Belgium Alerts EC About Release of Radioactive Iodine
August 29, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
On August 28, Belgium sent an alert concerning a radiological incident, classified at level 3 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, at the Institut National de Radio-éléments in Fleurus.
This European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange (ECURIE) alert notified the European Commission (EC) to a release of gaseous iodine-131 from the facility.
Based on an analysis of environmental samples, the Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control decided to implement protective actions - in particular, restrictions on the consumption of local food produce (vegetables and milk), up to a distance of 5 kilometers.
In accordance with ECURIE procedures, the EC immediately forwarded the alert notification to the ECURIE contact points in all European Union (EU) member states plus Switzerland.
The ECURIE system is the technical implementation of European Council decision 87/600/Euratom on European Community arrangements for the early notification and exchange of information in the event of a radiological or nuclear emergency.
This decision requires that ECURIE member states promptly notify the EC and all EU member states potentially affected when they intend to take counter-measures in order to protect population against the effects of a radiological or nuclear accident.
The EC needs to immediately forward this notification to all member states. Following this first notification, all member states are required to inform the EC at appropriate intervals about the measures they take and the radioactivity levels they measure.
All 27 EU member states, as well as Switzerland and Croatia, have signed the ECURIE agreement.
Source: European Commission.