New report quantifies just how badly Russian waters are polluted by radioactive waste

According to a government study, Russia is covered with tens of thousands of ecological disasters.

Mon, Jan 02 2012 at 8:41 AM

Related Topics:

Pollution, Nuclear Energy, Water Pollution

Photo: National Nuclear Security Administration/Flickr

According to a list compiled by Russia's emergency ministry (I would hate to work in that office), there are as many as 25,000 known underwater hazards containing radioactive waste in Russian waters including the Baltic, Barents, White, Kara, and Black Seas as well as the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan. Some of the hazards are shipwrecks of vessels carrying nuclear waste, other are sunken nuclear submarines and former dumping sites.

Soviet Russia was not known for its commitment to environmental protection and modern-day Russia isn't all that better, Vladimir Putin and his heroic conservation work aside.

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