165 



STATEMENT 



OF 



MED X. OSTENSO 



ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR 



OFFICE OP OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH 



NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 



0.8. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 



BEFORE THE 



8BLECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE 

 UNITED STATES SENATE 



FAIRBANKS, ALASKA 

 A0006T 15, 1992 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: 



Your invitation to testify at this open hearing raises a concern 

 that the reported contamination of the Arctic by the Former 

 Soviet Union by radionuclides and other toxic substances could 

 pose a serious risk to the Arctic environment and its ecosystoms. 

 W© in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

 share this concern. 



INTRODUCTION 



In recent monthe I have been represented at and kept informed of 

 discussions of this matter by the staff of Interagency Arctic 

 Research Policy Committee (lARPC) . These discussions have 

 addressed the potential contamination by the Former Soviet tJnion 

 of the Arctic by radionuclides and other toxic substances such as 

 persistent organic compounds and heavy metals. It is evident, 

 however, that the major concern has been focused on radionuclide 

 contamination. For instance, it has been reported by the media 



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