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4.02.08
The Customs of Jewish Autonomous Region bans the import of radioactive goods from China
The Birobidzhan Customs House officers have detected Chinese radioactive goods crossing the border of Russian Federation.
At the Nizhneleninskiy check point of Amurzet Customs House a citizen of People’s Republic of China was in the middle of customs formalities procedure on his arrival from Tuntszyan when his personal baggage was checked by fissile and radioactive materials monitoring equipment. In the course of the check the Yantar-2P radiation monitoring system was triggered. The alarm went off while monitoring the burner polymeric grids packed in paper. The Chinese citizen was going to import into Russia 21 packages of the grids with total weight of 286 grams. He explained that the grids were intended for his private use for increasing the luminance of kerosene burners and that he was not aware of their increased level of ionizing radiation.
Besides, the kerosene burners have been checked by means of the DKG-RM-02 portable dosimeter. As reported by Far Eastern Customs Directorate Press Service, the measured gamma-radiation dose rate on the goods surface has made up 2.5 µSv/hour having increased the norm by several times (at the natural background of 0.12 µSv/hour). The kerosene burner grids are now confiscated and transferred to Russian Federal Consumer Rights Protection and Human Health Control Service in Jewish Autonomous Region for carrying out expert examination. Currently, the results of the examination are obtained. In accordance with the expert opinion issued by Federal State Healthcare Service “Hygiology and Epidemiology Center of Jewish Autonomous Region” the mentioned goods do not comply with radiation safety norms and basic radiation safety sanitary regulations established in Russia. A decision has been made to deport the goods back to China.
Before their departure the measures are taken to provide temporal storage and physical protection.
19.06.07
Yantar system signals any radioactive cargo
Yantar systems installed at customs check points of Kurgan Customs House signal any radioactive cargo, and even more. These systems also keep sharp lookout for people, for example, those who have been treated with radiological methods or medicine that can leave traces of radiation in their bodies. In these cases the customs officers check medical paperwork and decide whether the arriving person is allowed to enter the country or not.
In 2007 Yantar has alarmed 76 times signaling that the border is being crossed by the goods with excessive radiation. In June 2007, the system has alarmed 10 times, says the spokesperson of the Ural Customs Directorate. Excessive radiation level was detected in Belarusian china and glass crockery, Russian abrasive wheels and sanitary wares, Turkish facing tiles and German liquid potassium hydroxide, Italian refractory concrete and sand, Belgian herbicides.
In other words, the instant Yantar system signals excessive radioactivity in the goods (1.5 times the natural background), these goods fall under the risk management system and are released for free circulation only after further examination and only on condition that they have Sanitary and Epidemic Certificates or Expert Conclusion conducted by Russian Federal Consumer Rights Protection and Human Health Control Service.
13.06.07
Radioactive person detained in Vladivostok Port. Yantar system at the Port checkpoint alarmed
VLADIVOSTOK, 13 June, PrimaMedia. A person attempting to carry a radioactive source was detained at a checkpoint of the Vladivostok Fish Port.
As PrimaMedia Information Agency was informed by Primtekhnopolis company, when the man attempted to pass the checkpoint, radiation monitor Yantar alarmed. All checkpoints in the Port are equipped with such systems.
The investigation showed that the man found an old instrument panel in a rubbish pile and wrenched off several instruments from that panel. One of the instruments had a scale containing radioactive radium salts.
As a result of this, the man, as well as his belongings and bag, got contaminated with radioactive salts. The radiation control instruments detected contamination with beta and alpha emitting radio nuclides.
“If it had not been for the equipment and joint actions of the Port security, we could have surely expected total radioactive contamination of the man’s housing, and even public places of Vladivostok” – said the spokesperson of the Primtekhnopolis company, which is responsible for elimination of radioactive contamination accidents in Primorye.
16.02.07
Yantar detects hazardous cargo
Yesterday early morning, Yantar system helped Pskov Customs Officers at Vehicle Crossing Shumilkino detect excessive radiation in a Scania truck
en route from Latvia to Russia.
IThe dose rate was detected to be 0.10 μSv/h, the normal rate being 0.08 μSv/h. The detained Scania truck was loaded with 20 tons of fireproofing material
bound from Germany for a furnace at one of the metallurgical works in Sverdlovsk Region.
The truck was forwarded to a detention area pending presentation of permission paperwork.
24.10.2006
Yantars guard the Russian borders
Since the beginning of 2006, there have been detected more than 1 600 attempts to transfer goods with excessive radioactive levels through the South Customs
Points.
Igor Litvinov, Head of the Southern Customs Directorate, reported that the South Customs Points are equipped with 243 Yantar systems, which automatically
detect and alarm radiation hazards.
07.02.2006
Train passenger carrying radioactive baggage from Moscow
In Belgorod Region, boarder guards detained the passenger with radioactive baggage.
According to the Federal Customs Service of the RF (FCS), while passenger train No17 Moscow – Sevastopol was under radiation control at railroad checking point Dolbino, Belgorod Customs, the stationary customs radioactive monitoring system was triggered. The system also identified the carriage, which contained a radioactive source.
Belgorod customs officers examined the suspicious carriage with hand-held radiation monitors and discovered two sensors of radio isotopic ice detectors, which are installed on planes and helicopters, contained in a cardboard box in the hand luggage of a Ukrainian citizen.
FCS spokesman reported that ionizing radiation on the box surface was 280 times higher than the natural radioactive background. The sensors had a notice “Warning! Radioactive!” and a sign of radioactive hazard.
According to the conclusion made by the experts of the Hygienic and Epidemiological Center of Belgorod Region, the sensors appeared to be sealed radionuclide sources, which can be handled only by those specialists who have a special licence. FCS spokesman noted that these sources are permitted outside Russia only upon presentation of a special licence, which the passenger did not have.
The above became the ground for institution of a legal case against Art.188 P.2 of the Criminal Code of the RF (contraband). The sensors have been withdrawn and placed in a specially equipped area.ssage
31.01.2006 VLADIVOSTOK /ITAR-TASS reporter Marina Shatilova/
Strong source of radiation found in Vladivostok Fish Port
A strong source of radiation was found in Vladivostok Fish Port. According to Primtekhnopolis - a company engaged in disposal of radioactive materials - the source was detected by Yantar system in a vehicle entering the port.
Radiation rate exceeded natural background by 30 times, which was hazardous for people's health, emphasized the specialists of Primtekhnopolis. Radiation was emitted by a sea instrument that contained components made of Radium-226 based material. The instrument was withdrawn for further disposal, as required by the law.
http://www.itar-tass.com/level2.html?NewsID=2892125&PageNum=0
23.06.2005 RIA Novosti
A strong source of radiation (300mR/h) was detected in Vladivostok Sea Port on 22 June, 2005 by radiation control system “Yantar”. The source was hidden in metal scrap carried by a small truck, that arrived at the port.
As the specialists of Primtechnopolis informed RIA Novosti, they supposed that the arrested rod is a component of specialized equipment – radioisotope depth density meter.
Primorye Transport Office of Public Prosecutor has brought a case regarding detection of a strong source of radiation in Vladivostok Fish Port. Action is brought against Article 220 Part 1 of RF Criminal Code (unauthorized handling of radioactive materials).
http://www.rian.ru/incidents/20050623/40745678.html
28.01.2005 RIA Novosti
Car with Uranium-238 detained at Orenburg Customs
Orenburg Customs has detained a car that was carrying above 37 kg of Uranium-238 from Russia to Kazakhstan.
This accident was reported to RIA Novosti by Maksim Prytkov, Chief State Customs Inspector for Mass Media, Near-Volga Operative Customs. According to his statement, the container with uranium was detected by the officers of Iletsk Customs Point of Orenburg Customs, Near-Volga Customs Directorate. During radiation control of GAZel’ car at the international vehicle crossing there was received an alarm from system Yantar, which responses to the excessive level of ionizing radiation.
The officers searched the car and discovered a metal cylinder that turned out to be the source of radiation.
Following the expert evidence, the dangerous finding is “protective container KZ-1 for remote operations at loading and unloading of holders with radioactive sources” which contains 37.5 kg of radioactive Uranium-238 (depleted uranium). Prytkov noted that the container with uranium was declared as “dumb-bells”. According to its owner, he found this “sports equipment” at a dump and used for his physical exercises, and sometimes to straighten nails.
At present there is being held an investigation into the origin of the source. Inquiry Department of Orenburg Customs started legal procedures for this case of illicit trafficking of radioactive material across the Russian borders
18.01.2005 RIA Novosti
Radioactive cargo detained at Russian-Georgian Border
Vladikavkaz custom officers detained a radioactive cargo at check point Nizhniy Zaromag of the Russian-Georgian border. According to the Press Service of North-Caucasian Frontier Directorate of the RF Federal Security Service, the cargo was detained during the custom registration of minibus Mercedes and turned out to be potassium powder in 42 bags and 35 kg of technical scaly hydroxide, along with eleven 50-kg barrels of aluminium powder. The cargo was bound from Pyatigorsk to Georgia. Radioactive safety system Yantar, installed at the check points, was triggered by radiation emitted by the cargo. The measured radioactive background was 45mR/h against the usual 9mR/h.
The vehicle was transported to a safe place to wait for the specialists of Ministry for Emergency Cases. The driver is being questioned by law-enforcement officers. http://www.tks.ru/cgi-bin/text.pl?file=2005011805&id=crime
14.01.2005
Chinese sailor tried to cross border with radioactive material
A sailor of a Hong-Kong vessel hiding a strong radioactive isotope Cs-137 on his body was arrested in Murmansk. According to the North-Western Customs Directorate, customs officers at Murmansk check point detected Cesium-137 hidden in the backing of a jacket which belonged to a Chinese crew member of Yong Tai vessel (Hong Kong). Equivalent dose rate on the surface of the object was 5.83 mSv/h, natural background – 0.157 mSv/h, measuring device – fixed-site system Yantar.
The jacket with isotope was forwarded to Federal Security Service officers who performed additional radiation control with hand-held devices. In the sailor’s cabin the officers discovered a lipcare stick and playing wooden sticks which have an average gamma dose rate on surface of 320 mSv/h. After the sources have been isolated in a cellophane packet and then in a paper packet, they have been placed under control of the vessel’s captain.
http://www.regnum.ru/news/389218.html
09.11.2004
Attention of Novosibirsk Customs Point officers at an entrance point of Ob’ (Novosibirsk Region) was drawn to a truck carrying several barrels, three of which were leaking. The liquid from the barrels was coming down the wheels and had already covered the bottom of the body. The truck was immediately moved to a stop area behind the point, the spot on the ground was covered with sand, and the driver was sent for medical examination. “We immediately checked the cargo for radiation, and Yantar system showed that the background level was several times higher than permissible level”, said Igor Hatkevich, Alternate Head of Novosibirsk Customs Point. Representatives of Transport Inspection, Sanitary and Epidemiology Service, Service for Civil Defence and Emergency Cases were called to the place. The driver did have accompanying documentation but it was in Italian. “So we have not determined yet what substance has leaked”, continued Igor Hatkevich.
The cargo was bound to Anzher Engineering Plant and it was most likely to be some toxic liquid for production of casting patterns. Sanitary and Epidemiology Service representatives measured radiation background and it was six times higher than permissible levels, yet they failed to classify the substance, and the samples were sent to Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences. The truck is still detained at the stop area.
16.10.2004
Terrorist weapon bound from Georgia to Kuban
Sochi Customs officers detained a container with lethally dangerous radioactive cesium inside. Customs officers were inspecting a car (VAZ-2107) coming from Georgia when their attention was drawn by a metal box on the front seat beside the driver. In the box there was a suspicious round object. This object was checked with fixed-site system for radiation control Yantar, and it appeared that the measured radiation background was far higher than the permissible level.
Further inspection revealed that the box contained industrial cesium – substance that can be lethally hazardous. For the sake of the present investigation, information concerning the amount of the substance, as well as where the driver took it and why he was carrying it to Russia, has not been made public yet. A criminal case has been brought against the owner of the car.
26.04.2004
Chinese woman emitting radiation
There was nothing so special about a Chinese woman who was travelling from China to Irkutsk through Zabaikal’sk – Manchuria vehicle crossing. Customs control is something common. Suddenly there was an alarm from fixed-site radiation control system Yantar. There was nothing suspicious in the baggage of the Chinese woman, so she was sent for further examination to a sanitary-quarantine station. Detailed dosimetric control revealed excessive gamma radiation in the neck area. The measured radiation was 33 times higher than permissible sanitary norms. Having heard these results the woman got a real turn. It turned out that some time before her trip the woman had been treated in a Chinese hospital with special radiopharmaceutical medicine, but she had no documents that would prove that she had taken this medicine for therapeutical purposes. However, Russian laws about radiation safety of population are very strict, so the woman had to return back to China.
20.01.2004 Izvestya.Ru
A railway carriage with radioactive waste has been detained in Novorossiysk
A railway carriage that contained ferrous metal waste with excessive radiation level has been detained
at the load board of Novorossyisk Sea Trade Port. Alexandr Malyuk, Assistant Director of Chief Authority
of Civil Defense and Emergencies, reported that the carriage had arrived in Novorossyisk from station Atkarsk, Saratov Region.
"After we conducted measurements and detected an excessive level of radioactive background, the carriage was towed to a dead-end siding and the guard was posted", stated Mr Malyuk.
According to gazeta.ru with reference to "Interfax", negotiations are being held with the owner of the carriage in order to send it back .
Newspaper Belgorodskaja Pravda, 19 December 2003
At vehicle crossing Nekhoteevka, monitor Yantar has given out an alarm signal
...A bus of the route Dnepropetrovsk-Staryi Oskol has arrived at vehicle crossing Nekhoteevka. The passengers with their luggage were going through the fixed-site automated monitoring complex Yantar when the monitor gave out an alarm signal: there was a strong gamma radiation source in the hand luggage of one of the passengers.
The second, third and forth measurement were performed, but Yantar persistently detected radiation. A gamma radiation source was found in the luggage of a 53-year-old Ukranian...
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