Both IRSN and Germany’s radiation protection agency said the source of the emission was in Russia’s southern Urals.
Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy corporation, contradicted these findings, saying there were no traces of ruthenium 106 anywhere apart from at St Petersburg from September 25 and October 7.
But then Russia’s meteorological agency, Roshydromet, published data on November 20 that was consistent with the German and French conclusions.
As soon as it became aware of the first detections of Ruthenium 106 in the atmosphere in Europe, IRSN mobilized all its means of radiological monitoring of the atmosphere and conducted regular analysis of the filters from its monitoring stations. For the period from September 27 to October 13, 2017, only the stations of Seyne-sur-Mer, Nice and Ajaccio revealed the presence of Ruthenium 106 in trace amounts. Since October 13, 2017, Ruthenium 106 is no longer detected in France.
Measurement results from European stations communicated to the Institute since October 3, 2017, have confirmed the presence of Ruthenium 106 in the atmosphere of the majority of European countries. The results obtained for sampling periods later than October 6, 2017, showed a steady decrease in Ruthenium 106 levels, which is currently no longer detected in Europe.
Ruthenium-106 (Ru-106) is used as a radiation source in cancer therapy for the treatment of ocular tumours. Ruthenium can also occur during the reprocessing of nuclear fuel elements. In addition, ruthenium-106 is used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG), which serve for the power supply of satellites.
The report is about a sudden increase in radiation levels detected in the atmosphere near Russia in late August 2019. This was initially reported by the Russian meteorological agency and later confirmed by other international agencies.
The exact cause of the high radiation levels is still unknown. Some experts speculate that it could be due to a nuclear accident or a malfunction at a nuclear power plant. However, further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause.
At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that the radiation near Russia poses a threat to human health. The reported levels were relatively low and did not exceed any safety limits. However, it is important to continue monitoring the situation and take necessary precautions.
According to recent reports, the radiation levels near Russia have returned to normal and are no longer a cause for concern. However, monitoring will continue to ensure that there are no further spikes in radiation levels.
International agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are working with Russian authorities to investigate the cause of the high radiation levels. They are also conducting air and ground measurements to gather more data and determine the extent of the radiation release.