Shcherbina and Legasov in “Unfinished Business”

Shcherbina

What will happen to our boys?

Legasov

Which boys? The divers?

Shcherbina

The divers, the firefighters, the men in the control room. What does the radiation do to them precisely?

Legasov

At the levels some of them were exposed? Ionizing radiation tears the cellular structure apart. The skin blisters, turns red, then black. This is followed by a latency period. The immediate effects subside. The patient appears to be recovering. Healthy, even. But they aren't. This usually only lasts for a day or two.

Shcherbina

[beat] Continue.

Legasov

Then the cellular damage begins to manifest. The bone marrow dies, the immune system fails, the organs and soft tissue begin to decompose. The arteries and veins spill open like sieves, to the point where you can't even administer morphine for the pain, which is… unimaginable. And then three days to three weeks, you are dead. That is what will happen to those boys.

Shcherbina

And what about us?

Legasov

Well, we've⁠...We've gotten a steady dose, but not as much of it. Not strong enough to kill the cells, but consistent enough to damage our DNA. So, in time, cancer. Or aplastic anemia. Either way, fatal.

Shcherbina

[beat] Well, in a sense, it would seem we've gotten off easy then, Valery.