Russian consumer protection service enhances safety control of Black Sea fish, seafood

MOSCOW. Jan 16 (Interfax) - The Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) will expand the laboratory network on the Black Sea coast for enhanced safety control of harvested fish and seafood for potentially dangerous substances, including petroleum products, the service told the press.

"Seeking to control the safety of fish and seafood harvested in the Black Sea, Rospotrebnadzor enhances control for potentially dangerous substances, including petroleum products. All measures necessary are being taken to protect public health and to deliver only safe fish products to the tables of Russian citizens," the service said.

A hundred and two tests have been made to date, it said.

The laboratory network will be expanded in the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea to intensify monitoring, environmental control and provision of seafood safety, the service said, adding that its enhanced laboratories in Anapa and Yalta would be involved in the process.

The service is conducting daily environmental control at laboratories, including the monitoring of air quality in residential and cleanup areas, water from drinking water intakes and mains, field kitchen products and accommodations of volunteers mitigating the emergency. Living conditions of volunteers are also checked up, it said. In total, 937 tests of drinking water, and 3,254 tests of air, including 617 in the area of enterprises decontaminating the polluted soil have been made to date.

Sand is tested after being cleaned up from petroleum products, the service said.

"Samples of seawater, air, beach sand, and soil are taken for testing for the possible impact on public health," it said.

Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 tankers carrying fuel oil wrecked in the Kerch Strait on December 15, causing a fuel spill. Four petroleum product tanks were damaged in the wrecks, and about 2,400 tonnes of fuel oil spilled into the sea, the Russian Transport Ministry said.

The Krasnodar Territory, Crimea and Sevastopol declared a regional emergency, and a federal emergency is also in effect.