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Was the iodine-131 in Australian sheep thyroids fallout from the event?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of Was the signal of 22 September 1979 a nuclear explosion?·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: the iodine-131 came from a test near the Prince Edward Islands, carried east and rained out over…Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. The iodine-131 came from a test near the Prince Edward Islands, carried east and rained out over… leads, with evidence 2 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

Iodine-131 has a half-life of eight days, so its presence in October 1979 requires a recent fission source; it is the only radionuclide evidence claimed⁠[1].

Answers 3

Evidence: 2 for, 1 against
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 2 for
Disputed

History

  1. De Geer & Wright puts forward: the iodine-131 came from a test near the Prince Edward Islands, carried east and rained out over…
  2. De Geer & Wright puts forward: the readings were background, contamination or measurement error.
  3. De Geer & Wright: air-sampling networks in Australia and New Zealand detected nothing.Against: The iodine-131 came from a test near the Prince Edward Islands, carried east and rained out over…
  4. De Geer & Wright: one sample slaughtered 22 October gave about 1.9 ± 0.6 pCi/g corrected to slaughter; three spectra show…For: The iodine-131 came from a test near the Prince Edward Islands, carried east and rained out over…
  5. De Geer & Wright: vanMiddlesworth's first reading in November 1979 found no abnormal radioactivity.For: The readings were background, contamination or measurement error.
  6. Asked on this site
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