No threat of radioactive contamination in Primorye - specialists

VLADIVOSTOK, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - There is no threat of radioactive
contamination in Russia's Primorye at the moment and no threat is
forecasted in the future, the head of the regional meteorological service,
Boris Kubai, told a news conference on Wednesday.
Kubai said that right after a massive quake and tsunami in Japan and
the developments at the Fukushima nuclear power plant damaged by the
quake, the regional meteorological service began measuring radiation
levels hourly.
"Knowing characteristics of atmosphere circulation in the Far East and
in the area of Japan, we can say that the possibility that a radioactive
cloud could reach Primorye is very small," he noted.
A slight possibility of that can appear only in August, when a typhoon
approaches from the south or an active southern cyclone goes over the Sea
of Japan or over Japan. But even then the possibility of radioactive
substances getting into the region is extremely small, he said.
The head of the meteorological service noted that regional
meteorologists are fully ready to actively monitor radiation levels,
analyse the received information and make forecasts.
Starting from March 11, 32 meteorological stations situated in the
region have been monitoring the situation hourly. The radiation background
has been normal since then. On Wednesday the radiation background remains
within seven to 16 microRoentgen, while the norm for Primorye is 30
microRoentgen. According to weathermen, air masses will be arriving in the
region from China throughout this week.