Article: Russians Debate Severity Of Nuke Plant Accident

MOSCOW In a dispute underscoring the disarray in Russia's nuclear industry, officials argued Thursday over the seriousness of a fire at an accident-prone nuclear processing plant.

The fire at the Mayak plant released radioactive gases into the atmosphere Wednesday.

"It was a very unpleasant and grave incident, which, according to the preliminary reports, can be qualified as level three" on a seven-step international scale, said Yuri Rogozhin, a spokesman for the regulatory agency Gosatomnadzor.

Officials at the Mayak plant and at the Nuclear Power Ministry, which runs it, insisted there was no serious contamination or worker exposure.

"The incident was a minor one, and it's totally ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!