> There is actually a thriving wildlife population living in the 30 km exclusion zone around Chernobyl 

Thriving? I hardly think that is the correct term. 

> The nuclear disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima have had enormous direct economic impacts, estimated in the hundreds of billions of US dollars (Samet and Seo 2016), with much of these costs associated with the decommissioning of damaged reactors and clean-up of affected regions. And yet very little investment has been made into the ecological consequences of the radionuclides that were dispersed at continental scales. In large part, the lack of investment in basic scientific research has stemmed from the perception, often perpetuated by nuclear regulatory bodies, that the direct effects of these contaminants have been minimal.  There have even been suggestions that the wildlife are thriving as a result of these disasters because of reduced hunting pressures in the exclusion zones, leaving the public with the notion that radioactive contaminants are of little concern.

> Analysis of gametes has served as a proxy for estimates of germ line mutation rates for several species of birds in Chernobyl. For example, it has been reported that the frequency of abnormal sperm in barn swallows was up to 10 times higher for Chernobyl birds as compared to sperm from males living in control areas (Mousseau and Møller 2014). It was found that abnormality rates were correlated with reduced levels of antioxidants in the blood, liver, and eggs of these birds, supporting the hypothesis that antioxidants likely play a significant role in protecting DNA from the direct and indirect consequences of exposure to radionuclides. And a more recent analysis of Chernobyl birds found that in nine out of 10 species examined, sperm abnormality rates were much larger for birds living in Chernobyl than those living in control areas across Europe, with the highest damage levels observed for species with longer sperm, suggesting that sperm abnormalities are likely common for birds living in radioactive areas.

Mousseau, Timothy A., and Anders P. Møller. "Nuclear energy and its ecological byproducts: Lessons from Chernobyl and Fukushima."

¶

I think this is particularly relevant to the recent discussion of abnormal brood and the potential connection to lowered sperm viability. -- PLB

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