Radiation safety

Russia DENIES that a mystery radioactive cloud across Europe was caused by a nuclear fuel plant leak in the Urals as experts accuse the country of a 'cover-up'

Russian authorities have denied that a spike in radioactivity in the air over Europe was caused from a nuclear fuel plant leak in the Ural mountains.

Authorities claim the probe has found no trace of Ruthenium-106 at the Mayak plant, after a spike was first spotted in late September.

A commission involving Russian nuclear experts now alleges it could have come from a satellite that came down from orbit and disintegrated in the atmosphere.

Greenpeace has slammed their denial as a 'cover-up' and has previously asked Russia's General Prosecutor to begin an official investigation.

Andrei Ivanov of Russia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation said an inspection of the Mayak plant in Russia's Ural mountains found no trace of Ruthenium-106.

Russian state weather service Roshydromet said a the end of last month it had found 'extremely high pollution' of ruthenium 106 at nearly 1,000 times normal levels near the Mayak plant.

Mayak is owned by Russian state nuclear company Rosatom who have always denied that its plant was the source of increased level of ruthenium 106.

'The contamination of the atmosphere with ruthenium-106 isotope registered by Rosgidromet is not linked to the activity of Mayak,' a statement said at the end of November.