. Using the 2003-2008 waves of the Belarusian Household Survey of Income and Expenditure (BHSIE) we estimate the effect of radiation on health, education and labor market outcomes among the cohorts and the areas that varied in the amount of exposure, utilizing the nuclear accident as a natural experiment. We find that individuals who were younger in 1986 and who came from the most contaminated areas had worse health, were less likely to hold university degree, were less likely to be employed and had lower wages compared to those who were older at the time of the accident and who came from the less contaminated areas.

Keywords: Chernobyl, Belarus, health, education, wage, employment

JEL Classification: I18, I20, Q53, J24