Ex-KGB Agent Death Heralds "New Chernobyl"

Politics | December 1, 2006, Friday // 00:00

Health officials have drawn parallels between the murder of the former KGB colonel Alexander Litvinenko in London and the tragedy of the Chernobyl blast.

"This situation is utterly unprecedented," Bernie Wilkins, an environmental assessment officer for the Health Protection Agency told the Guardian. "The last radioactivity incident of this magnitude occurred when the radiation plume from Chernobyl swept over Britain in 1986."

"However, that kind of contamination was relatively easy to detect. The radioactivity involved had been sprayed out over the environment. This time we are trying to find out if a person has ingested a very small amount of an alpha-emitting isotope. That will take a lot more effort."

The April 26, 1986, explosion at Chernobyl's reactor No 4 spewed radiation across much of northern Europe over a 10-day period.

Official UN figures predicted up to 9,000 Chernobyl-related cancer deaths. But a Greenpeace report released last week estimated a figure of 93,000. Greenpeace said other illnesses could bring the toll up to 200,000.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Politics » Be a reporter: Write and send your article

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria