Provisional INES Level 2 Rating For Contamination Incident At Sweden’s Studsvik Nuclear

27 Sep (NucNet): The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) has issued a provisional Level 2 rating on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) for an incident at Studsvik Nuclear on 21 September 2017 that led to the spread of radioactive material and surface contamination. SSM said the incident was connected to a false fire alarm, but gave no further details. No one was present at the time and no contamination has been detected outside the facility, SSM said. The company reported the incident to SSM, who sent inspectors to gather “additional information”. SSM has in turn reported the event to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Studsvik Nuclear has begun decontamination work and sampling, SSM said. Studsvik Nuclear is based near Nyköping about 100km southwest of Stockholm. Its services include fuel and materials testing, fuel and reactor management software, lifecycle management of nuclear and radioactive hazards, and nuclear decommissioning. INES is an international scale used to classify the safety significance of nuclear and radiological events involving ionising radiation. Events are rated at seven levels, ranging from 1 (anomaly) to 7 (major accident).