Scientists from the Institute of Soil Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that India’s spent nuclear fuel (SNF) reprocessing plants are contaminating the Southern Tibetan Plateau with the radioactive isotope iodine-129. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Environmental Science and Technology Letters (ESTL).
Also known as the “third pole of the earth” and the “roof of the world”, the Tibetan Plateau is a remote, isolated and largely untouched region.
Experts carefully studied the variations of iodine-129 in bioindicators such as mosses and lichens on the plateau. They found that isotope levels were significantly higher than levels in Chinese cities, but 20-40 times lower than radionuclide concentrations near Indian and European nuclear materials processing facilities.
“We did not expect the nuclear fuel facilities that India was spending to have such a significant impact on the Tibetan Plateau. This poses radiation risks due to the many nuclear facilities operating and being constructed in India. Therefore, we still need more data to assess the magnitude of such effects,” said study author Dr. Zhang Luyuan.
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Source: Gazeta
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