I visited Chernobyl last September. We had dosimeters with us so I have a pretty good understanding of the radiation levels. In Chernobyl, of roughly 90% of the

I visited Chernobyl last September. We had dosimeters with us so I have a pretty good understanding of the radiation levels. In Chernobyl, of roughly 90% of the places the background radiation is 1,5 to 3 times that of in Kyiv. (In Kyiv I measured around .20 μSv/hr, around the same as most of the US). However, there are some hotspots which measure >600 microsievert/hour. Sometimes these hotspots are easily recognizable (patches of moss, a tractor trailer used in the cleanup), but most of the times these hotspots appear to be really random. People working on the sarcofagus actually live in Chernobyl town for two weeks on, two weeks off. That way your body can get rid of the built up radiation. The flora and fauna in the Exclusion Zone is thriving. Radiation levels have dropped significantly, and most animals don't live to the age that they might see consequences of the elevated background radiation.