Radioactive waste and contamination in the former Soviet Union
- Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC (United States)
Decades of disregard for the hazards of radioactive waste have created contamination problems throughout the former Soviet Union rivaled only by the Chernobyl disaster. Although many civilian activities have contributed to radioactive waste problems, the nuclear weapons program has been by far the greatest culprit. For decades, three major weapons production facilities located east of the Ural Mountains operated in complete secrecy and outside of environmental controls. Referred to until recently only by their postal abbreviations, the cities of Chelyabinsk-65, Tomsk-7, and Krasnoyarsk-26 were open only to people who worked in them. The mismanagement of waste at these sites has led to catastrophic accidents and serious releases of radioactive materials. Lack of public disclosure, meanwhile, has often prevented proper medical treatment and caused delays in cleanup and containment. 5 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 5934881
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Vol. 27:4; ISSN 0013-936X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ASIA
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