Abstract:

A car loaded with metal pipes contaminated with radiation was recently discovered in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, the newspaper Vremya novostey reported on 23 October 2006. The exact date of the seizure was not specified. The radiation level of the pipes exceeded the norm by seven times. It is suspected that the cargo was of Ukrainian origin, most probably from the quarantine zone around the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

Recent changes introduced by the Ukrainian authorities have decreased the area of the quarantine zone around Chornobyl from 30km to 10km and permitted the retrieval of scrap metal from the recently opened area. As a result, many private firms and local inhabitants can now access the former exclusion zone. Removal of scrap metal from this zone has increased. Although the material may have come from the former exclusion zone, according to the paper, the actual origin of the material seized is still being investigated. The report argues that Ukrainian authorities are not adequately monitoring the removal of scrap metal from the Chornobyl zone. {Entered 11/10/06 RN}

Abstract Number:  20060220
Headline:  V Rossii vnov obnaruzhili fonyashchiy metal (Metal Contaminated with Radiation Again Discovered in Russia)
Date:  23 October 2006
Bibliography:  Vremya novostey, 23 October 2006
Author:  Nikolai Petrov