The Chernobyl disaster struck in the early hours of 26 April 1986. It was, and still is, the most severe accident resulting from the deployment of civil nuclear power. It was caused by combination of poor design, inadequate regulation and operator error.17 Its health impact could have been greatly mitigated if (as at Fukushima) the local inhabitants had been immediately evacuated. As it was, a 36 hour delay and a lack of iodine tablets worsened the health effects that continue, along with the financial burden, to this day. The accident left an indelible impression and is a byword for the potential for disaster that accompanies nuclear power. Thirty-one people died as an immediate result of the radiation and the World Health Organisation estimates that some 4000 excess deaths could result from the fallout and a similar number might be expected from the evacuation of 340 000 people.18 Nevertheless, as with TMI, the accident did have some useful outcomes, among them the establishment of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), which exists to share experience and best practice. The IAEA OSART system (Operational Safety Review Team), which had been started in 1982 with the idea of spreading best practice, was soon being requested to perform many more missions, often in countries where nuclear power had been established for years. According to a review of OSART activities to 2005, the most visited country was France. 1 9 One of the disturbing aspects of the Chernobyl disaster was the fact that first news of it came not from the Soviet authorities but from fallout detected in Sweden. As a remedy the IAEA Convention on Early Notification in the Event of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency came into force in October 1986. This was followed up by the IAEA Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency in February 1987 and the Convention on Nuclear Safety in 1994.