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Tajikistan’s Former Soviet Nuclear Sites Pose Threat To Nearby Villages –

Tajikistan’s Former Soviet Nuclear Sites Pose Threat To Nearby Villages

A mound of radioactive waste 300 meters high rises above the town of Taboshar.

Radio Free Europe April 09, 2009

By Farangis Najibullah

The first Soviet atomic bomb, tested in 1949, was made from Tajik uranium.

Now Tajikistan is dealing with the dangerous legacy of its role in the Soviet nuclear program: 55 million tons of radioactive waste that, in some sites, is leaking into the soil and local water supplies.

Tajik and international specialists say the leaks pose a major risk to residents’ health and the environment. Most of the radioactive waste in Tajikistan comes from the country’s Vostokredmet plant, in the northern city of Chkalovsk. The plant was built in 1945 to mine and process uranium from deposits in Tajikistan and other Central Asian republics.

Tajikistan’s Former Soviet Nuclear Sites Pose Threat To Nearby Villages – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2009

April 9, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia