How much radiation were people exposed to as a result of the accident?

With the exception of the on-site reactor staff and emergency workers exposed to high level of radiation during the time of accident, most recovery operation workers and those living in contaminated territories received relatively low whole-body radiation dose, comparable to background radiation levels accumulated over the 20 year period since the accident, and lower than the average doses received by residents in some parts of the world having high natural background radiation levels.

The vast majority of the five million people residing in the contaminated areas of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently receive annual effective dose from the Chernobyl fallout of less than 1 mSv. The exposures are within the recommended dose limit for the general public. However, about 100,000 residents are still receiving higher level of radiation. Remedial measures in these contamination areas and application of some agricultural countermeasures continue.