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A STATEMENT ON 



THE HUMAN CONCERNS RELATED TO THE 



IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, AND REMEDIATION 



OF RADIOACTIVE AND HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION 



IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC 



Presented to 

 The U.S. Senate Select Conanittee on Intelligence 



by 



Edward Lee Gorsuch, Dean 



School of Public Affairs 



University of Alaska Anchorage 



Mr. Chairman and members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on 

 Intelligence, my name is Edward Lee Gorsuch. I serve as the Dean of the 

 University of Alaska Anchorage's School of Public Affairs. In this capacity I 

 oversee the University's Environment and Natural Resources Institute, and for the 

 past sixteen years I have also directed the Institute of Social and Economic 

 Research. I appreciate the opportunity to express my views on the importance of 

 investigating the locations and extent of potential radioactive contamination in 

 the Russian Arctic. My colleagues have spoken to the Immediate task of preparing 

 an inventory and assessment of radioactive materials and of projecting how these 

 materials have been or may be transported far beyond the initial sources of 

 dispersal . 



My comments relate to four human concerns, all of which should be addressed 

 in the scope of the study: 



• First, how has or may the health of Arctic people be harmed by 

 exposure to or consumption of contaminated materials, food, and 

 water? 



• Second, how may their socio -cultural and economic well-being be 

 affected? 



• Third, following risk assessments, what are the relative costs and 



