Today’s commentary: GCE expert on Radiation Safety spoke about the possible consequences of fire at the firing range of Krasniy Bor
24/06/2011
Vladimir Moskalenko, the leading expert on radiation safety from the group of companies “GCE” commented on the fire at the shooting range “Krasniy Bor”, located in dangerous proximity to St. Petersburg. Recall that the information on fire appeared in the media yesterday afternoon.
If the area of fire is really as great as it is being reported in the media, then the situation is serious, because the firing range is designed specifically for high-risk toxic substances. Waste of Class 1 hazards could oxidize under high temperatures, thus reducing their impact on the environment. For example, cyanide containing waste also gets neutralized by fire, because of the hydrolization that takes place due to the same high temperatures. Let's hope that these substances are burnt. But they could even spread along the area.
However, the most dangerous are the dioxins that are formed during combustion of sludge waste and petroleum products. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the environment: they can destroy plants in the path of the smoke plume. The effect of dioxins on people is toxic and can lead to the manifestation of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Therefore it is necessary to avoid the smoke plume, and after extinguishing the fire, the area that was touched by fire and smoke plume is to be inspected to check the presence of dioxins. There is a risk of toxic substances entering into the water – after all Neva is nearby.
