The problem

Magadan, in the remote Russian Far East, is perhaps best known for its history as the capital of the Kolyma Land, a region once dotted with some of Stalin's most brutal labor camps. It rapidly industrialized under Soviet rule, and today is a city of about 130,000 people.

An area above the public beaches on the steep shores of Nagaevskaya Bay on the Sea of Okhotsk is contaminated with radioactive materials, and the contamination appears to be spreading. In 1991, an area contaminated with radioactive cesium (137Cs) was discovered near a housing construction factory, which has since gone bankrupt. Exposure to cesium from contaminated sites or from nuclear accidents can result in cancer risks much higher than typical environmental exposures. In animal studies, exposed rats had an increased risk of breast cancer, while in utero exposure is known to cause birth defects.

The public beach at the foot of the slope is about a third of a mile from a residential neighborhood, and during the summer months, the beach is crowded with visitors who swim and fish off the shore. Testing of the beach has detected radioactive spots of 420 microroentgens per hour (µR/h). The average background level of radiation that Americans are exposed to is around 34 µR/h, and in the Magadan region, 12 - 16 µR/h.

It is believed that the contamination originally came from improper disposal of radioactive material, perhaps through attempted incineration in the plant's furnace. When the ashes were disposed of, the cesium contaminated the slag heap.

The polluted area, covering approximately 1 acre, has been the object of earlier remediation efforts. However, because the location of the contamination is on a steep slope unprotected by vegetation, water runoff and soil erosion have been spreading the radioactive material on to the beach and into the Nagaevskaya Bay. The radiated waste is mixed with clay and sand to a depth of 16 to 23 feet (5 to 7 meters). Complete removal of contaminated soil is not possible without destroying the hill, on which other industrial plants are currently located.

Health Impact

How can cesium affect my health?

Exposure to large amounts of radioactive cesium can damage cells in your body from the radiation. You might also experience acute radiation syndrome, which includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding, coma, and even death in cases of very high exposures. (ATSDR - ToxFAQs™)

Current Activity

The objective of this project is to begin remediation of the radioactively contaminated site via partial removal of contaminated soil, reinforcement of the slope, and the introduction of vegetation to stem run-off. The project is to be coordinated by a local NGO called Sodeistivie -Team Work with the Blacksmith Institute's support.
The Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance of the city of Magadan and the Magadan branch of the Russian State Committee of Emergency Situations have approved partial remediation of the site's hot spots, terracing the slope to slow down water run-off, and reinforcing it by planting grass and bushes. Permission has been given to bury the contaminated soil in a mothballed uranium mine where the natural background level of radiation already considerably exceeds what is found in Magadan. After the completion of the project, the area will be monitored for the period of five years.

Outcome

Soil contaminated with radioactivity on the main beach of Magadan has now been removed. Highly toxic hotspots from a factory now long closed were left behind on the beach and surrounds of this town in the Russian Far east. Blacksmith funded a local NGO to carefully monitor and remove these hotspots, transporting some 50 tons of dirt and contamination to a safe disposal facility.