The Norwegian nuclear safety authorities said on Thursday it detected tiny amounts of radioactive iodine in the region bordering Russia in the days following an explosion at a Russian military base. The samples concerned were collected at an air filtration station in Svanhovd, in the north of the country, in the immediate vicinity of the border with Russia, from 9 to 12 August.
On August 10, the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom reported an explosion that killed five people two days earlier on a missile launch base in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia's Far North. "At present, it is not possible to determine if the latest detection of iodine (radioactive) is related to the accident in Arkhangelsk," said the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in a statement . According to her, Norwegian measuring stations detect radioactive iodine six to eight times a year, of which "the source is generally unknown".
The explosion related to the tests of "new armaments"
Immediately after the accident, the Russian Ministry of Defense had excluded radioactive contamination, citing problems that occurred during the testing of a "liquid propellant rocket engine". But the town hall of a town near the base said it had "recorded a brief rise in radioactivity" before withdrawing its publication. The Russian authorities have since acknowledged that the accident was linked to tests of "new weapons".
The rate of radioactivity after the explosion has exceeded up to 16 times the usual rate, according to the Russian meteorological agency, without this rate presents a danger to health. According to Rosguidromet, the levels detected after the accident fell quickly to return to normal in the afternoon.