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 20 July 2008 18:17 BST

Two new po-210 poisoning cases revealed

Wednesday, 03 Jan 2007 20:11
Alexander Litvinenko's death was the first known fatality from po-210 poisoning
Two new cases of radiation poisoning have been discovered following the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed today.

Mr Litvinenko's death on November 23rd from radiation poisoning sparked a public health scare as traces of the dangerous element polonium-210 (po-210) responsible for his death were found at a number of locations in London.

The discovery of two new cases nearly three months after the initial poisoning took place brings the number of people who have been exposed to low levels of po-210 to 12.

One of the new cases was present in the Pine Bar at the Millennium Hotel on Grosvenor Square in London on November 1st, the night Mr Litvinenko is believed to have been poisoned.

The case of the other person, who worked at the Best Western Hotel on Piccadilly, was "related to two rooms which were sealed off to the public as part of the police investigation", the HPA said in a statement on its website.

"We have monitored many locations identified by the police to assess whether there is any public health risk. Our investigations have confirmed there is no public health concern in the open public areas. On the basis of the monitoring results received so far show that the risk to the general public of having been exposed to po-210 is likely to be very low," the HPA emphasised.

Police continue to treat the mysterious circumstances surrounding Mr Litvinenko's death as a murder investigation.End of story


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