UK News
British health agency says 120 people show traces of polonium-210
Jan 11, 2007, 19:06 GMT
London - The health authorities in Britain said Thursday that 120 people have so far tested positive for traces of the deadly substance polonium-210 in connection with the radioactive poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko last November.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said it examined urine samples from 596 people in Britain who they feared might have been contaminated by being at locations visited by Litvinenko.
Of those, 120 tested positive but only 13 were deemed to have any type of risk to their health, the HPA said. Litvinenko's widow, Marina, is among those who have tested positive.
The agency described the levels found as not significant enough to result in any short-term illness and said any increased risk in the long term was likely to be 'very small.'
Professor Pat Troop, chief executive of the agency, said tests were still being carried out on a number of foreign nationals who may also show signs of contamination.
The HPA was working with 48 different countries and had identified 450 people who may have been affected worldwide.
Litvinenko, who died in a London hospital on November 23, visited a number of venues in central London on the day that he fell ill after meeting Russian contacts and an Italian security expert on November 1 last year.
Among those checked were staff at a number of hotels and restaurants in the British capital. Altogether 60 locations were investigated.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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