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village region in 1991 in living and social-service buildings 

 revealed values exceeding the allowable levels by an order of 

 magnitude or more. This is essentially the only information in 

 the region to date. 



The problem la the result of a lack of counting equipment 

 (highly sensitive Instruments are planned for in 1992 at a cost 

 of 8-10 thousand rubles, 5-«10 instruments are necessary) . 



1.4 Building materials. 



The wide usage by the construction industry in Southern 

 Yakutsk of granite material has undoubtedly already lead to the 

 presence in living and industrial building of high radioactivity 

 levels. And although in recent years many building-materials 

 businesses, at least in Central Yakut, conduct radiation 

 contamination assessments on both the raw materials and finished 

 products, the problem demands resolution and the establishment of 

 specialized laboratories in the republic. 



2. Global radiation fallout. 



At the end of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s, 

 radioactive anamolies were fixed over the entire territory of 

 Yakut by geophysicists during radiometric prospecting. 

 Especially high values, exceeding 1000 uR/h, were found in the 

 northern region along the coast. This was due to a wide region 

 of contamination. In subsequent years up till now, organizations 

 in the republic have not especially addressed this question. And 

 although the majority of the radioactivity is from short-lived 

 radionuclides, the degree of contamination of the northern tundra 

 by strontium-90 and cesium-137 has not yet been studied. 



3. Contamination of the territory by radionuclides of 

 technological origin. 



3.1. Acquisition of radioactive materials. 



At the end of the 1940s and start of the 1950s, the 

 development and exploitation of the radioactive element monocite 

 and uranium ore occurred in Southern Yakut (Basil 'yevka) and in 

 the Momskiy region (Sugunskiiy, Dal'stroya region). 



The businesses were liquidated, primarily because they were 

 unnecessary and secondarily because the ore was too poor. 

 Nevertheless, in these regions active disturbance of the source 

 occurred. In Vasil' yevka there are now outcrops of radioactively 

 enriched commercial material. The Sugunskiy Industrial region 

 was surveyed in 1991, since the possibility of leaching of the 

 tailings to the foot of the slopes on the Ulakhan-Chistay Platue 

 presented a hazard to the population. 



3.2. Geological commercial working of uranium 



Due to the geo-industrial processing of uranium during the 

 past 25 years in southern Yakut, the problem of radioactive 

 tailings has arisen, accompanying heavy mining operations. The 

 organizations which did this mining have been liquidated, their 

 settlements were given over to other concerns. And if the 

 problem of liquidation of radioactive waste has been technically 

 and practically addressed, the problem of tailings requires a 

 serious approach. 



3.3 Acquisition of gold and tin. 



During the extraction of gold and tin from ores, extractions 

 of materials enriched in heavy metals, including radioactive 



