Radioactive Chinese tableware detained at border

Ust-Kamenogorsk, January 07, 2010 (Khabar) - Customs officers in East Kazakhstan have detained 43 tons of radioactive porcelain tableware at the border. The dangerous consignment was going to Kazakhstan and Russia from China. Three lorries with goods immediately caught customs officers’ attention at the “Bakhty” customs post. The “Yantar” radioactivity detection system went off during the procedure of going through the special equipment. It registered excess background radiation. According to statistics from the Customs Control Department for East Kazakhstan region, 11 similar cases were identified in 2009 alone. Furthermore, apart from tableware, construction materials, fertilizers, spare car parts and even children’s toys have shown high levels of radioactivity.

Berik Kusherbayev, representative of press-service, Customs Control Department for East Kazakhstan region:
- The goods constituted a serious threat to consumers. If they had reached flats, people would have been exposed to radioactivity on a daily basis. If children had eaten and drank from this tableware their immune system would have been severely damaged.