Mysterious radiationSource of mysterious European radiation found

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes a Hungarian factory producing medical isotopes is the source of the mysterious radiation that has been detected across Europe.

Beginning four weeks ago, trace amounts of iodine-131, radiation commonly created during the operation of nuclear reactors or in the detonation of a nuclear weapon, were detected by several countries including Austria and the Czech Republic.

The IAEA was careful to note that the levels of radiation were very low and posed no public health risk, but its source remained unknown.

“If any member of the public were to breathe iodine for a whole year at the levels measured in European countries, then they would receive a dose in the range of 0.01 microsieverts for the year,” the agency said. “To put this into perspective, the average annual background is 2400 microsieverts per year.”

Nuclear officials determined that it could not have been left over from the Japanese nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, as iodine-131 has a short radioactive half-life of eight days. In addition, the Czech Republic’s State Office for Nuclear Safety said it could not have been caused by a meltdown at any of its nuclear plants as that would have released several radioactive isotopes along with iodine-131.

Last Thursday, Hungarian authorities alerted the IAEA that it believed a medical facility near the Budapest Research Reactor was the likely culprit. Officials said a facility run by Institute of Isotopes Ltd (Izotop) may have been steadily leaking trace amounts of iodine-131 beginning on 8 September until 16 November.

The Izotop facility supplies iodine-131 and several other radioactive isotopes for pharmaceutical, scientific and industrial use. In particular, iodine-131 is used to diagnose and treat cancers as well as disorders of the thyroid gland.