Detection of Highly Radioactive Isotopes in Russia

The Russian Meteorological Service announced on Tuesday that radioactive isotopes with contamination levels a thousand times higher than normal have been measured in the Ural Mountains. This is the first official information confirming the possibility of a nuclear accident released by Russia. According to Reuters, the French Nuclear Safety Institute stated in mid-November that the spread of radioactive contamination clouds over Europe indicates that an accident occurred at a nuclear facility in Russia or Kazakhstan in late summer. However, neither Russia nor Kazakhstan confirmed the occurrence of an accident until Tuesday, November 30, when the Russian Meteorological Service stated that two weather stations in the Ural Mountains detected 'severe contamination' of Ruthenium 106 about two months ago. At the Agraiyash weather station, the level of radioactive isotopes in the air was 986 times higher than the previous month, and at the Novogorny weather station, it was 440 times higher. The Russian Meteorological Service did not rule out the possibility that these isotopes may have spread into the atmosphere and reached Europe. The Agraiyash weather station is located 30 kilometers from the Mayak nuclear facility, which produces radioactive materials for industrial and research purposes by recycling nuclear fuel. This facility belongs to Rosatom, the state-owned nuclear production company of Russia, and produces about half of Russia's exported radioactive isotopes. The Mayak nuclear facility denied in a statement that its activities were the cause of the release of Ruthenium 106. The Russian state news agency also reported, citing Rosatom, that no accidents had occurred at any of the company's facilities that could explain the release of Ruthenium 106 into the air. Reuters adds that Greenpeace stated on Tuesday that it would ask the Russian prosecutor's office to investigate the possibility of an accident in the area. This environmental group stated in part of its statement: 'We want an investigation into the pollution control systems and equipment to determine whether they are prepared for potential accidents and whether the health of the people is adequately protected against the potential release of Ruthenium 106 into the region's atmosphere.' The French Nuclear Safety Institute has ruled out the possibility of an accident at the nuclear facility and stated that this substance likely originated from nuclear fuel recycling facilities or centers producing radioactive materials for medical purposes. The institute added that the level of this radioactive contamination is not significant enough to impact human health or the environment. The Kazakhstan Institute of Nuclear Physics, located near the Ural region of Russia, stated that no accidents had occurred at its research reactor, and Ruthenium 106 was not found in two areas where nuclear tests were previously conducted in the west of the country.