31 



The levels of radionuclides in the waters, sediments and biota in the Open Kara Sea, however, 

 cannot be attributed to the dumped objects, but rather to fallout from the atmospheric nuclear 

 weapon tests, marine transport of effluents from European reprocessing plants, especially the 

 Sellafield plant in the UK, marine transport of fallout from the Chernobyl accident, and 

 transport by the rivers Ob and Yenisey. 



The level of radionuclides in waters, sediments, and biota in the Kara Sea is very low 

 compared to other marine systems, e.g. the Irish Sea, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. The 

 radiation doses from the present level of contamination are negligible. 



Radioactive contamination in the Arctic is not an acute crisis, but rather a long-term problem 

 if corrective action is not taken in time. 



International structures already exist for data collection, risk analyses, environmental 

 assessments, and monitoring: 



* The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) with the Arctic Monitoring and 

 Assessment Programme (AMAP) 



and 



• The International Arctic Seas Assessment Programme (lASAP) in the International 

 Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 



Ver>' few mechanisms exist, however, to prevent future releases. 



( Cf Report on the results from the Russian-Norwegian 1993 expedition to the Kara Sea, and 

 the Extended summary of the results from three years of investigations (1992-94) in the Kara 

 Sea). 



IV THE LONDON CONVENTION 



Tlie London Convention of 1972 is a global convention on the prevention of marine pollution 

 by dumping of wastes and other matter, including radioactive waste. The dumping of high 

 level radioactive waste has been prohibited in accordance with the London Convention since 

 1974. In 1983 the parties to the convention adopted a voluntary moratorium on all types of 

 radioactive waste. This was prolonged in 1985. The Inter-govemmental Panel of Experts on 

 Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea, IPGRAD, presented its final report in 1993, followed by 

 the adoption at the 16th consultative meeting of the London Convention of a total ban on 

 dumping of radioactive waste. All parties, except the Russian Federation, have acceded to this 



Norway, the USA and Russia co-operate to upgrade and expand the capacity of the nuclear- 

 powered icebreaker fleet's effluent treatment facility for low-level radioactive waste in 

 Murmansk. The design phase of the project is nearly completed and hopefully the 

 consuuction of the facility can begin shortly. This project figures prominently on the agenda 

 of the Gore/Chernomyrdin Commission. 



