MOSCOW, February 4 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian Ministry of the Environment has not found dangerous leakages at the chemical weapon disposal plant in Gorny, Saratov region.

“It was established during the inspection that there are no such dangerous toxic substances as yperite, monoethanolamin, and lewisite in the ponds, and in their content in the atmosphere does not exceed half of the maximum permissible concentration,” the ministry told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

No hazardous substances were found in the underground water either. The condition of the flora and fauna in the area around the plant is normal and “has not changed since 2002”, the ministry said.

Ecological monitoring in the area was conducted by two laboratories accredited by the State Committee for Standardisation. The monitoring was conducted on the plant’s grounds and in the residential areas.

About 3 percent (1,160 tonnes) of Russia’s 40,000 tonnes of chemical weapons are stored at Gorny. At the end of last year, the plant destroyed all stocks of yperite and began scrapping lewisite. The plant hopes to finish the process before 2005. Russia has to destroy all of its chemical weapons by 2012.