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Russian Academy of Sciences 

 Institute of Nuclear Safety 



Senator Murkowski , 



I am pleased to appear before you today representing the Institute of Nuclear 

 Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences. I am Professor Leonid A. Bolshov, 

 Director of the Institute of Nuclear Safety. 



The Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences was founded 

 in late 1988 by an act of government. It was a response to the severe 

 accident which occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April, 1986 

 and in conjunction with special governmental programs was designed to 

 guarantee future safe development of nuclear power. This was the reason why 

 the Institute was established outside our nuclear industry totally controlled 

 by the Ministry of Nuclear Energy. The primary goals of the Institute are: 



to conduct fundamental research in the field of nuclear energy; 



to formulate independent evaluations of the safety of existing and 

 projected nuclear power plants, waste management, and other problems 

 associated with the use of nuclear energy for the Academy of Sciences, 

 government organizations, and the parliament; 



to provide information and analytical support to government programs 

 regarding the mitigation of the consequences of the Chernobyl and other 

 radioactive accidents. 



We are an independent scientific organization dedicated to understanding and 

 mitigating a broad range of nuclear activities. We are doing different 

 projects for Russian Chernobyl Consequences State Committee, Ministry of 

 Ecology, Russian, Ukranian and American NRCs. 



In regard to the Arctic disposal of nuclear materials, my organization has no 

 prior involvement in the disposal. Therefore, we can, and will, provide the 

 necessary independence to ensure that scientifically accurate and defensible 

 inventories and analyses are provided. The Arctic Seas Contamination Project 

 requires multi -disciplinary and multi-national efforts. Completeness of the 

 inventory list is of crucial importance. Russia, as well as the UK, USA, 

 Canada, and others, must incorporate all past activities that have contributed 

 to the inventory. That is why a multinational participation in the Project is 

 so important to assure that all inventories are included. 



Source tern and inventory are definitely not the sane. A lot of physics, 

 chemistry, naterial science and engineering are necessary to detemine an 

 environnental source, tern after an accurate inventory has been established. 

 The philosophy of approach is very similar to a probabilistic risk assessnent 

 (PRA) or a risk assessnent for severe nuclear accidents. That is why the 

 great experience of Battelle, th^ University of Alaska, and the Russian 

 Acadeny of Science is so valuable for finding the right guideline in the 

 studies. 



