VIENNA, AUSTRIA-Today, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a statement containing information from the Czech republic's State Office for Nuclear Safety. The statement announced that “very low levels of iodine-131 have been measured in the atmosphere” in recent days. Information has come from other European nations that they have registered small amounts of the radioactive material in their atmosphere as well.

The IAEA stated that the iodine-131 did not originate from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident earlier this year, although they do not have a cause or origin of the material as yet. In an attempt to allay the fears of the European people, they also stated that the decay half-life of iodine-131 is only eight days.

This statement comes less than four months after the United Nations Atomic Energy agency called for stronger national and international measures to ensure the highest and most effective levels of nuclear safety in the wake of the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

At that time, the United Nations Atomic Energy Agency encouraged States with nuclear power plants to “conduct, as a response to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, comprehensive risk and safety assessments of their nuclear power plants in a transparent manner.”

The IAEA said that they are working with their counterparts to deterimne the origin of the emission.