Not really...radiation works only on single chemical bonds. It would be very difficult to cause a chromosome level error with radiation. Generally these come from damaged caused during meiosis, when the chromosomes are physically torn apart at the centromeres.

You can't always trust what's in Chernobyl documentaries. It's been a heavily politicized event, and it takes a lot of digging to find the truth. Most of the time, they rely on the unfortunate level of public ignorance on the nature of radiation and what it can do. It pisses me off because most of them are milking the tragedy and suffering of Ukrainians for their own personal profit. Be careful who you listen to - even me.

Epidemiologists have been looking for decades for signs of impact on the populations of Ukraine and Belarus. They've seen a marked increase in thyroid cancer immediately after the accident, but not from cesium, but from Iodine 131. Iodine concentrates in the thyroid, which is why potassium iodide pills are distributed in areas around nuclear plants. In the event of an accident, you pop the pill, flood your thyroid with safe iodine, so that it cannot absorb the radioactive I-131.

But I-131 has a half-live of 8 days, so within months of the accident, it was all gone. The people who developed thyroid cancer had thyroidectomies (a simple surgery), and the rest got lucky. Fortunately, the success rate for treating thyroid cancer with surgery is damn near 100%, though the survivors need to take thyroid hormones in pill form for the rest of their lives.

The only other effect that's been demonstrated has been an increase in other cancers, with an estimated 4000 casualties (WHO).

On of the biggest problems after the accident was not the radiation, but fear of radiation. The pure abject terror of a hazard you cannot see, nor smell, nor touch. It invades your home, your body, and the harm it can cause is insidious. It's truly terrifying - but the terror alone is enough to cause health problems (stress induced) as well as make people alter their behaviors about seeking health care. Suddenly, every ache or pain or issue makes you afraid that you've developed cancer, and you run to the doctor time and time again. The constant stress of this fear has very real consequences.

With the birth defects, what's likely is that they now got greater visibility because of the accident. Not only that, but remember that Ukraine and Belarus were, at that time, under soviet control and were exceptionally impoverished. Health care for a child born horribly deformed may not have been sought prior to the accident, particularly if the family lived in a rural area. Those stillborn would not always be reported. There would not be the same level of prenatal care and analysis as we are familiar with, so such chromosomal aberrations would not be screened early in pregnancy (amniocentesis). After the accident though, every case would now get reported because of the high visibility, which on the surface appears to indicate an increase in occurrence. That's why epidemiologists compare the to countries outside the accident area, as well as correct for such things as poverty, health care, screening, etc. I have not yet seen a reputable organization (such as WHO), report a statistically significant increase in birth defects after the accident.

The levels of poverty and resulting malnutrition would be far more likely to cause chromosomal aberrations than radiation ever would. Keep that in mind.

By the way, if you ever have questions about radiation, nuclear power, that sort of thing, feel free to PM me.