Perchlorate in the Former Soviet Union

Recently American aerospace giant Lockheed-Martin set up a solid rocket disposal facility in Votkinsk, Russia. Now the citizens of Votkinsk are complaining of ailments vaguely similar to what Californians have been filing lawsuits about in connection with perchlorate drinking water contamination. In response, Lockheed-Martin has set up human experiments with perchlorate at Loma Linda University.

Larry Ladd


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*   P R O B L E M S  O F  C H E M I C A L  S A F E T Y    *
*                     (R U S S I A)                       *
*                  Issue UCS-INFO.33e, 31 December, 2000  *
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            STOP INHUMAN EXPERIMENT UPON MANKIND

    Dear people of the Earth!
    The inhabitants of our town Tchaikovsky (Perm Region)
a most beautiful town on the Earth lost their inner
tranquillity. We live in harmony with nature and take care
of it. One who ever visited our town says: " You live in
really clean, heat and beautiful town. And it's people kind
and educational!" Nature gives us strength and health. All
of us like to have a rest on the bank of the river KAMA,
to gather berries and mushrooms in the forest - the lungs of
our planet, to fish. River and forest feed us.
    Besides our Tchaikovsky is a musical, sporting and cultural
centre. Many young people from our town departed to different
corners of Russia, they study in prestigious universities and
work in large enterprises. Much benefit the bring to our country.
And we are the best everywhere.
    Our children are the most handsome and strong. Actually
they are a real genofund of our nation.
    But the small group of bureacrats decided on their own to
ruin the environment, building here in the distance of 3 km from
the river KAMA in Votkinsk district death-dealing salvage factory
of solid-fuel rocket engines.
    Everybody have a right to take fresh air, pure water and clean
land. Why we weren't asked our opinion weather we want the erection
of this factory or not? This is the land WE live on and the power
in our state belongs to people according to the Constitution of
Russian Federation. And people said "No to salvage factory"
    On April 22, 2000 year in the international day of the Earth
inhabitants of Tchaikovsky confirmed their negative decision on the
problem of setting Votkinsk salvage factory of solid-fuel rocket
engines. Thousands of people came to the mass-meeting took place in
front of the Prefecture House. And tens of cars and motorcycles took
a run through the cities Tchaikovsky-Votkinsk-Izhevsk-Sarapul. The
mayor of our town Alexey Proydakov informed people about Perm Region
governor's telephone call. He received my Letter concerning this
subject and assured people that no building would be held there. Then
deputy of Udmurt State Council, colonel, former missile specialist
Anatoliy Lapin made a speech. By the summons of his heart he stood up
for defence of our nature and citizens. Convincingly spoke against
the factory building the president of voluntary ecological movement of
Tchaikovskiy V.Tcherepanov and vice- president N. Seredina. She did
stressed that the dangerous situation, like in Kambarka (30 km),
threatens our town. Besides Joint-Stock company "Uralorgsintez"
(20 km), asphalt works and Tchaikovsky textile" enterprise are
situated within the town territory that is not desirable.
    Then Olga Shestakova, the lecturer of the Polytechnicum for Light
Industry spoke about health troubles.
    Our physicians are anxious about child diseases in Tchaikovsky
because nowdays they connected with neoplasm and infringement involving
immune system. Our town takes the second position in Perm Region onlevel
of respiratory trac affections, kidneys, of the nervous system. The
increase of digestion and endocrine system diseases is revealed. In
conclusion of the meeting the engineer of Sientific Research Institute
"TEM" Gennadiy Porokhin accentuated that the engine burning process will
be uncontrolled. He adduced death-dealing figures of the toxic substances.
Even in case of 98 per cent refinment that we're promissed by "Green
cross", 4473,6 kg of hydrochloric acid, 288 kg of aluminum oxide,
0,0384 kg of hydrogen cyanide (strong poison) will be thrown in to the
atmosphere after the one engine burning weighing 48 tons. And as a result
the green zone of Votkinsk in radius of 2 km can be completly destroyed.
The water in the river KAMA will be poisoned. The lovely place of
mushroom's gatherers-Vekoshinka will be lost irrevocably.
    Thanks to everybody, who disinterestedly helped us in mass-meeting
organization, to initiator Svetlana Pavletsova, Publishing house
"Region", firm "Garant Service", "KAMA's lights" news, entrepreneurs
Z.Piankova, E.&Y.Martynov, A.Milukova, Dodonov brothers and especially
to V.Tcherepanov. Thanks to all the members of the voluntary ecological
movement, to the students of Tchaikovsky Polytechnicum for Light Industry
and Industrial Humanities College, to the pupils of the secondary
schools N 3,4,9 and people of Tchaikovskiy.
    Representatives of such mass-media as NTV (Moscow), TVS, New
Region (Izhevsk), Vetta, T7 (Perm), Objective (Tchaikovskiy) came to
this meeting. In Votkinsk we were met very friendly - with placards and
transparanties. The mayor of town V.Fridrikh said that he was definitely
opposed for the factory's building. The same opinion expressed A.Lapin,
ecologist N.Pavlukova, A.Solujamov, vice-mayor T.Ganewshina,
V.Tcherepanov, O.Shestakova. People of Votkinsk were deeply grateful to
inhabitants of Tchailovsky.
    "As for me, I was deeply impressed by the words of a teacher. She
said that many scientists suppose plants to be alive organisms that
could protect itself from pollution. Being stressed plants can throw out
its pollen, which is very aggressive and wind can blow it within a
distance of 300-400km. It means that in case of emergency even if the
poisoned cloud weighing 78 tons wouldn't reach Perm or Izhevsk, the
pollen with dioxines will be wafted to.
    People of the Prikamje don't be indifferent.
    That poison is enough to kill everything alive in Prikamje and
Povolzhje. I appeal to you not to permit the conduction of experiment on
us. It is unacceptable to build the american salvage factory at the
expense of our health. The "Green cross" is constantly emphasizing that
their organization acts after the grand given in Switzerland. Therefore
Votkinsk information centre of "Green cross" is financed through Moscow
from Switzerland (and latter - from the U.S.A.). But everybody knows that
Americans don't give out money for no particular reason. Dollar must be
worked off and not in benefit for Russia.
    The environment of Votkinsk district has already polluted. Only in
1999 there were exterminated 50 per cent from live stock of horned cattle
because of the leukamia there.
    People of Tchaikovsky, Votkinsk, Izhevsk & Sarapul demands from the
Udmurt government to make their good will and to change the place of the
factory setting.
    Many of us live in the Noviy poselok which is located in Votkinsk
district. But the Earth we live on is ONE for everybody. No admittance
should be accepted to build factory within densely populated territory.
    Dear Earth people! Follow Tchaikovsky's people example. Support us
and our voluntary ecological movement. Let's help to protect the land
of Votkinsk and its citizens. Our planet is our HOME. Let's save it
together for us and future generations.
    With love to you Irina Mikhashina
    The member of the Ecological movement of Tchaikovsky

    P.S. People of the Earth stop inhuman experiment upon mankind.
Don't deprive us the right to live, to breath and to bring up
healthy children.

My address: Irina Mikhashina "Koral",15, K. Marx street
617762, TCHAIKOVSKY, PERM REGION, RUSSIA
telephone/fax (34241) 3-51-24
E-mail:SCHEREPANOV@PERMONLINE.RU

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*    Producer -  Union for Chemical Safety (Russia)      *
*    Editor - professor Fedorov Lev A.                   *
*    117292 Russia, Moscow, 8-2-83 Profsojuznaja Str.    *
*    phone/fax: +7-095-129-05-96,                        *
*    E-mail: lefed@online.ru                             *
*    UCS-PRESS, 2000                                     *
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Health: Mysterious poisoning haunts Ukrainian town

Web posted MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2000

Natasha Lyubomskaya, 6, holds her case history and certificate on her hospitalization with the diagnosis of scabies in the village Chausovo. The primary diagnosis, toxic dermatitis, which was made by the local
doctors the week before, was changed by the medical brigade from Kyiv. AP Photo

MYSTERIOUS POISONING HAUNTS UKRAINIAN TOWN

BY SERGEI SHARGORODSKY The Associated Press

BOLESLAVCHYK, Ukraine - The cluster of four villages in southern Ukraine was bathed in scorching summer heat when the mysterious illness struck, creeping from one house to another.

Hundreds of people were soon complaining of symptoms that included drowsiness, head and stomach pains, burning eyes, and skin rashes.

About 400 of the more than 2,600 village residents were hospitalized in July and August. Doctors were unable to diagnose the ailment, which also affected the livers and pancreases of victims, saying only that it was apparently caused by an unknown chemical agent.

But some residents thought they knew the cause: rocket fuel and debris from Soviet-era missiles that had been based less than a mile from their homes in the villages of Boleslavchyk, Pidhiria, Michuryno and Chausovo. They rejected the Defense Ministry's denials and suspected the military wasn't interested in discovering the truth.

"It must be something military, what else? But I have my remedy," said an elderly man named Mykola, fishing in a pond in Boleslavchyk, as he swallowed the last drops from a small bottle of vodka.

Just outside Boleslavchyk, a peaceful village of small white houses, overgrown bushes conceal heaps of broken concrete - the remains of a destroyed missile silo. The area once held liquid-fuel nuclear missiles and still serves as a base for solid-fuel SS-24s.

Ukraine inherited 46 SS-24s and 130 SS-19 missiles from the Soviet Union. Kiev has since surrendered all its nuclear warheads to Russia and destroyed the SS-19s, while most of its SS-24s along with their silos are to be destroyed under a disarmament plan running through 2001.

Many in Boleslavchyk maintain the health menace can be traced to a farm where the Soviet army supposedly buried debris while dismantling outdated missiles in the late 1970s.

Metal scavengers recently excavated an old pit there, and some villagers swear they saw a strange cloud that later swept over Boleslavchyk.

But retired tractor driver Ivan Muliar was skeptical. He said
that plenty of people had worked at the farm for years and never gotten sick, and the scavengers weren't among the victims of the mysterious illness.

"Look, those boys who dug out the metal did not get sick," Muliar said. "There must be some other reason."

The Defense Ministry adamantly denies the missiles or their fuel could have caused the poisoning, and health experts have backed off from their initial finding that the soil and water contained traces of substances usually produced by decomposing missile fuel.

The region has a host of other environmental scourges, including an ammonia pipeline and an abandoned nickel plant. Official explanations for the poisoning range from excessive amounts of nitrates presumably used in fertilizer to poisonous fumes released by scavengers burning plastic insulation off copper cables.

U.S. experts from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Atlanta- based Centers for Disease Control, an Israeli medical team and Ukrainian investigative commission have all visited the site. None could offer any conclusive explanation and said full analysis would be costly and time-consuming.

The mystery could remain unsolved forever.

Yet, it has brought some good to the area 190 miles south of the capital, Kiev, throwing a spotlight on its poverty and environmental ills. Charities have sent food and clothes.

The government is building a running water supply and has promised a pipeline network to provide household gas.

The victims have recovered, the investigators have gone, and life in the villages is returning to normal. Yet, the residents remain fearful.

"We don't know what caused all this," said Oleksandra Pochekha, the mayor of Boleslavchyk. "But we want a clear answer. ... Next year, spring will come, it will be hot again, and this could start all over again."