We continue our series commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl (Chornobyl) nuclear disaster with an eyewitness account of the events and a look at the longstanding after-effects of the nuclear tragedy.

Yuri Scherbak is a medical doctor and former Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S., Canada and Israel. Yuri was immediately on the scene after the Chernobyl explosion. Despite Soviet pressures, he was one of the first to risk reporting the truth on the catastrophe. 

And Daniel Hryhorczuk is Director of the Great Lakes Occupational and Environmental Health Center at the University of Illinois School of Public Health. Daniel has worked for 20 years researching the effects of the disaster’s nuclear fallout.

Yuri and Daniel share their Chernobyl experiences. Daniel and Yuri will participate in a conference on Chornobyl’s 25th anniversary. It takes place tomorrow (4/28/11) at the Chicago Cultural Center. The event’s sponsored by Chicago’s Kyiv Sister Cities Committee and Chicago area Ukrainian groups.