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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Radiation and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1552122
Chernobyl Nuclear Catastrophe: Lessons for Sustainability and UNSDGs in Health, Energy, and Environmental Recovery
Provisionally accepted
Chee Kong Yap 1*
Khalid Awadh Al-Mutairi 2- 1 Putra Malaysia University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
- 2 University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
This study provides a comprehensive review of the research surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear incident, focusing on its far-reaching impacts on human health, and environmental contamination. Based on the Scopus database, 258 relevant papers were identified using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. These papers were metal-analyzed and quantitatively analyzed using a similarity map generated through VOSViewer in order to visualize key themes and their interconnections. The research highlights critical areas such as radiation-induced health effects, ecological damage, and the implications for sustainable energy practices. Additionally, this review explores the alignment of these findings with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), particularly UNSDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), UNSDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), UNSDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), UNSDG 13 (Climate Action), and UNSDG 15 (Life on Land). By synthesizing existing research, this study emphasizes the importance of integrating safety protocols, environmental rehabilitation, and sustainable energy policies to prevent and to mitigate the impacts of future nuclear incidents.
Keywords: chernobyl, nuclear contamination, Radiation health, Environmental implications, sustainability
Received: 15 Jan 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yap and Al-Mutairi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chee Kong Yap, Putra Malaysia University, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.