Radioactive Substances Found In Minsk

The radiation background near a dumpster in Serdzich Street was four times as high as normal.

On March 14, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations removed radioactive substances from a dumpster in Danila Serdzich Street in Minsk, Radio Svaboda reports.

What happened?

A housing department engineer called the rescuers. He said that he had found suspicious objects at a container site in Serdzich Street with the sign “Danger. Radioactive substances or ionizing radiation.” According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, it was a white plastic bucket with glass and plastic containers inside.

The radiation background exceeded the norm by 4 times

The rescuers arrived at the scene. Preliminary measurements showed the excess of the radiation background by 4 times at a distance of one meter from the tank. At a distance of two meters, the radiation background did not exceed the norm.

During the inspection of the site, five containers with powdered substances were found:

uranyl chloride – 2 cans of 1 kg;

uranyl nitrate – 1 can (1 kg);

uranyl sulfuric acid – 1 can (1 kg);

triscate uranium – 1 can (1 kg).

After the removal of the cans with the substance, the radiation background at the container site was within the normal range. The containers will be delivered to the Sosny Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research for the further study of the detected substances.

The substances belonged to a dead woman

The substances belonged to a woman born in 1939 who died in 2016, the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee writes. The woman used to work at the chemistry department of one of Minsk universities. On the eve, the granddaughter of the deceased decided to tidy the grandmother’s apartment, and she carried the substances to the container site.