Radioactive substances appear in Europe

Officials in some European countries have reported that they have detected a radioactive isotope in the air but have not found a source.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Czech authorities reported that radioactive iodine-131 isotope in the Czech atmosphere in the past two weeks, AFP said.

'The IAEA received reports of iodine-131 radioisotopes appearing in many other places in Europe. We believe that the concentration of iodine-131 is very low, so it does not pose any risk to human health. The accident at Japan's Fukushima I nuclear power plant is not the cause of this phenomenon , 'the IAEA said.

Radioactive iodine-131 isotope was detected in
atmosphere in the Czech Republic in the past two weeks. (Photo: austinlehman.com)

The Czech Nuclear Safety Agency has confirmed that the source of iodine-131 is outside its territory and that it is not the result of an accident at a nuclear power plant.

"We do not know the source of the radioactivity now , " the Czech Nuclear Safety Agency announced.

Dana Drabova, head of the Czech Nuclear Safety Agency, told the CTK news agency that there were no incidents at two Czech nuclear power plants.

'We detected iodine-131 in the air in Poland during tests from October 17 to 24,' Stanislaw Latek, spokesman for the Polish Atomic Energy Agency, told AFP.

Ukrainian authorities discovered iodine-131 during measurements from 10 to 20 October. Slovakia and Austria also confirmed 'very small amounts' of iodine-131 existed in the air.

On October 19, Pakistani officials announced radioactive leaks at a nuclear power plant in Karachi. A spokesman for the Polish National Atomic Energy Agency said the news had not been verified.

Iodine-131 is one of 37 iodine isotopes. With a cycle of 8.0207 days, it is used in the treatment of cancer and thyroid-related diseases.