The first signals about the traces of radioactive substances were given by Finland’s nuclear security services, Norway and Sweden – he writes on his BBC website.
On Friday, information about a higher than usual level of isotopes in the atmosphere also confirmed the Organization of the Treaty on the Total Prohibition of Nuclear Tests (CTBTO). Its executive secretary Lassina Zerbo posted on Twitter a brief information with a map, which shows that the issue covered virtually all of Scandinavia and the Baltic States. The particles were to appear in the air over Scandinavia from June 22-23, Zerbo said.
According to the Dutch Institute of Health and the Environment, the source of increased radiation could have been a fuel leak caused by a failure in one of the nuclear power plants located in the north of Russia. This is indicated by mathematical models – underlined. However, the Institute refused to provide the exact location.
According to the statement issued on Sunday by Rosenergoatom at the two nuclear power plants that are closest to the Scandinavian Peninsula – the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant and located in the Murmansk Oblast of the Kolsko Nuclear Power Plant – “there was no leakage, and both gyms are operating in the normal mode.” The statement emphasized that “no complaints or complaints regarding the functioning of the equipment in both power plants have reached Rosenergoatom”.
Information on the release of cesium-134, cesium-137 and ruthenium-103 isotopes into the atmosphere has caused concern in the Baltic States. The presence of trace amounts of radioactive isotopes of cesium, cobalt and ruthenium over Estonia was confirmed on Friday by the nuclear safety department at the country’s public health ministry.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Estonia Urmas Reinsalu held consultations with the heads of diplomacy of Finland, Lithuania and Latvia on Sunday, said the Estonian newspaper Postimees. The daily quoted the minister’s words: “Although the level of presence of these isotopes does not pose any threat to human life, it is in the interest of our country and in the interest of international security to determine the dynamics of the phenomenon, which undoubtedly has its source in human activity.”
According to the BBC, a possible source of isotope emissions may be nuclear waste that Russia has stored in the Far North, including unused ships. Recently, attempts have been made to liquidate them partially, which could have caused a leak.
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