Mystery Radiation Detected 'Across Europe' (xpost from LBN)

[bananas]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x5057009

Mystery Radiation Detected 'Across Europe'
Source: ABC News

The hunt is on for the source of low level radiation detected in the atmosphere "across Europe" over the past several days, nuclear officials said today.

Trace amounts of iodine-131, a type of radiation created during the operation of nuclear reactors or in the detonation of a nuclear weapon, were detected by the Czech Republic's State Office for Nuclear Safety starting two weeks ago. After the group reported its findings to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Agency released a statement today revealing similar detections had been made
"in other locations across Europe."

The IAEA said the current levels of iodine-131 are not high enough to warrant a public health risk, but the agency still does not know the origin of the apparent leak and an official with the agency would not say where exactly it has been detected outside the Czech Republic.

The IAEA said it does not believe the radiation was left over from the nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in March and the Czech Republic's State Office for Nuclear Safety could only say the source was "likely outside the territory of the Republic."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/mystery-radiation-detected-across-europe-152226180.html

[MADem]

1. Underground weapons test? Aliens? nt

[FBaggins]

2. Where are the irrational leaps to wildly unsupported conclusions?

Fukushima!

Recriticality!

Another nuclear accident covered up by complicit governments!

[bananas]

3. Note that this has been going on for at least two weeks

At least one person in the LBN thread missed the fact that this has been going on for at least two weeks:

detected by the Czech Republic's State Office for Nuclear Safety starting two weeks ago. After the group reported its findings to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Agency released a statement today revealing similar detections had been made "in other locations across Europe."

The article doesn't indicate if other stations had detected it earlier than two weeks ago,
it just says that IAEA released a statement after the Czechs reported it.

[Warpy]

4. We know the concrete containment sarcophagus at Chernobyl is failing

so I strongly suggest any investigation start there, then broaden it to any reactors in that part of the world.

[caraher]

5. I-131 has an 8-day half life

Chernobyl is a very unlikely source.

[Warpy]

9. Depends on weather patterns

Really.

[FBaggins]

12. Nope. It really doesn't.

Weather patterns have nothing to do with the fact that there isn't any radioiodine left at Chernobyl.

There needs to be a relatively recent nuclear reaction involved.

[FBaggins]

11. Deleted.

replied to wrong post

[FBaggins]

6. Radioiodine does not exclusively come from reactor accidents (or weapons testing)

It's also produced intentionally for medical treatments.

[bananas]

7. Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency: "unconfirmed reports" of incident in Pakistan

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hpy3bIs158xIF3jQV6Z0EvCXxghg?docId=CNG.af9bf1282db3c9d34412aa1ada59f782.231

<snip>

According to a spokesman from Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency there were also "unconfirmed reports" about a possible incident at a nuclear power station in Pakistan.

<snip>

Via http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=3611267

[Warpy]

10. Interesting, but a little long for I-131 to travel intact

unless the winds are really howling from the east.

[bananas]

8. self delete - wrong thread. nt