5 June 2004
Removal of uranium-contaminated soil from Brest gets underway
The removal of contaminated soil from a former uranium transshipment facility has gotten underway in Brest.
Facility 802, located near Brest's heat and power plant, was used in the Soviet era for reloading uranium coming from East Germany into wider-track train cars, in which it was transported to destinations in the former Soviet Union, Oleg Zhemchuzhny, chief of the city's Inspectorate for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, told BelaPAN.
The ground is believed to have a one-meter deep layer of heavily contaminated soil.
The removal project was launched despite the authorities' claims that the contaminated soil represents no serious threat to human health.
The soil is transported to a burial ground near the village of Struga, Malorita district. The authorities found the waste dumped at the site to have no impact on the health of the village's residents.
The bodies and trailers of trucks carrying the waste have been hermetically sealed, and all the equipment involved is cleaned with a special solution, according to Mr. Zhemchuzhny.
Experts have found radiation at the site to be below the maximum admissible level, but there are places where radiation levels exceed the threshold by ten times to one.
As much as 21,000 cubic meters of soil is to be removed from the facility before the end of the year. The authorities have provided two billion rubels for this purpose. Mr. Zhemchuzhny noted that the site would be clean enough following the soil removal to become a
residential area. Another uranium handling facility in Brest, Zapadny, also will have its contaminated soil removed in the future.
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news516.html