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Greenpeace Vladivactok Report 

 6 November 1991 



In terms of contamination of the trace and the low-level waste, the Navy oCEcers said the . 

 area of the trace where the roads pass through was fenced ofE^ the access of the population was 

 stopped for gathering berries and mushrooms, and radiation warning signs were posted. 



In order not to spread radiation by transporting contaminated materials over long 

 distances, the officers said a temporary burial site in the trace was created in the first days after 

 the accident A spot was selected with the most chqr, lack of ground water and water sources, 

 most removed bom mushroom gathering, yet dose to the accident site. Five trenches were dug to 

 the clay level, sand and mud, and cement and or asphalt were poured over the buried materials. 

 A drainage system was dug around it 



The officers said, some 2,000 m3 of material was gathered in the first 7-10 days, and in 

 total 5,500 m3 of low-level waste was put into this area in the days and months following the 

 accident This material included contaminated clothes from the clean-up workers, sea weed from 

 the territory of the Chazma facility, asphalt and sand, metal construction, etc The site was 

 surrounded by a triple fence of barbed wire, and clearly marked with radioactive warning signs. 



There is a second area in the trace zone which is used as a temporary dump site. The 

 officers said it contains the roo& of buildings taken down after the accident 



B. The situation today 



In terms of today, the officers admit the first burial site is no longer adequatdy cordoned 

 ofL The officers say this is because people keep stealing the fencing and marking signs. The 

 military has 'recreated* the site several times, sometimes using bulldozers to assist in clearing 

 areas to re-setup barriers, but to no avaiL As of October 1991, there were large holes in the 

 barbed wire fencing, and warning signs are missing. 



The Navy plans to move the materials from the region of the temporary burial site to a 

 permanent facility at Installation 927-in at the tip of the pftnin«iil«^ according to the Navy 

 officers. The clean-up of the burial area wiO commence towards the end of the year, in 

 December- January, as soon as the construction for the permanent repository at the burial site at 

 the tip of the peninsula is finished. The officers feel there is no sense in fixing up the temporary 

 burial site again, as it soon will be moved. . 



But althou^ there are hi^ber than backgrourxl leveb of radioactivity in the area, 

 according to the officers, the situation in the trace zone is under control In August 1991, the 

 military did an extensive survey of the 6x2 km area which contains the radioactive trace (the area 

 that has levels of activity higher than 60 micro-roentgens/bour is approximately 4J km x 200-300 

 m). Readings varied from a high of 800-1200 micro-roentgens^ur at the center of the trace, to 

 60-^ micro-roentgens/bour at the edges for gamma radiation (alpha and beta measurements were 

 not available). Ninety-nine percent of the radioactivity is from cobalt-60. Seventy to eighty 

 percent of the cobalt was in the top 10-15 cm of the ground though it was found as deep as 60 . 

 cm. The navy officers calculate that there is five ciiries/km2 now in the trace zone. 



