Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Russia says fires burn Chernobyl-tainted forests
|  
 
 
 
 
	
	
		
Edition:
		
U.S.
		
		
	
	
		
			
				
					
					
						
					
				
				
					
					
						
					
				
				
					
					
						
					
				
			
		
	
	
	
		
			
				
				
			
		
	
 
	
 
	
 
 
	
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
	
	
    	
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
 
	
 
	
		
Article
    
Comments (0)
Slideshow
               
      
	
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
 
      
	
	
    	
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
 
	
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
	  
 
 
 
 
				
				
					
					
Most Popular
					
Most Shared
					
				 
			
			
	
               
      
		
		
		
Scientists find new superbug spreading from India
	10:07am EDT 
	
Colorado Democrat Bennet escapes anti-incumbent mood
	8:30am EDT 
	
U.N. warns of second wave of Pakistani flood deaths
| Video
		
	10:56am EDT 
	
Nasdaq falls 3 percent
| Video
		
	11:36am EDT 
	
Attractive women overlooked for certain jobs?
	09 Aug 2010 
	
Florida AG proposes law against illegal immigrants
	11:11am EDT 
	
UPDATE 1-Colorado Democrat escapes U.S. anti-incumbent mood
	12:39am EDT 
	
Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds
	02 Aug 2010 
	
Hollywood disdainful of Levi Johnston TV venture
	4:07am EDT 
	
Analysis: Drought to crimp not cripple Russia recovery
	10 Aug 2010 
	
	
		
		
      
               
      
		
		
		
Scientists find new superbug spreading from India
	10:07am EDT 
	
Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds
	02 Aug 2010 
	
Attractive women overlooked for certain jobs?
	09 Aug 2010 
	
Quick brain scan could screen for autism
	10 Aug 2010 
	
Yen soars to 15-year high
	10:11am EDT 
	
Strange and unusual
	29 Jul 2010 
	
Setback for BlackBerry in India
| Video
		
	8:24am EDT 
	
House passes $600 million border security bill
	10 Aug 2010 
	
U.N. warns of second wave of Pakistani flood deaths
| Video
		
	10:56am EDT 
	
Advice to job seekers: drop the Merlot
	10 Aug 2010 
	
	
		
		
      
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
	 
oil spill in china
How did Dalian's port get cleaned so fast?
The oil spill in the waters off China's Dalian harbor was only a fraction of the size of BP's in the Gulf of Mexico, but workers managed to clean it up in about 10 days. How did they do it?   Full Article | Slideshow 
Breakingviews: China headed for 'Minamata moment'
	
	
	
    	
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
 
		
	
		 
		
		 
		
		
		
	
Russia says fires burn Chernobyl-tainted forests
	
     
        
            
          		
                 
            
 Digg This
            
 Tweet This
            
Share on LinkedIn
            
 Share on Facebook
            
    
               
      
	
Related News
	
		
		
Drought and rains still blight Black Sea wheat crops
8:59am EDT
No heat relief for Russia in next 1-3 days
9:14am EDT
	
      
               
      
 
	
      
               
      
    
Related Topics
        
            
                
World »
                
Green Business »
                
Russia »
                
        
    
      
               
      
 
      
               
      
 
                        
      
            
               
               
                    
                        
                        
                        
1 / 7
                    
                
                
                
                      
                
                       
                            
     
                        
                    
                
                                    
                                        
                                            
Smoke from a wildfire is seen outside the settlement of Kustarevka in the Ryazan region, some 340 km (211 miles) southeast of Moscow, August 10, 2010. 
                                            
Credit: Reuters/Denis Sinyakov
                                        
  
                                    
                                
 
        
By Alexei Anishchuk
        
        MOSCOW | 
        Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:43am EDT
        
    
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Fires have scorched forests contaminated with radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a Russian forestry official said on Wednesday, but it was unclear what danger the smoke from such wildfires could pose.
Kremlin leaders are already grappling with Russia's deadliest wildfires since 1972 and a drought that has destroyed crops after what weather monitoring officials say was the country's hottest summer in a millennium.
Fears of stirring up nuclear pollution from the Chernobyl disaster could take the crisis to a new level, though officials said radiation levels were normal in Moscow and it was unclear if smoke from fires in contaminated forests could be dangerous.
"Yes, there have been fires," Vasily Tuzov, deputy director of Russia's forest protection agency, told Reuters by telephone when asked if there had been fires in forests polluted by the Chernobyl accident, the world's worst civil nuclear disaster.
"Most of them have been extinguished now," Tuzov said.
He refused to give more details about the fires, referring to a statement on the agency's website which said that fires covering an area of 39 square kilometers (15 square miles) had been registered in regions with forests polluted with radiation.
The regions affected included Bryansk province, which borders Ukraine southwest of Moscow and was polluted by radioactive dust that billowed across Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Europe after a series of explosions at Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 on April 26, 1986.
Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said on August 5 that in the event of a fire in forests in the Bryansk region, radioactive particles could be propelled into the air.
Greenpeace Russia said in a statement that 3 fires had been registered in badly contaminated forests in the Bryansk region, which was polluted with the nuclear isotope caesium 137.
Radiation levels in the Moscow region were unchanged and within normal limits on Thursday, said on Yelena Popova, the head of Moscow's radiation monitoring center.
Asked whether fires in the areas contaminated by Chernobyl could bring radioactive particles in the Moscow region, she said the risk was still "theoretical."
"There is a possibility that winds could bring contaminated air from Kaluga or Tula regions if major fires erupt there," she said, referring to two Russian provinces a little under 200 km (125 miles) southwest of Moscow that were also polluted by Chernobyl.
"But our monitoring stations have not registered any increase in such activity so far," she said.
MOSCOW SMOKE CLEARS
Strong winds cleared the toxic smoke from raging wildfires that has choked Moscow for three weeks on Wednesday, but weather forecasters warned that the smoke could return in 24 hours.
The heat and smoke in Moscow -- which sent pollution levels to the highest levels in decades -- almost doubled mortality rates in the capital and disrupted flights, consumer activity and even trading in Russian stocks and bonds.
Muscovites were greeted with a glimpse of clear skies on Wednesday after a thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds in the early hours dispersed the smoke.
The Emergencies Ministry said the area of burning forests in Russia was almost halved in the past 24 hours to 927 square km (358 square miles) from 1,740 square km (676 square miles), and that nearly 166,000 people were fighting more than 600 fires.
"The forest fires have not ceased," Roman Vilfand, the director of the state weather forecasting center, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
"As soon as there is windless weather again, the smoke will return," he said. "It has got easier in Moscow but not where the fires are burning."
Pollution levels in Moscow on Wednesday were at safe levels, but the state weather forecaster said in a statement that the smoke could return by Thursday.
Some young Russians rejoiced in the rains in the early hours, dancing in the downpour and cheering as thunder and lightning replaced the grey smoke.
(Writing by Alexei Anishchuk and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
			
World
			
Green Business
			
Russia
			
 
	 
     
    
    
    
 
     
    
 
       
Add a Comment
       
       
        
     
    
*We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
   
 
 
		
	
 
 
	
	
	
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
	
	
© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
 
Reuters
	
Contact Us
	
Advertise With Us
	
Help
	
Journalism Handbook
	
Archive
	
Site Index
	
Video Index
	
Reader Feedback
 
	
Mobile
	
Newsletters
	
RSS
	
Podcasts
	
Widgets
	
Your View
	
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
	
Copyright
	
Disclaimer
	
Privacy
	
Professional Products
	
Professional Products Support
	
Financial Products
	
About Thomson Reuters
	
Careers
Online Products
	
Acquisitions Monthly
	
Buyouts
	
Venture Capital Journal
	
International Financing Review
	
Project Finance International
	
PEhub.com
	
PE Week
	
FindLaw
 Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
 
	
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
Other News on Wednesday, 11 August 2010 Kabul attack kills two as Afghan civilian casualites rise  
Burning Russia battles to defend nuclear sites  
Putin wants Russian satnav system in new cars from 2012  
InterContinental Hotels to create 160,000 jobs worldwide  
US Fed promises stimulus to help slowing recovery  
US-TECH Summary  
Central African Republic asks U.N. council for help
|  
WHO declares swine flu pandemic is over  
Florida to sue major LCD makers for price fixing  
Libya to fund Gaza homes after Israel approves aid  
U.N. panel on Gaza flotilla incident begins work
|  
A long, hot Ramadan for many devout Muslims  
Iran plans help to Lebanon army as U.S. blocks aid  
US productivity dips for first time since 2008  
UK's Cameron pledges crackdown on welfare fraud
|  
Saudi watchdog backtracks on BlackBerry ban  
WHO chief says swine flu pandemic is over  
Netflix and Epix strike programming deal  
Israel weighed all options in Gaza boat raid  
Nvidia chip team gets 25 million dollars from US military  
Human rights groups ask WikiLeaks to censor files  
Indonesia to crack down on porn over Ramadan  
UN: Afghan civilian deaths rise sharply this year  
Australian opposition plans to scrap broadband network  
N.Korea goes YouTube for propaganda  
Chinese 'peel' widget converts Apple Touch to phone: report  
RIM to share some BlackBerry codes with Saudis: source
|  
First Guantanamo trial under Obama opens  
Dell to sell tablet for $300 with AT&T contract
|  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Over-40 actresses dominate September magazine covers  
Dubai 'hot spots' freeze over as Ramadan nears  
Hundreds of Muslims attend anti-terror summer camp  
Captain Underpants' creator returns with more poopypants  
Julia Robert's new movie worth the weight  
Radical Indonesia preacher could face death penalty  
Teachers face death in Thailand's troubled south  
Saudis hoping giant clock will set 'Mecca Time'  
'Spider-Man' musical set to open on Broadway
|  
Over-40 actresses dominate September magazine covers
|  
Elvis' granddaughter eyes Mad Max role
|  
NATO: Roadside bomb kills 3 Afghan civilians  
Anger grows in Russia press over slack fire response  
Pakistani militants urge rejection of Western aid
|  
U.N. panel on Gaza flotilla incident begins work  
Obama signs 'libel tourism' bill  
Supermodel Campbell defends war crimes testimony  
U.N. report says Afghan civilian toll up 31 percent
|  
Downpours bring more worries for China landslide town
|  
Euro football championship advance vital for Spurs  
NZ soldier buried after death in Afghanistan  
Signs of movement towards Middle East peace talks  
New superbugs spreading from South Asia: study  
Chelsea agree Carvalho fee with Real  
Taliban blamed for sharp rise in Afghan casualties  
Bomb kills eight Iraqi soldiers, wounds four
|  
BP spill cases to be heard in New Orleans  
Virus sends costly messages from Android phones  
Naomi Campbell says nothing to gain from diamonds
|  
Colombia's Santos, Venezuela's Chavez restore ties
|  
"Mad Men" ratings plunge 24 percent  
Australian leaders to face 'Battle of Rooty Hill'  
Sri Lankan war probe opens  
Vatican US child sex abuse cases 'falling apart'  
Pakistani militants urge rejection of Western aid  
Pakistani Taliban urge rejection of foreign flood aid  
Global Weather-Celsius  
India may decide BlackBerry fate on Thursday
|  
Downpours bring more worries for China landslide town  
China mudslide rescue hopes fade as toll tops 700  
"Mad Men" ratings plunge 24 percent  
"Heartbroken" Fantasia overdoses over married man affair  
Racing against time to preserve India's Parsi past  
Japan's machinery orders up 1.6 percent in June  
Stars of "Eat Pray Love" say it changed lives  
Fiji wants to replace Pacific allies with China  
China's inflation up after devastating floods  
Elvis' granddaughter eyes "Mad Max" role  
S.Korea urges N.Korea to return boat  
Britney Spears to have cameo in "Glee"  
Toyota suspends auto exports to Iran  
'Spider-Man' musical set to open on Broadway  
Nepal court to rule on 'Himalayan Viagra' murders  
Taiwan stocks end down; Acer falls on weak sales  
Seoul shares slip as Hynix leads tech slide  
CORRECTED  
New Zealand farmers most confident in 2 years -survey  
Most 'failed to brake' in runaway Toyota crashes  
S.Korean bonds rise early after U.S. Fed move  
Heartbroken Fantasia overdoses over married man affair
|  
Stars of Eat Pray Love say it changed lives
|  
Korea Hot Stocks  
Jane Lynch confirmed to host SNL
|  
Mad Men ratings plunge 24 percent
|  
Virus sends costly messages from Android phones  
Google Street View throws light on web privacy  
Israel wasn't ready for flotilla resistance-general  
Russia deploys air defence missiles in Abkhazia  
Direct talks in sight as U.S. envoy sees Netanyahu
|  
Plastic Logic scraps long-awaited e-reader QUE  
Top Iraqi officer warns US must stay past 2011  
Pakistan issues fresh flood warning  
Russia deploys missiles to protect Georgia rebels
|  
British unemployment shows biggest drop for three years  
New superbugs spreading from South Asia: study  
Militant attack kills 8 Iraqi soldiers, 3 others  
Israel wasn't ready for flotilla resistance: general
|  
Industrial demand boosts Adecco net profit  
Bodies of 4 American medical workers headed home  
Nestle profits grow ahead of expected slowdown  
Lebanon says aid to army must be unconditional
|  
Lebanon court asks evidence from Hezbollah head
|  
Russia says fires burn Chernobyl-tainted forests
|  
Rwanda's Kagame wins election by landslide
|  
Italy opposition wants united front vs Berlusconi
|  
Setback for BlackBerry in India
|  
Germany to keep close eye on Google Street View
|  
R&B guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins dead at 66  
Apple says to replace overheating iPods in Japan
|  
Teri Hatcher sued by former business associate  
Wi-Lan settles patent litigation with UTStarcom
|  
Beijing resumes radio exercise sessions  
India's Bharti profit slides as price war bites  
Pakistani stocks, rupee end lower; o/n rates up  
Tug of war over Czech Art Nouveau gem  
Plastic Logic scraps long-awaited e-reader QUE
|  
Jane Lynch confirmed to host "SNL"  
Apple Japan offers to replace overheating iPod nano  
Seoul shares end down 1.3 pct on growth woes  
US dollar falls to a 15-year low against the yen  
Heartbroken Fantasia overdoses over married man affair
|  
R&B guitarist Phelps Catfish Collins dead at 66
|  
Tiger Woods' TV allure: the train wreck factor
|  
Teri Hatcher sued by former business associate
|  
Busy mogul Nick Cannon finds time for pillow talk with Mariah
|  
Old Spice hunk exchanges roles in Tyler Perry films
|  
Wi-Lan settles patent litigation with UTStarcom  
Apple says to replace overheating iPods in Japan  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights