Overview
- A new PNAS study reports readings up to 800,000 times background for cesium-137 and 400,000 times for strontium-90 at reactor ventilation openings on the wreck.
- Researchers tie the release to corroding reactor fuel that is in contact with seawater.
- Samples near the damaged torpedo room showed no plutonium from the warheads, and 1994 titanium seals remain intact.
- Sediment stayed largely clean and only soft corals, sea anemones and sponges showed elevated cesium-137, which researchers attribute to rapid dilution by currents.
- Norway has monitored the 1,700-meter-deep wreck since 2013, and the team urges regular checks as corrosion-driven releases are likely to continue.