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Dr. Trufakin: 



I thank you for the invitation to visit Alaska and talk at the 

 hearings. The preliminary material on the radiation hazard and 

 health conditions of people in Siberia is with Professor Sven 

 Ebbesson, the co-director of the Alaska-Siberia Medical Science 

 Program. They are ready for review by members of your committee. 



I would like to comment on a few facts in this short 

 communication. In assessing the radiation situation in Siberia, 

 it should be noted that it falls within acceptable norms. 

 Nevertheless, research shows that radiation contamination of the 

 atmosphere, water, soil, plants and animals in individual cases 

 and at certain times was substantial. The reasons for this are 

 probably as follows: 



1. Natural sources of radiation: natural background gamma 

 radiation due to outcropping on the surface of ancient 

 crystalline rock, outcropping on the surface of radioactive ore, 

 from radon and natural construction materials. 



2. Global fallout of radiation due to testing on Novaya 

 Zemlya, at Semipalatinsk, in China and from the accident at 

 Chernobyl . 



3. Radiation contamination from technological sources due 

 to the utilization of isotopes in medicine, prospecting for 

 uranium, extraction of tin and gold, and underground peaceful 

 nuclear blasts (from 1974 through 1987 there were about 12 such 

 blasts) . 



4. Radiation hazards from technology: automatic power 

 plants and light houses powered by isotopes, industry in the 

 cities of Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk. 



We have conducted analysis in various regions of Siberia of the 

 illness and mortality statistics on the population. Illness and 

 death from cancers, toxicoses, child mortality and tumor illness 

 are important indices of growing ecological contamination in the 

 territory, for example: 



Chukotka. Of the major causes of death, cancer ranks second 

 (increased from 10.3% in 1970 to 26.9% in 1988). Child mortality 

 and oncological illnesses were two times higher zunong the native 

 populations. Cancer of the respiratory system increased 

 especially quickly. ^ 



Tomsk. Illness from cancer since 1976 has increased by 2.5 

 times. Research from space indicated that high rates of 

 occurrence of oncological illnesses correspond with areas of 

 greatest contamination by industry. 



Magadan. The amount of air pollution over the last ten 

 years has grown by 2.5 times; during the same period illnesses 



