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15 August, 1992 

 506/92/OR/341 (final revision) 



RADIOACTIVE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO THE UNITED STATES 

 AND THE ARCTIC RESULTING FROM PAST SOVIET ACTIVITIES. 



Summary of a testimony given by Odd Rogne, the Executive Secretary of lASC, 

 The International Arctic Science Committee, at an open hearing organized by the 

 United States Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence in Fairbanks, Alaska on 

 15 August, 1992. 



Let me first congratulate the US Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence on taking a serious interest 

 in the arctic environment, and on calling this very timely hearing. In the invitation to this hearing I 

 was asked to submit new information on the subject. As it is hard to tell what you already know, I 

 have prepared an introduction in which I briefly will introduce some major events that - in my mind - 

 call for some action. In addition I have prepared an appendix that is a short summary of information 

 in various reports and other sources available to me. I am pleased to note that Mr. Gates mentioned 

 half of my items and only two not being in my list. 



1. New Information - Causes for Concern. 



Some 30 nuclear dumpings or accidents are noted when reviewing a series of reports and sources, 

 see details in the Appendix. Verifying this list is impossible till the Russian files are made open, 

 or documented in other ways. Another aspect is that the list is growing each month, and even this 

 long list may only represent the tip of the iceberg. 



However, there is sufficient alleged information that causes a strong concern and calls for 

 immediate attention. 



Let me give you a few examples representing different categories of problems: 



12 submarine and 3 icebreaker reactors were dumped in the waters offNovaya Zemlya. Some 

 17,000 containers of liquid and solid nuclear waste dumped in the same coastal waters. 



Bilateral Norwegian-Russian meetings indicate that this information is close to the truth, and is 

 the task of a bilateral field investigation that started a few days ago. Norwegian authorities have 

 also indicated that they may contribute to a clean-up action of this nuclear waste. 



The Mayak Plants: probably the worst contaminated nuclear area in the world, and it drains into 

 the Arctic. It is estimated to be "100 times worse than Chernobyl". Major accidents have 

 occurred at Kystym and Karachy with "death clouds" affecting 10,000 and 430,000 people 

 respectively. 



An illustration of the situation is that you get a deadly radioactive dose in just one hour if you are 

 on the shore of Lake Karachy without any protection. 



