This is an urban legend. There are 4000 statistical casualties. Liquidators (not exterminators) were well over 100,000 and while I was too young in 1986 to par

This is an urban legend. There are 4000 statistical casualties. Liquidators (not exterminators) were well over 100,000 and while I was too young in 1986 to participate in liquidation efforts, I knew a few personally later on. They got their share of health problems from poor logistics on the ground. Like sleeping for months in tents at sub-zero temperatures. But not from radiation exposure.