Nuclear Facilities and Radiation Sources in the Former Soviet Union

At least 221 nuclear facilities—other than civil nuclear power reactors—operate in the former Soviet Union. The largest number of operating nuclear facilities are in Russia. During our discussions with these experts, the following five factors emerged as the main contributors to unsafe conditions: (1) lack of technology as well as aging facilities and equipment, (2) the lack of awareness and commitment to the importance of safety, (3) the long-standing emphasis on production over safety, (4) the absence of independent and effective nuclear regulatory bodies, and (5) the lack of funds to improve safety. V for additional information about international assistance efforts.) Planned and Ongoing U.S. Activities

As of August 1995, the United States had committed about $55 million to support various programs that primarily focus on the environmental and health effects of the long-term operation of the former Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons production complex, including activities associated with the production and processing of plutonium. Specifically, U.S. programs focus on studying the disposal of nuclear waste by the former Soviet Union in the Arctic region (DOD/Office of Naval Research); assessing the radioactive waste contamination at a naval nuclear training facility in Estonia (DOE); developing technology on a cooperative basis with Russia to clean up radioactive waste (DOE); studying the health consequences of radiation contamination at Chelyabinsk and other locations in the former Soviet Union (DOE and DOD); upgrading and expanding a Russian facility that processes low-level liquid radioactive waste to prevent its continued dumping in the Arctic seas (EPA and Department of State); helping Russian and Ukrainian regulatory authorities establish regulatory control over radioactive materials, including the fuel cycle, the industrial and the medical uses of radioisotopes, and the disposal of radioactive materials (NRC); and studying options to replace power and steam lost as a result of the shutdown of the plutonium production reactors at Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk (TDA).
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on U.S. and international efforts to address nuclear safety and environmental problems in the former Soviet Union.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) the former Soviet Union has at least 221 nuclear facilities operating, 99 of which are located in Russia; (2) as many as 20,000 organizations throughout the former Soviet Union are using various types of radiation for medicine, industry, and research; (3) aging facilities and equipment, inadequate technology, a lack of commitment to safety, the absence of independent nuclear regulatory bodies, and a lack of funding are contributing to unsafe conditions in the former Soviet Union; (4) efforts are under way to study the radiological effects of operating nuclear facilities and nuclear-powered submarines; and (6) the United States has committed $55 million to support programs focusing on the environmental and health effects caused by the production of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union.