Some sensors near the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant have detected a sharp increase in gamma radiation, “multiplication by 20, 30 or even nearly 40 depending on the points” says CRIIRAD in a press release. But other sensors show no increase.
The Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity, created in Valencia after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, seeks to find out more about these data. “If these readings are real, that means that there is loss of containment of radioactive material or, in any case, a completely abnormal situation from the point of view of radioactivity” underlines Bruno Chareyron, the director of the laboratory, “but we also have to be careful: are these measurements on sensors that no longer work correctly? Are the results manipulated by a cyberattack? Why not.”
CRIIRAD is working to cross-check information
The laboratory is therefore trying to deepen this data, explains Bruno Chareyron: “we are examining the results of radiation measurements in the ambient air available on a number of official and unofficial sites in Ukraine and in the surrounding countries. We correlate this with the direction of the winds. We are looking for contacts on the spot, inhabitants or institutions. It’s a job that takes time, it’s not instantaneous but by cross-checking all that, we try to understand what exactly is going on.”
The instability around this site is in any case worrying continues the director of the laboratory: “From the moment this zone is no longer under the control of the Ukrainian government, will safety be able to be maintained? In Chernobyl, there are highly radioactive irradiated fuels that must be permanently cooled in a spent fuel pool. Will the occupant be able to maintain the electricity, the know-how to ensure this cooling? If this is not guaranteed, we can go towards catastrophic situations.”
The CRIIRAD has a service which usually monitors the measurement beacons installed in the Rhône Valley, and is also interested in worrying situations abroad. This service has a 24-hour on-call team who will remain vigilant on the situation in Ukraine this weekend and beyond if necessary.