ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) on Sunday refuted a news item appeared in a section of national and international media alleging that higher than normal radioactivity noticed in parts of Europe could have originated from the recent KANUPP incident.
In a statement issued here, the PAEC official said that there was no leakage of radiation to the environment from KANUPP on October 19. There was only a spill of heavy water within the containment building, which was brought under control following routine procedures.
The release of Iodine-131 is not possible unless there is a nuclear fuel failure, while the incident at KANUPP involved leakage of heavy water which contains tritium and not Iodine-131, said the official.
Higher radiation levels were detected in Poland and Ukraine even before October 19 when the KANUPP incident had not even taken place. It may be added that even if there was a leakage from KANUPP, it could not have travelled to Europe without leaving any trace in the surroundings.
PAEC routinely monitors radiation level in and around KANUPP and at various locations in the city and country. No unusual levels of radioactivity have been recorded at any of these locations.
Furthermore, details of the KANUPP incident were provided to the press and also to the IAEA as per procedure, he said.
The entire news item is based upon the statement attributed to the spokesman of the Polish atomic energy agency who only said: "Unconfirmed reports suggest there may have been an incident at a nuclear power station in Pakistan but this requires further confirmation".
And he did not cite any evidence or proof. None of the international organizations including IAEA has suggested anything leading to the conclusion that radiation in Europe could have come from KANUPP.
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission would like to avail this opportunity to assure the public, that at no point in time in its history, have the radiations from KANUPP been beyond permissible limits and, therefore, there is absolutely no possibility that the type of radiation detected in Europe could have come from KANUPP.
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