Mr Alexander Litvinenko- Health Protection Agency Statement

24 November 2006

The Health Protection Agency can confirm that it is providing expert advice as part of the Metropolitan Police investigations into the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Tests have established that Mr Litvinenko had a significant quantity of the radioactive isotope Polonium-210 (Po-210) in his body. It is not yet clear how this entered his body. Police are investigating this.

Po-210 occurs naturally and is present in the environment and in people at very low concentrations. As it emits alpha particles, Po-210 can represent a radiation hazard if it is taken into the body - by breathing it in, by eating it, or if it gets into a wound. It is not a radiological hazard as long as it remains outside the body.

The Agency is providing radiological protection advice to staff at the two hospitals which treated Mr Litvinenko and specialist monitoring teams will also d etermine whether any radioactive polonium-210 contamination has spread in the hospital areas he was cared for. Other specialist monitoring teams will examine other locations, including Mr Litvinenko's home.

Agency staff will be contacting heath care workers involved in the direct care of Mr Litvinenko, as well as those who may have had very close contact with him when he was ill - including his family. This will involve a simple questionnaire and the provision of a urine sample if appropriate.

Professor Pat Troop , Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency, said:"Normal hygiene and cleanliness practices in hospitals should have reduced the likelihood of any significant intake by NHS staff and others and therefore any radiation hazard.

"Nevertheless it is prudent to monitor as a precaution those people who came into direct and close contact with Mr Litvinenko to ensure there has been no cross contamination - Agency staff are meeting with these people urgently.

"Other people would not be exposed to radiation simply through being near to Mr Litvinenko. There would be a potential radiological hazard to people who could have ingested or breathed in the contaminated body fluids, but this hazard is likely to be restricted to those who have had very close contact with Mr Litvinenko."

 

Latest health advice on Polonium-210

Notes to Editors:

Media enquiries to HPA London press office on 020 7759 2824, or the HPA Colindale press office on 020 8327 7098. If you are calling out of hours please use 020 8200 4400

Last reviewed: 17 December 2007