Another fire in Chernobyl exclusion zone. Increasing I-131 and emissions at Fukushima.

The latest wildfire to break out near Chernobyl has consumed 130 hectares. It started on June 29, and it is unclear whether it is still burning or not.

Experts have recorded 0.0025 becquerels of Cesium-137 per cubic meter of air. The inspection found that it is beyond the measures usually observed.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire in the Chernobyl exclusion zone continues, firefighters are unable to resolve the situation. (link)

Air near the desolated settlement of Polesskoye in the Chernobyl zone is contaminated with the radioactive element cesium-137. Its content in the air has reached a level called “sequence above the norm” (approximately ten times the norm), the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRI) reported on Wednesday.

Cesium-137 is one of the most dangerous nuclear elements, as it accumulates in the body and can lead to leukemia. (link)

The radiation risk involves the fire spreading to areas closer to the plant. But there is no danger of a new explosion.

Fire near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine poses a danger to the surrounding regions, expert of the Polish branch of Greenpeace Jan Haverkamp told TASS on Thursday.

“We are monitoring the situation. Fortunately, the fire has not yet reached the NPP reactor zone. It’s very dangerous that everything is happening in the nuclear power plant area. If the fire spreads there, a huge amount of radiation will get into the atmosphere,” he said. “It’s a risk, but the risk primarily to Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, as they are located in close vicinity,” Haverkamp said.

According to him, there will be no explosion, similar to the 1986 accident, and Eastern European countries, including Poland, have now nothing to worry about.

“We welcome the efforts of Ukrainian authorities that are doing their utmost to prevent the fire from spreading,” the expert said. (link)

Meanwhile, iodine-131 continues to spew out of the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. I-131 started rising in April, and it was detected in Scandinavia in early May.

These readings from Niigata prefecture sewage sludge in June indicate the highest level of I-131 since September 2013 (which was gnarly).

Sludge from Fukushima prefecture shows that I-131 was rising in the later part of May:

A surge in iodine-131 emissions indicates a recriticality is taking place. It also means that the corium is heating up. This isotope causes thyroid cancer and other thyroid and pituitary diseases.

And an emission event was observed yesterday by the webcam watchers at Enenews:

NoNukes
July 1, 2015 at 9:50 pm Log in to Reply
Alert for radiation readings this week:

People watching the webcams have reported an event ongoing at Fukushima
http://enenews.com/forum-about-japan-burning-radioactive-debris/comment-page-9#comments

Pure water, Majia, Nuckelchen, Horse, irhologram and many others are posting images and describing an event with:

yellow gases coming up from the ground
black smoke
fire
Pink skies, etc.

Fallout from such an event would likely hit the west coast by July 4th, and the rest of the U.S. thereafter.

Some of their images:
http://s29.postimg.org/416qk2cgn/02_07_sea.png

http://s14.postimg.org/n81iw3yht/fire_02_07_1.png

http://s87.photobucket.com/user/HorseCam/media/07-01%201910%20r1%20purple%20sunset_zpsnjikejzq.png.html

http://s24.postimg.org/d92bfg2ed/fires_01_07b.png

Majia has a good summary of this event on her blog.

Read more here http://optimalprediction.com/wp/