The investigation into Alexander Litvinenko’s has gone incredibly quiet of late. The British side of the investigation was continued as prosecutors went back to police and asked for more details. One of the very few interesting details to come out is the number of people who ‘came in contact’ with the deadly element Polonium 210. Po-21 is a naturally occurring element so people come into contact with it all the time. But the UK Health Protection Agency has recently made an interesting reference to the groups of people they have identified as at risk and their exposure levels:

The Health Protection Agency has tested more than 700 people. Results showed 85 had raised levels of Polonium 210, and a further 52, including Mr Atkins, had had direct contact with the deadly substance. Of those, 17 now have an increased risk to their long-term health.

Emphasis mine. It is clear the HPA is making reference to the material that killed Litvinenko – not to Po-210 in general since clearly everyone has had some exposure who test positively. This story is one I discussed before, where the claim this man drank from the same cup as Litvinenko is fairly weak. The bar staff, as noted in the story, was exposed to higher levels and it is clear that came from the dishwasher. So was the man’s cup contaminated? Most likely yes since he drank his coffee right after Litvinenko was there. But it could have come from the washing of the tea cup and pot and the spread of the radiating material that way.

The other big turn of events is the fact the Russians are in London and seem ready to start questioning people and investigating the myriad of lcoations the Po-210 has shown up.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case, said Russian investigators would likely be accompanied by British detectives as they conduct inquiries in London.

Russian officials have been eager to visit several sites and question about 100 people, including the exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky.

…

No additional interviews by British investigators in Russia were expected.

That last line caught me by surprise. Is it because Russia is blocking access to Kovtun and Lugovoi (the latter being a long time Berezovsky ally and around whom a trail of meetings with Litvinenko and Po-210 swirls)? Or does the UK have access to cooperating witnesses in Russia and a visit is not necessary? Up until now there was a clamor to return and question the two, but now the interest seems to have faded. It will be interesting to see how this next stage pans out.