Russia says mysterious yellow snow not toxic
Fri Feb 2, 2007 4:10 PM ET
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Mysterious yellow snow that fell on parts of Siberia earlier this week is not toxic, Russian emergency officials said on Friday.
The emergency ministry has flown a chemical laboratory to the Omsk region in Siberia to investigate the matter.
"Yellow snow that fell on Omsk region two days ago poses no threat to people's health," Vladimir Gurzhei, a regional emergency official, told Interfax news agency. He said the snow was "yellow, with oily marks and a distinctive smell."
Omsk region is home to a number of oil and gas refineries. Domestic media debated what might have caused the anomaly.
Russia's weather watchdog said it may have been caused by a rare dust hurricane in neighboring Kazakhstan.
Alexei Yablokov of the Russian Academy of Science told Ekho Mosvky radio station it may have been polluted by a chemical accident in Siberia.
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