CBRN event in Chisinau, Chisinau area, Moldova, Republic of on Mon 21st September 2015

In the afternoon on September 21, 2015 in the Riscani sector of the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, an unspecificied quantity of Cesium-137 was detected near a construction site (building) on St. Andrey street. The material was detected by chance when a representative of the National Agency for the Regulation of Radiation and Nuclear Activities wearing a portable dosimeter happened upon an area of elevated radiation while on a routine visit to town. Emergency workers arriving at the scene detected background radiation levels of up to one micro-sievert of gamma radiation per hour. At the time of publication, the Service of Civil Protection and Emergencies were working to remove a layer of topsoil that had been contaminated and securing the object for removal in a secure container. The National Inspectorate Patrol is currently guarding the area to ensure that people do not enter it. While it is not yet known how a radioactive substance ended up in the area, Agency representatives speculate that the material was lost. The case is being investigated by the police.