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The radiation incident in the fall of 2017: Is Russia really irrelevant?
In the fall of 2017, radiation in the air was detected across Europe in late September, and as October approached, radiation levels attracted global concern. The radioactive isotope detected was rhodium-106, a discovery that sparked widespread speculation about its origin. Many experts believe that the source of this incident is likely to be related to Russia, but the Russian government stated that there was no report of any nuclear accident.
Through the Environmental Monitoring Network, scientists have noticed that starting from September 25, 2017, the Swiss Public Health Office reported that the number of radioactive particles of rhodium-106 has gradually increased.
Detection of radiation
As data from surveillance networks revealed radiation emanating from Eastern Europe, the scientific community began a detailed investigation into the incident. France's Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Agency (IRSN) explained that although it has no impact on the health of most European people, the amount of radiation released is noteworthy, with estimates ranging from 100 to 300TBq. Even at these levels of radiation, there is still a potential health risk to any person or resident within several kilometers of the source.
The Swiss Public Health Office reported in early October that rhodium-106 radioactivity levels gradually decreased after October 6, and that no radioactive components were detected since October 13.
Possible sources
The release of rhodium-106 is often associated with the reprocessing of nuclear fuel, however the rate at which the metal is produced in nuclear fission reactions makes it critical during nuclear fuel processing. Early reports did not provide specific information on the source of the detected radioactive particles. They only used estimates by German authorities that they may have originated from the east, more than 1,000 kilometers away from Germany.
The French IRSN speculated that the source may be some kind of facility in the southern Ural Mountains or near the Volga River, but the final result was determined to be related to Russia.
Russia’s statement and reaction
Russia acknowledged for the first time that it had recorded spikes in radiation at some monitoring facilities, but said it lacked sufficient data to determine the source of the air pollution. Although Russia denied any accident, a subsequent senior official acknowledged that rhodium-106 may have been released during processing in response to comments on radiation concerns. While he described the release as "trivial", confidence in the release has waned.
On November 21, 2017, Russian authorities once again confirmed that two monitoring stations near Mayak had recorded radiation spikes, but the investigation into the source of the release has not yet determined the specific situation.
Opening of international investigation
The Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences established an international committee to investigate the incident. As the investigation deepened, the French IRSN finally concluded that the most likely source of its contamination was a nuclear fuel processing facility located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. The investigation revealed that the facility may have accidentally released radiation while trying to provide a certain isotope for European science programs.
In 2019, multiple European nuclear research groups published "clear evidence" that the leak originated from the Mayak plant in the Southern Urals.
Conclusion
Although Russia has expressed doubts about the data on the incident and continues to deny that there are problems with its nuclear facilities, facts indicate that the truth about the radiation incident has still not been fully revealed. Faced with so many doubts and opaque information, this makes people think, is it necessary to carry out more in-depth supervision and transparency requirements for the nuclear energy industry?
