Radiation Levels of Sunken Russian Nuclear Submarine 100,000 Times Higher Than Normal
Radiation levels in the water around a sunken Soviet-era nuclear submarine are some 100,000 times higher than normal, scientists have warned, raising fears that the K-278 Komsomolets may still pose a threat 30 years after it sunk.
Norwegian scientists have been analyzing the area around the submarine, which came to rest on the floor of the Norwegian Sea after sinking on April 7, 1989. The accident—caused by a fire in the engine room—resulted in the deaths of 42 of the Komsomolets' 69 crew. Most were killed by radiation exposure while waiting for the Soviet navy to rescue them.
The 400 feet long submarine now sits one mile underwater, around 100 miles southwest of Norway's Bear Island, in one of the largest fishing grounds on Earth.
Research teams regularly check on the status of the wreck. Russian scientists detected low levels of radiation in the water around the Komsomolets in the 1990s and 2007, the Moscow Times reported.
Norwegian teams survey the site every year, and noted elevated concentrations of radioactive cesium-137 nearby between 1991 and 1993, Business Insider noted. However, no leaks have ever been found.
But of three samples taken Monday using a remote-controlled mini-submarine, one shows radiation levels 100,000 times higher than expected, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/radiation-levels-of-sunken-russian-nuclear-submarine-100000-times-higher-than-normal/ar-AAE8cjH?li=BBnbfcL
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Somehow we ignore all the damage fossil fuels are doing to this planet, including toxic fallout that has a half-life of FOREVER.
