RIVM: monitoring Chernobyl radioactivity | Inland

RIVM always measures radioactivity above the Netherlands. No increases in radioactivity can be seen. The measured values ​​from Germany, for example, do not indicate increased levels. “This European system is the most reliable,” explains RIVM researcher Herman Schreurs. “So it is possible that only locally around Chernobyl the levels are higher.”

But whether that is true is not entirely certain. “Some websites are poorly secured, so we are not sure whether the measured values ​​have been manipulated,” says Schreurs. “Maybe there is a troublemaker among them who has thrown the readings up.” RIVM cannot rule out incorrect transfer of data via these websites.

If the radioactivity in the area is actually higher, there are several possible explanations for this. For example, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may play a role. “More movements in that area can allow settled dust to rise again. That can lead to increased values ​​locally.” Schreurs does not think that other nuclear reactors in the area may have been damaged. “We should have been notified of that and we have not received it.”

If the increased measurement values ​​are correct, this will not be a problem for the Netherlands, the RIVM says. In the short term, these cannot reach the Netherlands, because the wind is not in this direction.

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