Airborne radioactivity increase in Europe in autumn 2017
The source is widely suspected to be in Russia; the Russian government, however, denies that any nuclear mishaps occurred that could have caused the radiation spike.
The radioactive isotope detected was ruthenium-106; across Europe, it was found to be in small quantities (from microbecquerels to a few millibecquerels per cubic metre of air), not significant for the health of the population far away from the source.
[citation needed] A later report from the German Federal Radiation Protection Service ruled in the South of the Urals and other potential locations.
[5][10] Roshydromet then issued a report describing a rise in beta activity of aerosols and surfaces at all monitoring posts in South Ural from September 25 to October 1, 2017.
Russia states the published data is not sufficient to establish the air pollution source and government denies it has had any measurements or admissions of any incident.
In December 2017, however, senior Mayak executive Yuri Morkov admitted that ruthenium-106 is routinely released as part of the plant's processing of spent nuclear fuel.
[12] Domestic investigation within Russia is hampered by the problem that Mayak is in the walled-off closed city of Ozyorsk, which non-resident Russians are barred from visiting without special permission, and by government harassment of nuclear critics.
[13] In 2019, a number of European nuclear scientific research groups published "clear evidence" that the leak originated from Southern Urals, where Mayak plant is located.
