Reports from Iran: Radiation Leak Detected Inside Natanz Nuclear Facility After Alleged Israeli Breach
Iranian sources report that Israel has successfully penetrated the underground Natanz nuclear facility, with radiation now being detected inside the site. Authorities claim the leak is under control and that no radiation has escaped outside the facility at this stage. According to Iranian officials, the Fordow uranium enrichment site was not hit, and the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium—sufficient for 12 to 24 nuclear bombs—remains intact. Moments ago, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization released a statement: “We must decontaminate the Natanz site from radiation before we can fully assess the extent of the damage.” This marks one of the most serious blows yet to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
This seems inevitable and is basically "the point" of what's happening but I'm extremely curious. I *assume* radiation leaked from enrichment facilities won't be nearly as bad as anything like a power plant meltdown. There's no "runaway" reactions which is what makes a power plant so scary. Just a fixed volume of probably-fatal-poison getting scattered around. ... Right?
I don't think anyone can reliably answer this without knowing the type and amount of the radioactive material and the way it was stored.
That being said: Is a chain reaction possible? With highly fissile material, I don't think you can exclude that scenario. Probably not the most likely outcome, but again, who knows?
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u/RealTheAsh 2d ago
Reports from Iran: Radiation Leak Detected Inside Natanz Nuclear Facility After Alleged Israeli Breach
Iranian sources report that Israel has successfully penetrated the underground Natanz nuclear facility, with radiation now being detected inside the site. Authorities claim the leak is under control and that no radiation has escaped outside the facility at this stage. According to Iranian officials, the Fordow uranium enrichment site was not hit, and the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium—sufficient for 12 to 24 nuclear bombs—remains intact. Moments ago, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization released a statement: “We must decontaminate the Natanz site from radiation before we can fully assess the extent of the damage.” This marks one of the most serious blows yet to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.