Airborne Radioactive Isotope Sweeps Across Europe

An unusual amount of radioactive isotope ruthenium-106 has been detected in the airspace of Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and France, according to multiple European monitors.

On October 3, the Austrian Ministry of the Environment released a statement saying small amounts of the isotope had been noticed. The amounts apparently do not pose any risk of consequence to human or environmental health.

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health found "traces of ruthenium-106, a radioactive element with a half-life of 373.6 days, in aerosols taken from Cadenazzo, Ticino, between September 25 and October 2, 2017."

The levels of the isotope discovered were 17,000 times lower than "the limit of air emissions set for this radionuclide in the Radiation Protection Ordinance," France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Security (IRSN) quoted the Swiss office...