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Sakhalin and Kuril Islands radiation levels do not exceed normal levels, officials say

Meanwhile, reports of radioactive water leaks in Fukushima spark international concern

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, August 23 (Itar-Tass) - Permissible radiation levels are not exceeded on the Sakhalin and Kuril Islands. The situation in the island region is under control, there is no reason to worry, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s (EMERCOM) main department for the Sakhalin Oblast told Itar-Tass on Friday, commenting on a radioactive water leak into the Pacific from the Fukushima Daiichi (Fukushima-1) nuclear power plant in Japan.

In this connection, South Korea’s Asiana Airlines has decided to cancel its flights between Seoul and the Japanese city of Fukushima. Japanese fishermen postponed their sea missions.

“The radioactive background monitoring on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands is conducted by several dozen posts,” spokesman for the EMERCOM main department for the Sakhalin Oblast Alexander Saikin said. “Monitoring is conducted by the regional offices of the Russian Federal Service on Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of the Environment (RosGidroMet), Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor), EMERCOM, Federal Security Service (FSB), Defence Ministry and other services. They have not registered high radiation levels in municipalities.”

According to the environmentalists of the island region, the situation causes no alarm. “We are aware of the fact that the radioactive water leaks continue,” said chairman of the regional non-governmental organisation Sakhalin Environment Watch Dmitry Lisitsyn. “But at the moment we have no information that the permissible radioactive levels have been exceeded.”

The background radiation level is daily fixed in the regional capital by special sensors located on the building of the EMERCOM main department for the Sakhalin Oblast, the press service said. In addition, the official website of the regional Rospotrebnadzor department also posted these data, which are regularly updated.

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