by David Zenian
KIEV - Fear of the effects of the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl still traumatizes many Ukrainians seven years after the nuclear disaster, and Mayis Khemchian is one of them.
"The only bright spot is that I had a child before Chernobyl. I don't know how my life will end, but my nine-year-old Gariné is healthy," Khemchian said.
At 35, Khemchian is frail and "looks older", all because of serious exposure to nuclear radiation at the Chernobyl site three years after one of the world's longest-lasting disasters.
"It was late at night on July 19, 1989 when I received a telephone call from the Soviet Army. As an electrical engineer in the military reserve, it seems I was chosen to lead a unit to clean up the remaining mess at Chernobyl," Khemchian says in a pensive voice.
Unlike many others who were summoned by the military, Khemchian did not hesitate. "Many of my friends escaped and did not go. As a good citizen I thought I will obey the orders and besides, it was three years after the disaster and I thought there would be no serious danger to my health."
Khemchian was wrong.
Today, he faces an uncertain future.
"I led a special unit to pour cement and other materials to seal the fourth reactor. I worked on that site with little or no protection for three months. Now, I suffer from a heart problem, I have a stomach ailment and migraine-type headaches. Once a year I am subjected to a special radiation test at Kiev's main hospital. I am on constant medication, but there is no cure," he said.
