By subjecting samples of radioactive 106Ru contaminant from the undeclared 2017 release over Eurasia to chemical reactions, researchers report the presence of ?-106RuCl3 and a chemically inert fraction consistent with RuO2, both of which are markers consistent with a specific protocol for nuclear waste reprocessing, suggesting that the 2017 release occurred during such reprocessing and demonstrating that historical information could be extracted from highly radiopure contaminants without stable elemental anomalies.
Article #20-01914: "Identification of a chemical fingerprint linking the undeclared 2017 release of 106Ru to advanced nuclear fuel reprocessing ," by Michael W. Cooke, Adrian Botti, Dorian Zok, Georg Steinhauser, and Kurt R. Ungar.
MEDIA CONTACT: Michael W. Cooke, Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, CANADA; e-mail: michaelw.cooke@canada.ca
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences