A state of emergency has been declared in a Russian city due to nuclear contamination. The Russian authorities have not provided an explanation for the alarming levels of radiation in Khabarovsk.
Today, a source of mystery radiation was removed and placed in a protective container before being transported to a radioactive waste storage facility.
However, a state of emergency will remain in effect for at least three more days in the Industrialny district of the city as law enforcement agencies investigate the origin of the leak. It appears that it took a week for the authorities to take action. In a video, a man wearing a nuclear protective mask is seen in darkness holding a radiation reader.
The reader quickly rises as he walks over a ‘waste dump,’ sounding an alarm at 0.45 microsieverts, with the highest reading visible on screen being 5.99. However, the man states in the video that there was a reading of 20, which is potentially enough to increase cancer risk, damage DNA, cause fetal damage, and threaten the health of children.
Reports indicate that the potentially dangerous radiation leak in Khabarovsk was known about for approximately one week before action was taken or the public was alerted.
An individual who initially detected the radiation on March 28 reported it to Russian special services, but it was only today that a state of emergency was declared.
Andrey Kolchin, head civil defence in the city, said: ‘A source of increased radiation levels was discovered….the area was cordoned. It was decided to introduce a state of emergency in Khabarovsk to carry out work faster.’
The authorities insisted there was no threat to life.
‘The radiation source was removed and placed in a protective container, transported to a radioactive waste storage facility,’ said a source at Radon nuclear agency. There is no environmental pollution and no threat to society.’
Khabarovsk – close to the border with China – has a population of 630,000.
