Soil sample: Scientists are still studying the effects of radiation

The Belarusian government estimates the cost of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster to its economy at $235bn over a 30-year period. But no single figure can reliably value the output lost to illness, to stress-related disorders, to the closure of mines and factories, and the loss of more than 200,000 hectares of agricultural land and 1,900 sq kilometres of forestry to commercial use.