In October 2017, most European countries reported unique atmospheric detections of aerosol-bound radioruthenium (106Ru). The range of concentrations varied from some tenths of µBq·m-3 to more than 150 mBq·m-3 The widespread detection at such considerable (yet innocuous) levels suggested a considerable release. To compare activity reports of airborne 106Ru with different sampling periods, concentrations were reconstructed based on the most probable plume presence duration at each location. Based on airborne concentration spreading and chemical considerations, it is possible to assume that the release occurred in the Southern Urals region (Russian Federation). The 106Ru age was estimated to be about 2 years. It exhibited highly soluble and less soluble fractions in aqueous media, high radiopurity (lack of concomitant radionuclides), and volatility between 700 and 1,000 °C, thus suggesting a release at an advanced stage in the reprocessing of nuclear fuel. The amount and isotopic characteristics of the radioruthenium release may indicate a context with the production of a large 144Ce source for a neutrino experiment.

Atmosphärische Radioaktivität und Spurenanalyse Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau Germany

Atominstitut Vienna University of Technology 1020 Vienna Austria

Basic Environmental Observatory Moussala Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy BG 1784 Sofia Bulgaria

Center for Nuclear Technologies Technical University of Denmark Risø DK 4000 Roskilde Denmark

Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection PL 03 134 Warsaw Poland

Centre for Energy Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1121 Budapest Hungary

Centre for Environmental Safety and Security National Institute for Public Health and the Environment NL 3720 BA Bilthoven The Netherlands

Centro Regionale Radioprotezione Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente della Lombardia 20124 Milan Italy

Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defence and Security Division Swedish Defence Research Agency 16490 Stockholm Sweden

Computing Centre Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research 27570 Bremerhaven Germany

Department of Nuclear Physical Chemistry The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics 31 342 Kraków Poland

Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics Comenius University 84248 Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Radiation and Environmental Protection Institute for Nuclear Sciences University of Belgrade 11351 Belgrade Serbia

Department of Radiation Protection and Technical Quality Assurance Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety 1220 Vienna Austria

Department of Radon and Radioecology Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety 4020 Linz Austria

Deutscher Wetterdienst 63067 Offenbach Germany

Dipartimento Prevenzione Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente del Friuli Venezia Giulia 33100 Udine Italy

Direction de l'Environnement Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire 13115 St Paul lez Durance France;

Division de la Radioprotection Ministère de la Santé L 2120 Luxembourg Luxembourg

Division of Environmental and Public Radiohygiene National Research Institute for Radiobiology and Radiohygiene H 1221 Budapest Hungary

Emergency Preparedness and Response Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority NO 9925 Svanvik Norway

Environmental Monitoring Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority FI 00881 Helsinki Finland

Environmental Protection Agency 09311 Vilnius Lithuania

Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt 38116 Braunschweig Germany

Environmental Radioactivity Section Federal Office of Public Health CH 3097 Liebefeld Switzerland

Health Canada Ottawa K1A 1C1 ON Canada

Infrastructural Group for Ionizing Radiation Measurements Institut Jožef Stefan 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health 10001 Zagreb Croatia

Institute of Meteorology and Water Management National Research Institute 01673 Warsaw Poland

Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences and Technology Energy and Safety National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos 15310 Athens Greece

Institute of Radiation Medicine Helmholtz Zentrum München 85764 Neuherberg Germany

Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection Leibniz Universität Hannover 30419 Hannover Germany

Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection Leibniz Universität Hannover 30419 Hannover Germany;

Laboratoire de Mesure de la Radioactivité dans l'Environnement Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté 91400 Orsay France

National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control District 5 050706 Bucharest Romania

National Reference Laboratory National Environmental Protection Agency 060031 Bucharest Romania

Observatoire Pérenne de l'Environnement Agence Nationale des Déchets Radioactifs 55290 Bure France

Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring Environmental Protection Agency Dublin D14 H424 Ireland

Radiation Inspection and Control Services Department of Labour Inspection CY 1080 Nicosia Cyprus

Radiation Protection Center Institute for Public Health 71000 Sarajevo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Radioactivity Measurements Laboratory University of Bremen 28359 Bremen Germany

Radiology Laboratories Institute of Public Health 1000 Skopje North Macedonia

Republican Center of Hydrometeorology Radioactive Contamination Control and Environmental Monitoring 220114 Minsk Belarus

Rivne Nuclear Power Plant National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom 34400 Rivne Oblast Ukraine

Safety Department Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant 3321 Kozloduy Bulgaria

Section of Monitoring National Radiation Protection Institute 140 00 Prague 4 Czech Republic

Service des Situations d'Urgence et d'Organisation de Crise Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire 92260 Fontenay Aux Roses France

StudieCentrum voor Kernenergie Centre d'Etude de l'Energie Nucléaire 2400 Mol Belgium

Tutela dell'Ambiente Naturale e Costruito Dipartimento Prevenzione 47893 Borgo Maggiore Republic of San Marino

Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center 01601 Kyiv Ukraine

Unidad de Radiactividad Ambiental y Vigilancia Radiológica Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas 28040 Madrid Spain

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