FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

How much time have you spent in the zone?

To research the book, I went there about 15 times, totalling about a month altogether. But I keep going back because friends ask me to be their guide, or to take more pictures for this website.

What was your total radiation dose?
Is that dangerous?
What does flying have to do with radiation?
What kind of protective gear did you wear?
Did you ever see that woman, Elena, that rides around the zone on her motorcycle? Her website www.kiddofspeed.com was a big thing a few years ago.

Why not? Since the Bomb first dropped, sundry mutants have starred in nearly every sci-fi movie about radiation.
With such high radiation in some places, the zone must be crawling with mutants, no?
Isn’t that confusing?
Why do Americans use different radiation units than the rest of the world?
What are normal background radiation levels?
What are the radiation levels in the zone?
How is it possible that Chernobyl helped nature? Wasn’t it the worst environmental disaster ever?
Of all Chernobyl-related subjects, why did you decide to write about natural history?
What led to your interest in Chernobyl?