Harmful levels of radioactivity were found at beaches located near the coastal town of Chernomorets in Bulgaria. The announcement, made by Bulgarian authorities on Sept. 2, confirms previous warnings.
“There are places with higher content of natural radionuclide in the sand, which can cause health damage when entering into the human body through the digestive or the respiratory systems,” the Burgas regional Gov. Konstantin Grebenarov told The Epoch Times.
Chernomorets lies between Burgas and Sozopol, and is a popular holiday resort. A former ban was placed on public use of the beaches, after the regional governor received notice of safety risks from the Ministry of Environment and Water.
The move triggered large-scale protests from hotel and land owners in the bay region, the Bulgarian Sofia News Agency reported. After the protests, the Ministry of Environment and Waters investigated further, which led to the latest findings.
It was discovered that contamination came from a closed copper mine nearby that operated between 1954 and 1977.
According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water, the “uranium-bearing waste from the copper mine, Rosen, was dumped into the Black Sea” resulting in contamination of the Bay of Vromos.
Over time, the sand on the beaches mixed with the underlying sediment washed up by the waves, and has led to radiation levels that are two times higher than levels deemed safe by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to authorities, contamination is limited to the sand, and the water is not affected.
“There are places with higher content of natural radionuclide in the sand, which can cause health damage when entering into the human body through the digestive or the respiratory systems,” the Burgas regional Gov. Konstantin Grebenarov told The Epoch Times.
Chernomorets lies between Burgas and Sozopol, and is a popular holiday resort. A former ban was placed on public use of the beaches, after the regional governor received notice of safety risks from the Ministry of Environment and Water.
The move triggered large-scale protests from hotel and land owners in the bay region, the Bulgarian Sofia News Agency reported. After the protests, the Ministry of Environment and Waters investigated further, which led to the latest findings.
It was discovered that contamination came from a closed copper mine nearby that operated between 1954 and 1977.
According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water, the “uranium-bearing waste from the copper mine, Rosen, was dumped into the Black Sea” resulting in contamination of the Bay of Vromos.
Over time, the sand on the beaches mixed with the underlying sediment washed up by the waves, and has led to radiation levels that are two times higher than levels deemed safe by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to authorities, contamination is limited to the sand, and the water is not affected.
