The recent fires in the exclusion zone near the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine have not led to any hazardous increase of radioactive particles in the air, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on 24 April.

Basing its assessment on data provided by Ukraine, the Vienna-based agency said the increase in levels of radiation measured in the country was very small and posed no risk to human health.

“In addition, these radiation levels fall significantly with increasing distance from the site of the fires,” said Elena Buglova, head of the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC), which has been in close contact with Ukrainian authorities since the fires began in early April.