Low radiation risk so far from nuclear sites hit by attacks

Strikes on any nuclear facilities could, in theory, release clouds of deadly radiation that endanger human lives and health.

- William J. Broad

But in the case of Israel's attacks on Iran overnight on June 13, that appears so far to not have been the case.

The earliest attacks and targets seem for the moment to rule out the most dangerous outcomes, limiting possible radiation threats to the realm of the relatively minor.

The most dangerous kind of threat would arise from successful attacks on nuclear reactors. Over time, the splitting of atoms in reactor fuel results in build-up of highly radioactive spin-offs. Among the worst are Caesium 137, Strontium 90 and Iodine 131.

If Iodine 131 is inhaled or ingested, it ends up in a person's thyroid gland. There, its intense radioactivity raises dramatically the risk of thyroid cancer, particularly in children. The other isotopes can also result in cancers.

But so far, no reports or evidence suggests Iran's nuclear reactors were hit in the Israeli attacks. Apparently spared were a power plant on the Persian Gulf, a research reactor in Tehran and a heavily guarded site ringed by anti-aircraft weapons and miles of barbed wire.