An initial assessment of the Chernobyl-4 reactor accident release source

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Abstract
The long-range atmospheric dispersion model MESOS has been used to provide a preliminary evaluation of the distribution over Western Europe of radioactivity released during the accident which occurred at the Chernobyl-4 reactor in the USSR in April 1986. The results of this analysis have been compared with observations during the first week or so following the accident of airborne contamination levels at a range of locations across Europe in order to obtain an estimate of the accident release source. The work presented here was performed during the 6-8 weeks following the accident and the results obtained will be subject to refinement as more detailed data become available. However, at this early stage they indicate a release source for the Chernobyl accident, expressed as a fraction of the estimated reactor core inventory, of approximately 15-20% of the iodine, tellurium and caesium isotopes, approximately 1% of the ruthenium and lesser amounts of the other fission products and actinides, together with an implied major fraction of the krypton and xenon noble gases.

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