I was burned by a contaminated mosquito at Chernobyl

Referring to European travel, most people will think of Paris first. I also? I wanted to visit Chernobyl again, the site of the worst nuclear accident in human history.

Since 2010 - that is nearly 25 years after the 1986 reactor explosion that exposed radioactivity to at least 10 million people reported by the Green Cross organization - a quarantine area controlled by police and the military. Chernobyl opened the door to allow outsiders to visit.

I flew in transit from the United States to Poland to Ukraine and took a one-day tour at Chernobyl - you had to go on a tour because it was illegal to go alone into this area.

Without telling anyone about my trip, I will visit a place where more than 30 years ago 30,000 people had to evacuate in only three and a half hours.

An interesting fact: The evacuation took place a few days after the Chernobyl reactor exploded very smoothly by bus, the reason for the Soviet Union's use of the evacuation plan they reserved for nuclear war.

Since 2010, Chernobyl has opened its doors for tourists to visit.

" How many of you here have told your family or friends where you will go today? ", Which is one of the first questions the tour guide says. with us on the bus.

There are 14 curious souls, but only a few hands are raised. Well, many people believe that Chernobyl is still a very dangerous place. And really, it's still dangerous, in case you're stupid and adventurous out of the safe zone.

Otherwise, the amount of radiation you absorb at Chernobyl is lower than the amount of radiation hitting you from outside the universe, during your flight to Ukraine.

As long as you don't cross the established safety boundary, you can go to Chernobyl on a 1-day tour and go home safely.

Passenger safety is something the travel company has calculated very carefully. They provide visitors with guides before and during the tour:

Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and closed shoes. Always follow the guide, don't wander into any building on your own. Do not touch or rub anything, do not sit on the ground, do not put anything in the bag for souvenirs. Avoid stepping on moss - very absorbent moss.

It is best to keep the Geiger counter with you to receive a warning about the radiation level around the environment as it increases.

In addition, you are also advised not to eat fruits or vegetables in this area, not hunting or fishing. Lunch for visitors will be served inside the workers' canteen, where all food and drinks are brought from outside.

Tourists are given a Geiger counter to warn when radiation is high.

Although very detailed, the guidelines are definitely lacking: The tour guide does not tell you what to do if a mosquito bites - a radioactive mosquito . That's exactly what happened to me in the bustling city of Pripyat, now only a ruined ghost town hidden in a beautiful forest.

When the mosquito landed on my arm, I felt it prick into the skin. With years of experience living in a large area of ​​mosquitoes, I knew what I had to do: Beat it quickly. After that, I could only stare at it, for a few seconds or even a few minutes, the small corpse surrounded by blood. My blood!

Normally, I would snap the mosquito out of my hand and wipe the blood off my jeans. But in this situation I could not do that: This mosquito was born in the radioactive area, enjoying an unsafe water, sucking the blood of herbivores from contaminated soil and running freely. everywhere.

Maybe I should read the travel recommendations more carefully - they advised visitors to bring insect repellent.

This mosquito was born in the radioactive area, enjoying an unsafe water, sucking the blood of herbivores from contaminated soil and running freely around.

Finally, I made the most reasonable option possible: take a used paper towel in my pocket, grab the mosquito and then put it back in my pocket. Suppose I have ended this tour in a tropical hospital with an inexplicable disease, I want the culprit to cause it to be investigated by scientists.

I confided in a friend who was traveling in the tour group about what happened. He said, " Are you kidding? Oh, that's probably not good. " The news spread to other members of the group, they expressed concern for the gloomy future that I might encounter.

To calm everyone down, I had to jokingly say, " I wonder what superpower I will have after this incident ." I mean, I can become a Vampquito, a hunter who can fly and suck human blood.

But this idea doesn't seem to be suitable for a woman from England. She was very upset, self-isolated, and kept saying that maybe she should use some herbs. The whole day she kept rubbing the disinfectant on her hands. I asked if she wanted to touch the dead mosquito? She refused.

Kathryn Schroeder - author of the article.

Back at the hotel, I still have no worries about my health risk. I went online and investigated Google " being burned by mosquitoes ". No results at all. So I kept the tissue with the mosquito inside that month, flew and took the bus across four different countries for safety.

Arriving in the US, I went to the University of South Carolina to meet biology professor Tim Mousseau, who spent 18 years doing field research at Chernobyl and was burned by hundreds of mosquitoes there. He is still perfectly healthy without any disease.

" The number of radionuclides that can be transmitted through mosquito bites is extremely small, " Professor Mousseau said. If I had eaten a local mushroom or wild animal meat there, it would be worrisome - they could have quite high levels of cesium radioactivity. But what about mosquito bites? No problem.

I can't remember when I finally threw the tissue with the mosquito. Actually, it may still be in my pocket. My health is still good, even if I have or not become a Vampquito? I never said this to anyone. But now I might have to go back to Chernobyl and use some herbs. Then see what could happen?

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