Читать книгу Industrial and Medical Nuclear Accidents - Jean-Claude Amiard - Страница 47

The IRSN [IRS 17c], as well as several Western European networks, have detected high concentrations of ruthenium 106 in the air. In France, the maximum concentration was measured in Nice between October 2 and 9, 2017 (46 μBq.m⁻³). By reverse modeling, the IRSN estimated that the accident site was located between the Volga and the Urals rivers and the date was the last week of September 2017. The quantity released was significant, in the range of 100–300 TBq. With ¹⁰⁶Ru being an artificial fission product, three accidental sources are possible: first, leakage came from a spent fuel reprocessing plant; second, leakage came from a ruthenium-based radioactive source manufacturing plant; third, it could even be from the possible fall of a satellite powered by a nuclear reactor based on this radionuclide. With the final hypothesis being refuted by the IAEA, one of the other two possibilities is the most likely. The accident site is close to the Mayak complex, where the Kyshtym military accident occurred [AMI 19].