the kola peninsula as a whole suffered major ecological damage, mostly as a result of pollution from the military (particularly naval) production, industrial mining of apatite, and military nuclear waste. about 137 active and 140 decommissioned or idle naval nuclear reactors, produced by the soviet military, remain on the peninsula. for thirty years, nuclear waste had been dumped into the sea by the northern fleet and murmansk shipping company. there is also evidence of contamination from the 1986 chernobyl disaster, with contaminants being found in the flesh of reindeer and other animals, and from the 1972 and 1984 controlled nuclear explosions northwest of kirovsk. additionally, several nuclear weapons test ranges and radioactive waste storage facilities exist on the peninsula.