Blame found in Russian nuclear accident

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

This is an update to the Arzamas-16 criticality accident:

Saturday June 28 4:37 AM EDT 

Blame found in Russian nuclear accident

MOSCOW, June 28 (UPI) _ A commission looking into the June 17 accident
at the Arzamas-16 nuclear center that caused a radioactive leak has
determined the problem was caused by engineer error and hazardous
conditions. 

The Itar-Tass news agency has reported prosecutors are filing criminal
charges in the incident, which caused the death of 42-year-old
engineer Alexander Zakharov. 

The probe found that error by Zakharov, who died of radiation sickness
three days after the accident, led to the leak. Also at fault were
hazards created by the center's rules of experimental research. 

Following the incident at Arzamas-16, also known as the Institute of
Experimental Physics, center officials ordered a halt to all nuclear
reactor research. 

The accident happened during a controlled nuclear chain reaction at a
critical assemblies stand when a breach of the experimental protocol
caused a massive neutron emission measuring over 1,000 roentgen. 

Experts needed a week to decontaminate the reactor room, finally
succeeding with the use of a remote control vacuum manipulator. 

Center officials expect the facility, a bunker with a three-meter
thick concrete dome, to be safe for workers without protective gear by
the end of the first week in July. 

The facility is located in Sarov, a city of 100,000 inhabitants. 

------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
mailto:sandyfl@ix.netcom.com
mailto:sperle@icnpharm.com

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