European officials began detecting high levels of Ruthenium-106 near France in September.
Reports have circulated that the radioactive isotopes are from Russia, but they are denying knowing of any such accident that caused the harmful cloud.
The French Nuclear Safety Agency (IRSN) director Jean-Christophe Gabriel explained “It’s somewhere in South Russia,” following the tracing of the cloud’s origins to a region between Volga River and the Ural Mountains.
“Several nuclear facilities exist in the region, including a problematic plant that blew up in 1957. The agency ruled out a meltdown, concluding this week such a catastrophe would have spewed out far more radioactive material than the niche element that covered Europe in the first weeks of October,” reported The Washington Post.
The clouds first detected in France, were then spread from to Austria and then Germany the next day.
“The potential health risk associated with this scenario is also very low,” the IRSN said.
Even though officials say the risk is low, could that actually be true?
Mushrooms and other foodstuffs imported to France have a risk of contamination, which sounds like a risk. Right?
Well, the French government has assured their residents that they are confident they are not going to import any bad mushrooms from Russia. That seems comforting….
The cloud’s mysterious origin still remains unclear, leaving concern for the French.
This is not the first time that an unknown source of radiation reached the borders of Europe. In January, scientists were worried about Iodine-131 that spread over the continent.
Ruthenium is gone altogether, but the questions still remain.
–Kylie Handler is a News Editor for The Horn News