Radiation exposure to the population of Europe following the Chernobyl accident

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident an attempt has been made to evaluate the impact of the Chernobyl accident on the global burden of human cancer in Europe. This required the estimation of radiation doses in each of the 40 European countries. Dose estimation was based on the analysis and compilation of data either published in the scientific literature or provided by local experts. Considerable variability has been observed in exposure levels among the European populations. The average individual doses to the thyroid from the intake of 131I for children aged 1 y were found to vary from ∼0.01 mGy in Portugal up to 750 mGy in Gomel Oblast (Belarus). Thyroid doses to adults were consistently lower than the doses received by young children. The average individual effective doses from external exposure and ingestion of long-lived radiocaesium accrued in the period 1986-2005 varied from ∼0 in Portugal to ∼10 mSv in Gomel Oblast (Belarus) and Bryansk Oblast (Russia). The uncertainties in the dose estimates were subjectively estimated on the basis of the availability and reliability of the radiation data that were used for dose reconstruction in each countr

Radiation exposure to the population of Europe following the Chernobyl accident

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident an attempt has been made to evaluate the impact of the Chernobyl accident on the global burden of human cancer in Europe. This required the estimation of radiation doses in each of the 40 European countries. Dose estimation was based on the analysis and compilation of data either published in the scientific literature or provided by local experts. Considerable variability has been observed in exposure levels among the European populations. The average individual doses to the thyroid from the intake of ¹³¹I for children aged 1 y were found to vary from ∼0.01 mGy in Portugal up to 750 mGy in Gomel Oblast (Belarus). Thyroid doses to adults were consistently lower than the doses received by young children. The average individual effective doses from external exposure and ingestion of long-lived radiocaesium accrued in the period 1986–2005 varied from ∼0 in Portugal to ∼10 mSv in Gomel Oblast (Belarus) and Bryansk Oblast (Russia). The uncertainties in the dose estimates were subjectively estimated on the basis of the availability and reliability of the radiation data that were used for dose reconstruction in each country

Exposure of biota in the cooling pond of Ignalina NPP: hydrophytes

The radiological assessment of non-human biota is now accepted by a number of international bodies. In this connection the scientific basis to assess and evaluate biota internal and external radiation exposure is required. This paper presents the comparison of freshwater biota (hydrophyte species) exposure due to discharged anthropogenic radionuclides with that due to natural background radiation. The radionuclides from Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (Lithuania) are discharged into cooling pond – Druksiai Lake. Submerged hydrophytes were selected as biota exposure indicators because they represent the largest biomass in this lake and have comparatively high radionuclide activity concentrations. The detailed methodology evaluation of the submerged hydrophyte dose rate is presented. The ionizing radiation exposure dose rates to submerged hydrophyte roots and above sediment parts due to the major radionuclides (54Mn, 60Co, 137Cs, 90Sr) discharged into the INPP cooling pond – Druksiai Lake were 0.044 μGy h−1 and 0.004 μGy h−1, respectively. The internal exposure dose rate due to natural background α-emitters (210Po,238U, 226Ra) was estimated to be 1.24 μGy h−1, as compared with that of anthropogenic α-emitter 240Pu – 0.04 μGy h−1, whereas the external exposure was 0.069 μGy h−1. The presented data deeper the knowledge about the concentration of radionuclides and submerged hydrophytes' exposure dose rates in European freshwater ecosystems

Assessment of radionuclide migration and radiological human exposure at the closed near-surface radioactive waste repository

The near-surface “RADON” type radioactive waste repository, installed in 1963 and designed to store radioactive waste formed in industry, medicine and scientific investigations, was closed in 1989 because it did not meet the requirements imposed on the radioactive waste disposal. A comparatively small amount of radioactive waste is stored in this repository, but the inventory comprises various kinds of waste: short-lived low-level radioactive waste, short-lived low and intermediate radioactive waste, long-lived intermediate and high-level radioactive waste. The possible site-specific radionuclide migration through the groundwater pathway as well as the human exposure are considered by the computer program RESRAD-OFFSITE in this paper. The analysis of the obtained data shows that out of all stored radionuclides only H-3, C-14 and Cl-36 exceeding the dose constraint of 0.2 mSv can be considered as dangerous. The monitoring carried out in the repository environment has shown the contamination of groundwater with radioactive tritium and a significant reduction of contamination after construction of additional protective engineering barriers. For the assessment of the contribution of separate site-specific parameters of the model taking into account uncertainties of the model and parameters to the annual effective dose, the computer code RESRAD-OFFSITE provides the possibility of applying the regression analysis. It has been determined that the aquifer lateral dispersion as well as the hydraulic gradient, the radionuclide activity concentration in the repository together with the rate of penetration into the environment and the precipitation amount have the largest influence on the assessment accuracy of annual effective doses

Background and anthropogenic radionuclide derived dose rates to freshwater ecosystem - Nuclear power plant cooling pond - Reference organisms

The radiological assessment of non-human biota to demonstrate protection is now accepted by a number of international and national bodies. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a scientific basis to assess and evaluate exposure of biota to ionizing radiation. Radionuclides from the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plan(Lithuania) were discharged into Lake Druksiai cooling pond. Additional radionuclide migration and recharge to this lake from a hypothetical near-surface, low-level radioactive waste disposal, to be situated 1.5 km from the lake, had been simulated using RESRAD-OFFSITE code. This paper uses ERICA Integrated Approach with associated tools and databases to compare the radiological dose to freshwater reference organisms. Based on these data, it can be concluded that background dose rates to non-human biota in Lake Druksiai far exceed those attributable to anthropogenic radionuclides. With respect the fishery and corresponding annual committed effective human dose as a result of this fish consumption Lake Druksiai continues to be a high-productivity water body with intensive angling and possible commercial fishing

Radioecological assessments of the Iodine working group of IAEA's EMRAS programme: Presentation of input data and analysis of results of the prague scenario

In 2003 IAEA launched the EMRAS Programme aiming at evaluating the predictive power of radiological models. The programme continued work of previous international radioecological modelling programmes and comprised several working groups focusing on different aspects of environmental modelling. The Iodine Working Group reassessed the impact of the release of 131I during the Chernobyl accident with the aim of comparing model predictions with environmental data and inter-comparing the model predictions. Measurement data and detailed geographic and demographic descriptions were available for three regions: Plavsk, Warsaw and Prague. As for the Prague Scenario, milk supply regions of three big dairies were chosen for the model validation. Apart from geographic, demographic and agricultural descriptions (e.g. gathering regions of the dairies, feeding regime), the modellers were provided with information on the weather conditions and measurement data of iodine contamination. The most important peculiarities of Prague Scenario were keeping milk cattle in sheds and a special feeding regime during May 1986. The modellers were asked to assess the 131I content in the thyroid of the local population and the resulting dose. The assessments were compared with measurement data. The results of these model calculations and their comparison with experimental data are presented