246 



Testimony 



before the 



Select Committee on Intelligence 



United States Senate 



15 August 1992 



Dr. Sven O.E. Ebbesson, Director, Alaska Siberia Medical Research 

 Program, University of Alaska 



Dr. Valery Trufakin, President, Siberian Branch Russian Academy 

 of Medical Science Novosibirsk 



Title 



"Circumpolar health concerns related to radioactive pollutants - 

 a plan for action" 



Dr. Ebbesson: 



Mr. chairman, thank you for the invitation to testify. 1 am Dr. 

 Sven Ebbesson, co-director, with Academician Valery Trufakin, of 

 the Alaska Siberia Medical Research Program. 



The presence of radioactive pollutants in polar regions may have 

 greater impact on quality of life than in temperate areas. It is 

 believed that the fragile arctic is less able to buffer the 

 effects of biohazards, including radioactive wastes. The 

 persistence of unaltered toxic substances in the environment 

 allows opportunity for their incorporation into the food chain 

 and ultimately into man, where they host the greatest risk to 

 human health. The assessment of that risk should be given the 

 highest priority. 



The polar region is small in area compared with the temperate 

 zone, and less populated, but includes many political 

 sovereignties. Effective strategies to cope with hazardous waste 

 discharge and human health surveillance requires cooperation of 

 all countries sharing the region. 



Concerns about alleged extensive pollution of radioactive 

 substances in Siberia has led Dr. Trufakin and me to look into 

 the matter as it relates to human health. We have obtained some 

 preliminary information through a number of sources, especially 

 the Minister of Health in Yakutia, Dr. Boris Yigorov. Within 

 Siberia there are numerous regions with levels of radiation 

 dangerous to man and within these regions increases in certain 

 cancers and malformation of newborn have been observed during the 

 last twenty years. For example in one contaminated region deaths 



