Litvinenko Post-Mortem 'Most Dangerous Ever'

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A pathologist has described Alexander Litvinenko's post-mortem as one of the most dangerous examinations ever undertaken in the western world.

Dr Benjamin Swift said the former Russian agent's body represented a considerable contamination hazard to the hospital where the examination was carried out after he was poisoned by polonium-210 in November 2006.

Those involved in the examination wore two white safety suits, protective gloves taped at the sleeves and specialised hoods, into which air was piped through a filter.

Giving evidence to the public inquiry into Mr Litvinenko's death, Dr Swift said: "It was probably the most dangerous post-mortem that's ever been conducted."

Fellow pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary said that Mr Litvinenko, who lost all his hair before his death, showed signs of multi-organ failure as a result of acute radiation poisoning.

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Gallery: Police Photo Evidence From Litvinenko Inquiry

A graphic showing the levels of contamination in the bathroom of room 848 at the Sheraton hotel in London's Park Lane where Andrei Lugovoi, one of the men suspected of killing Mr Litvinenko, stayed just days before he was poisoned

A photograph of the bathroom

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Mr Lugovoi's bedroom at the Sheraton

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The teapot from the Millennium Hotel which was allegedly used to poison Mr Litvinenko when he met two Russian men in 2006 - it has been illustrated to show levels of ionising radiation, measured in counts per second (CPS), with the highest levels coloured purple

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A police photograph of the same teapot, with a scale rule next to it

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"It appears Mr Litvinenko ingested a large quantity of polonium-210 largely if not wholly by oral ingestion, rather than by inhalation," he said.

"The calculated amount absorbed was in far excess of known survivability limits."

Asked if there was anything in Mr Litvinenko's clinical history inconsistent with acute radiation syndrome, Dr Cary said: "No. In effect, the polonium-210 detected is the smoking gun in the case. It shows you what happened."

Two men - former KGB bodyguard turned politician Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun - were named as the main suspects in 2007. Both deny any involvement and remain in Russia.

Ben Emmerson QC, representing Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina, told the inquiry that Mr Lugovoi gave a television interview to the Echo of Moscow on Tuesday night in response to the opening day of proceedings.

In the interview he claims the proceedings were resurrected after being suspended due to the exclusion of secret material, in response to the Ukrainian conflict.

Reading a translation of Mr Lugovoi's interview, Mr Emmerson said: "When the situation in Ukraine kicked off and the UK geographical interest... they had decided to dust off the moth balls and commence proceedings."

Mr Lugovoi said he "couldn't care less about what's happening" in Britain in response to the start of the inquiry, Mr Emmerson added.

Images released as part of the inquiry have laid bare the high levels of radiation found in the hotel rooms of the suspected killers.

On Wednesday the inquiry was shown a graphic of a bathroom at the Sheraton Hotel in Park Lane, London, where Mr Lugavoi stayed between 28 and 28 October, 2006 - just days before Mr Litvinenko fell ill.

The images also reveal "very high" radiation in the locations where the suspects met Mr Litvinenko, including on the teapot which was allegedly used to poison him in London's Millennium Hotel.

The inquiry heard Mr Litvinenko explicitly implicated Russian President Vladimir Putin in his killing in the days leading up to his death.

The controversy generated by Mr Litvinenko's death plunged Anglo-Russian relations to a post-Cold War low.

After ties improved, Britain rejected holding an inquiry in 2013. It had a change of heart last July, although it insisted the crisis in Ukraine was not a factor.

The inquiry continues.

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