Radiation incident in Russia (2024)
On April 5, 2024, a state of emergency was declared in Khabarovsk, a city in Russia's Far East bordering China with a population of 630,000. Elevated radiation levels were detected near a power pylon approximately 2.5 kilometers from residential buildings. The source of radiation was discovered to be a radioactive caesium capsule.
Discovery and response
On March 28, a potential radiation source was discovered at a power pylon 2.5 kilometers away from residential buildings in the industrial district of Khabarovsk. A resident alerted emergency services, however they only arrived on April 4. A Russian radiation control group ECHO arrived on April 3. They reported to Novaya Gazeta: "The citizen who discovered the radiation was simply passing by. I went out to look and found such an interesting “find” near the power line. Initially, the resident reported to the Ministry of Emergency Situations; they sent requests for several days. We, volunteers, visited the site on April 3." The volunteers detected a maximum radioactivity level of 800 microsieverts, a rate 1600 time higher than the background rate of 0.5 microsieverts. Footage also emerged on social media of a man wearing protective equipment carrying a radiation meter saying the radiation increases as he approaches a waste dump.[1][2][3]
A state of emergency was declared on April 5 by the city's authorities, and a 900 square meter area around the source was cordoned off.[2] The state of emergency was declared to allow specialists to work faster, according to the city's head of civil defence Andrey Kolchin.[1] Initial reports indicated that no injuries or radiation exposure had occurred among the residents,[4] and residents were reassured by authorities there was no health risk.[1] The radiation spike was only recorded in the near vicinity of the source, and no excess radiation was recorded outside the exclusion zone.
The radiation source was revealed to be a radioactive caesium capsule from a detector. After its removal, authorities said the capsule was subject to further investigation.[2]
The state of emergency was lifted on April 8.[2]
Environmental impact
After the radiation source was located, it was sealed in a protective container to be transported to a nuclear waste storage facility. Officials said there was no environmental pollution.[1][5]
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