According to a study conducted by Paris-Saclay University in France, large Saharan dust clouds that covered Europe in March 2022 contained an unexpected component: radioactive traces from nuclear tests conducted by the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. The researchers noted that the detected radioactivity levels were well below harmful thresholds for health.
The measured levels were less than 2% of safety limits. However, this is considered an important indicator of how long nuclear fallout can remain in the environment.
REGGANE REGION IN ALGERIA STANDS OUT
The dust clouds that were transported from the Sahara Desert to Europe typically originate from the Reggane region in Algeria. This area is notable for being one of the sites where France conducted four nuclear tests in the 1960s, prompting researchers to closely examine the radioactive residues in the region.
After the large dust storm in March 2022, a citizen science campaign was launched, collecting 110 dust samples from six countries. The samples confirmed that some of the dust came from southern Algeria, but the radioactive traces were not linked to French nuclear tests.
COLD WAR-ERA NUCLEAR TEST TRACES TRANSPORTED
The study highlighted that the plutonium isotopes found in the dust aligned with the global fallout signature from hundreds of nuclear tests carried out by the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Scientists emphasize that the remnants of these past tests are still circulating in the atmosphere, traveling to different regions worldwide. However, current levels of radioactivity do not pose a threat to public health.
Researchers stress that continued monitoring of such large-scale dust transports is crucial to understand the long-term atmospheric and environmental impacts.