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| Radiation 'found at 12 locations' | Radiation 'found at 12 locations' |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| UK experts probing the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have found traces of radioactivity at 12 locations, the home secretary has said. | UK experts probing the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have found traces of radioactivity at 12 locations, the home secretary has said. |
| John Reid told Parliament that a fourth aircraft at Heathrow airport was also the subject of the probe. | John Reid told Parliament that a fourth aircraft at Heathrow airport was also the subject of the probe. |
| Radioactive traces have been found on two planes and a third is awaiting checks. British Airways is contacting 33,000 passengers from some 21 flights. | Radioactive traces have been found on two planes and a third is awaiting checks. British Airways is contacting 33,000 passengers from some 21 flights. |
| But Mr Reid stressed that the health risk to the public was low. | But Mr Reid stressed that the health risk to the public was low. |
| Mr Litvinenko, an ex-KGB agent and a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died last week of radiation poisoning. | Mr Litvinenko, an ex-KGB agent and a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died last week of radiation poisoning. |
| Traces of radioactive polonium-210 were discovered in his body and more traces of the substance have been found at venues he visited in the capital on 1 November. | Traces of radioactive polonium-210 were discovered in his body and more traces of the substance have been found at venues he visited in the capital on 1 November. |
| 'Five planes' | |
| "To date, around 24 venues have or are being monitored and experts have confirmed traces of contamination at around 12 of these venues," Mr Reid said. More locations could be screened, he said. | |
| Of those members of the public who were concerned about potential exposure to radiation, 69 had been referred to the Health Protection Agency as a precaution, he said. | Of those members of the public who were concerned about potential exposure to radiation, 69 had been referred to the Health Protection Agency as a precaution, he said. |
| Of these, 18 had been referred to a specialist clinic, but urine tests on 29 people had not shown any evidence of contamination. | Of these, 18 had been referred to a specialist clinic, but urine tests on 29 people had not shown any evidence of contamination. |
| Mr Reid said that health officials believed that radioactive traces found on one of two British Airways planes which have shown contamination pose "no residual public health risk". Checks are continuing on the second. | |
| A third plane remains on the ground on Moscow, pending checks. "BA has decided not to return it to London until the position is clearer," Mr Reid said. | |
| Officials were also interested in a fourth plane - a Boeing 737 leased to a Russian private carrier, Transaero, which landed at Heathrow airport this morning. A fifth Russian plane was also said to be of interest. | |
| "There may be other aeroplanes of which we don't at this stage know, but those are the five that we know of," he said. |