224 



Appendix I 



Radioactive Pollution of the Barents and Kara Seas. 



The information contained in this list has not been verified by me. It is a simple list of information 

 collected without any effort to sort or organize it in any way. If a report or other source includes 

 information that can add to the reliability, a short remark is added. 



The intention is not to give a full overview or scrutinize the subject as such. It is made for my own 

 use at a public hearing. However, it is beyond doubt in my mind that some of these wastes and 

 potential accidents represent a danger to the health of the people living close to the sites and to the 

 envirorunent both close to the sites and where a major radionuclide pollution can be transported by sea 

 currents and otherwise. As such it is an environmental problem of concern to several arctic states. 



Russian environmental authorities seem to have taken this problem seriously, and of course it is an 

 environmental threat primarily of concern to Russian people and environments. However, the 

 magnitude of the problem and resources needed to solve it call for bilateral and international 

 cooperation both in science, technology, monitoring and fmancial support 



1. The Barents Sea - Biological Resources and Human Impact. 



A map published in 1991 by Norsk Polarinstitun in cooperation with a Russian and a Polish 

 institute. The nuclear problem is put in a broader context on this map, which gives only general 

 infonnation. Russian scientists had rather detailed infomiation in 1990 and were strongly 

 concerned, but verifying it to a degree necessary for a responsible research institute was impossible 

 at that time. The published and non-published ir\formation was handed over to the environmental 

 authorities in Norway and has led to Norwegian- Russian cooperation ( see below ). 



Envirorunental non-goverrunental organizations became engaged in this field and have produced a 

 lot of information, often in cooperation with Russian environmentalists and with specific 

 information from Russian officials in addition. 



2. The Expert Group to Investigate Assened Dumping of Nuclear Wastes in the Barents and Kara 

 Seas. 



Norwegian environmental authorities brought up this question bilaterally with Russian authorities 

 based on infonnation from 1) and other sources, and they agreed to start joint investigations in 

 connection with the assertions concerning dumping, or in other words : both Norwegian and 

 Russian authorities had sufficient information to be really concerned. It was also agreed that 

 Norway should prepare a proposal for a joint programme of investigations. 



An expert group was tasked to make this proposal. Their report contains a summary of available 

 information ( 1991 ) and a proposal for a joint programme . The activities suggested were : 



• Meetings and visits in order to obtain information and facts about the handling, storage and 

 discharge/ dumping of radioactive material in northern areas. 



• Mapping of radioactive pollution by means of field work in northern marine areas, in order to 

 determine whether some of this pollution originates from dumped nuclear wastes. 



