They also didn't know that Mayak workers were dumping nuclear waste into the Techa River, a waterway used by tens of thousands of people for drinking, bathing and watering crops. No one told us why people were dying so young. In the last 10 years, the human fallout due to the Soviet Union's nuclear programs has been well-documented. Some 61 million out of 145 million Russians live in towns with dangerous levels of contamination, according to the state environment committee, an agency recently disbanded by President Vladimir Putin. Still, little money has been given to clean up the land, rehabilitate people or relocate families.
Environmentalists think otherwise.
The international environmental group Greenpeace argues that the proposal creates greater possibility for accidents, especially since the nuclear waste would be transported over vast distances to the Siberian storage sites. Kabirov, who has fought MinAtom for 10 years to secure health records and scientific data for Muslyumovo, believes the motive behind the laws is mainly venal. MinAtom is trying to make a new business for themselves. It seems that at least some lawmakers agree. Even with some support in Moscow, environmentalists say their real hope rests with the decision the government makes on their unprecedented campaign to hold a national referendum on the issue of nuclear waste imports.