Ukraine assured that it had registered an increase in radiation levels from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, one day after the site was captured by Russian forces, due to military activity that caused radioactive dust to rise into the air.
Online data from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Automated Radiation Monitoring System shows that gamma radiation has increased twenty times above usual levels in multiple observation points.
The former plant was seized by Russian forces on Thursday after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office said.
The experts of the Ukrainian state nuclear agency did not provide the exact levels of radiation , but said the change was due to the movement of heavy military equipment in the area that kicked up radioactive dust into the air. .
“Radiation starts to increase. At the moment it is not critical for Kiev, but we are keeping an eye on it,” the Interior Ministry said.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said on Friday that the plant’s critical infrastructure has not suffered damage and that essential maintenance work was in progress.
The site of the nuclear disaster of 1986, still radioactive, is about 100 kilometers from Kiev.
In Poland there is no increase in radiation
Ukraine’s neighbor Poland said it had not recorded any increase in radiation levels on its territory.
The independent nuclear watchdog CRIIRAD, based in France said in a statement on Friday that it was trying to verify and contrast the information in its laboratory.
“If the recorded dose rates correspond to real values, the situation is extremely worrying,” he said. the CRIIRAD, adding that it is necessary to continue investigating to interpret the data.
Soil resuspension due to military activities, or damage to nuclear facilities, either waste storage or structure of containment, could be one of the reasons for the increase in radia levels activity, said CRIIRAD spokesman Bruno Chareyron.
Another possibility is that the readings are inaccurate as a result of interference from cyberattacks, he said.
High risk in Chernobyl
The area has many high-risk facilities, including those for the processing and storage of radioactive waste, most of which are not safe, said CRIIRAD.
Other reactors Ukraine also pose a security risk in the event of an accident, said the watchdog. Although it is possible to reduce the potential risk by shutting down the reactors, Ukraine relies on nuclear power for more than 50 % of your electricity supply, said.
With information from DW.
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· Russian forces advance towards nuclear plant in Chernobyl; Ukrainian authorities fear radioactive cloud
· The Atomic Energy Agency ensures that increased radiation in Chernobyl “does not pose a danger to the public”
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