Science & Technology

Mystery surrounds Europe radiation spike

By T.K. Randall
February 21, 2017

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) While the radiation levels were nowhere near high enough to be worrisome, the detection of radioactive Iodine-131 bloom over the continent had left authorities scratching their heads.

The radiation was first picked up along the border between Norway and Russia and was later detected over several other European countries including France and Finland.

Little was said about the phenomenon at the time and radiation levels have since returned to normal, but as things stand the origin of the radiation spike continues to remain a mystery."It was rough weather in the period when the measurements were made, so we can't trace the release back to a particular location," said Astrid Liland of the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. "Measurements from several places might indicate it comes from Eastern Europe."

While some conspiracy theorists have suggested that the radiation may have come from some sort of nuclear test, the most likely explanation is that it came from a pharmaceutical factory leak.

"Since only Iodine-131 was measured, and no other radioactive substances, we think it originates from a pharmaceutical company producing radioactive drugs," said Liland.

Source: Science Alert

Tags: Radiation, Europe