CBRN event in Voronezh, Voronezh area, Russian Federation on Thu 12th March 2015

On March 12, 2015, construction workers discovered a concrete tube buried in the ground in Voronezh at the site of the former factory "Comintern." Inside the tube, they found two lead tanks, one of which measured 15 x 15 centimeters. Knowing that this was the method by which radioactive waste is often disposed, the construction workers called representatives from the Ministry of Emergencies and the Federal Service for the Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare to measure the gamma radiation, which was 40 times the background level. The Ministry speculates that material inside the containers was used to x-ray welds of metal structures. The containers were handed over to a company that deals with radioactive waste disposal. Law enforcement are attempting to find out who stored the waste at the plant.