"Ekozaschita!" demands to stop radiation emissions from NPP in Rostov Region

The Volgodonsk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is making, upon permission of the authorities, regular emissions of small dozes of radioactive substances into the environment. Ecologists assert that this is harmful for local residents and ecology. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Vladimir Slivyak, co-chairman of the NGO named "Ekozaschita!" (Ecology Protection).

The "Ekozaschita!" has a state report at its disposal published by the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision ("Rostekhnadzor") in 2008 and containing a number of extremely disturbing facts. Thus, only in 2007, the Volgodonsk NPP emitted into the surrounding atmosphere 50 megabecquerels (MBq) of a hazardous radioactive isotope iodine-131, and also other radioactive substances - cobalt-60, caesium-134 and caesium-137.

"Iodine-131 is very dangerous," Vladimir Slivyak explains. "When getting into human organism, it irradiates the internal organs. If an organism has iodine deficit, it is replenished by radioactive isotope iodine-131. One of the most widespread diseases caused by its influence is thyroid cancer."

Apart from the above gaseous emissions, according to the "Rostekhnadzor", the Volgodonsk NPP discharged in 2007 a total of 10,358 cubic meters of used water containing 0.4 percent of the exposure limit of radioactive substances.

"Officials from the nuclear industry are fond of declaring that NPPs are ecologically clean energy sources, however, they never say that the state standards on emissions allow nuclear power plants stations to discharge with impunity radioactive substances within the exposure limits," Mr Slivyak says. "Possibly, when many years ago these exposure limits were calculated, the science was unaware about various effects of radioactive irradiation, especially in small dozes. Today," the expert asserts, "it's universally known, and it is an axiom in the scientific community, that any doze of radiation, even the smallest one, can bring a serious harm to human organism, especially, if the human lives within one kilometre, or even within 30 km from the NPP."

The Volgodonsk NPP is now building its second power unit. The report of the "Rostekhnadzor" runs that the inspections conducted in 2007 at the organizations designing and manufacturing equipment for nuclear power plants in Russia revealed 1029 violations of safety requirements. Although the "Rostekhnadzor" asserts that the majority of these violations have no essential influence on the quality and reliability of products, it causes fear that the equipment for NPP can be manufactured with defects.

According to Vladimir Slivyak, the "Rostekhnadzor" is extending licenses on operation of old reactors, which have already expired their service life"Some of them are in horrifying condition - a huge number of violations, constantly some cracks are detected in welding, including in very serious safety systems. For three or four years already we try to raise the issue before the "Rostekhnadzor" - we send letters and hold actions, to urge them, at last, treat the issues seriously and look, what they grant permits on."

The experts of the "Ekozaschita!" group believe that the expected serious deterioration of the social and economic situation in Russia in 2009 can lead to basic decrease of nuclear safety at NPPs and other nuclear enterprises.

We remind you that in June in Rostov-on-Don activists-ecologists were gathering appeals of townspeople to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev not to build new NPPs. Within the All-Russian action under the initiative of the "Ekozaschita!" group, ecologists call to develop alternative energy sources.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that under the poll conducted by the ROMIR, 91 percent of residents of the Rostov Region are against construction of new power units at the Volgodonsk NPP. And 77 percent of the respondents voted for the need to more actively develop renewable ecologically pure sources of energy.

: "Investigation of shipwrecks in the Kerch Strait suspended," "Rostov Region: ecologists bag subscriptions against NPP construction," "Meeting in memory of Chernobyl victims to be held in Rostov-on-Don."