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Radioactive substance in BA planes

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: The health scare sparked by the death of the former KGB spy, Alexander Litvenenko, from suspected radiation poisoning here last week spread dramatically on Thursday after traces of a radioactive material were found on two British Airways planes at Heathrow airport, and at another one of its planes in Moscow.

The planes have been grounded and the airline said it was trying to contact more than 30,000 passengers who travelled on its 221 European flights since October 25. These include its London-Moscow flights.

Though BA said that the risk to public health was low, it asked passengers to contact the National Health Service or its own special helpline number if they travelled on the affected flights. It published details of the flights on its website.

BA's chief executive Willie Walsh said: "I am advised that the health risk is actually very low. We've identified all 221 flights that have been operated by the three aircraft since 25 October and those flights are on our website. I would advise passengers with any concerns to check on the website first to see if they were on one of the flights involved and then contact NHS Direct or contact their local doctor."

A team of British experts was preparing to fly to Moscow to test the affected plane.

Traces of polonium 210, which is suspected to have killed Litvenenko, have also been found in several places in London which he apparently visited before he fell sick. These include two hotels, a restaurant and the offices of the controversial Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, a former employer and close ally of Litvenenko in the latter's campaign against the Russian Government.

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