Agricultural aspects of the radiation situation in the areas contaminated by the southern Urals and Chernobyl accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prister, B.S.

1991-01-01

Being different in nature, the accidents in the Southern Urals and at Chernobyl gave rise to radiation situations with own specific features, affecting, in particular, agricultural activities in the contaminated area. The main specific features of the Chernobyl accident were the vast scale of contamination, the large contamination gradients even at considerable distances from the accident site, the heterogeneity of radioactive fallout distribution at micro-level, the inconsistent nature of changes in soil contamination levels, and separation of the radionuclides from the fallout. In spite of the fundamental differences in the chemical character of the types of radioactive fallout, the radionuclides of 90 Sr and 137 Cs were in both cases readily available for assimilation by plant root systems. In both the Southern Urals and the Ukraine the coefficients of radionuclide build-up in soils with identical agrochemical properties fall within the observation accuracy limits. As a result of the Chernobyl accident, light soils of soddy-podzolic composition were subjected to the greatest contamination, their radionuclide build-up coefficients being 8-15 times higher than those of the chernozem soils in the Southern Urals. An abnormally high level of radiocaesium accumulation was observed in meadow grasses, which explains the leading role of milk contamination in the radiation situation on private holdings. (author)

Analysis of radioactive contaminations and radiological hazard in Poland after the Chernobyl reactor accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarnowiecki, K.

1988-01-01

It is a report on radiological impact in Poland following the Chernobyl reactor accident prepared in the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection. The results of measurement and its analysis are presented. Isotopic composition of the contamined air and the concentration of radionuclides are determined. The trajectories of the airborne radioactive material movement from Chernobyl to Poland at the last days of April 1986 are presented. Assessment of the radiological risk of the population is done. 38 refs., 20 figs., 11 tabs. (M.F.W.)

Radionuclides contamination of fungi after accident on the Chernobyl NPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zarubina, Nataliia E.; Zarubin, Oleg L. [Institute for Nuclear Research of National Academy of Sciense, 03680, pr-t Nauki, 47, Kiev (Ukraine)

2014-07-01

Accumulation of radionuclides by the higher fungi (macromycetes) after the accident on the Chernobyl atomic power plant in 1986 has been studied. Researches were spent in territory of the Chernobyl alienation zone and the Kiev region. Our research has shown that macromycetes accumulate almost all types of radionuclides originating from the accident ({sup 131}I, {sup 140}Ba /{sup 140}La, {sup 103}Ru, {sup 106}Ru, {sup 141}Ce, {sup 144}Ce, {sup 95}Nb, {sup 95}Zr, {sup 137}Cs and {sup 134}Cs). They accumulate the long-living {sup 90}Sr in much smaller (to 3 - 4 orders) quantities than {sup 137}Cs. We have established existence of two stages in accumulation of {sup 137}Cs by higher fungi after the accident on the Chernobyl NPP: the first stage resides in the growth of the concentration, the second - in gradual decrease of levels of specific activity of this radionuclide. Despite reduction of {sup 137}Cs specific activity level, the content of this radionuclide at testing areas of the 5-km zone around the Chernobyl NPP reaches 1,100,000 Bq/kg of fresh weight in 2013. We investigated dynamics of accumulation of Cs-137 in higher fungi of different ecological groups. One of the major factors that influence levels of accumulation of {sup 137}Cs by fungi is their nutritional type (ecological group). Fungi that belong to ecological groups of saprotrophes and xylotrophes accumulate this radionuclide in much smaller quantities than symbio-trophic fungi. As a result of the conducted research it has been established that symbio-trophic fungi store more {sup 137}Cs than any other biological objects in forest ecosystems. Among the symbio-trophic fungi species, species showing the highest level of {sup 137}Cs contamination vary in different periods of time after the deposition. It is connected with variability of quantities of these radio nuclides accessible for absorption at the depth of localization of the main part of mycelium of each species in a soil profile. Soil contamination

Comparison of the accident process, radioactivity release and ground contamination between Chernobyl and Fukushima-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imanaka, Tetsuji; Hayashi, Gohei; Endo, Satoru

2015-01-01

In this report, we have reviewed the basic features of the accident processes and radioactivity releases that occurred in the Chernobyl accident (1986) and in the Fukushima-1 accident (2011). The Chernobyl accident was a power-surge accident that was caused by a failure of control of a fission chain reaction, which instantaneously destroyed the reactor and building, whereas the Fukushima-1 accident was a loss-of-coolant accident in which the reactor cores of three units were melted by decay heat after losing the electricity supply. Although the quantity of radioactive noble gases released from Fukushima-1 exceeded the amount released from Chernobyl, the size of land area severely contaminated by 137 Cesium ( 137 Cs) was 10 times smaller around Fukushima-1 compared with around Chernobyl. The differences in the accident process are reflected in the composition of the discharged radioactivity as well as in the composition of the ground contamination. Volatile radionuclides (such as 132 Te- 132 I, 131 I, 134 Cs and 137 Cs) contributed to the gamma-ray exposure from the ground contamination around Fukishima-1, whereas a greater variety of radionuclides contributed significantly around Chernobyl. When radioactivity deposition occurred, the radiation exposure rate near Chernobyl is estimated to have been 770 μGy h −1 per initial 137 Cs deposition of 1000 kBq m −2 , whereas it was 100 μGy h −1 around Fukushima-1. Estimates of the cumulative exposure for 30 years are 970 and 570 mGy per initial deposition of 1000 kBq m −2 for Chernobyl and Fukusima-1, respectively. Of these exposures, 49 and 98% were contributed by radiocesiums ( 134 Cs + 137 Cs) around Chernobyl and Fukushima-1, respectively

Dynamics of natural rehabilitation of Cs 137 soil contamination at the late stage due to the Chernobyl NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Germenchuk, M.G.; Zhukova, O.M.; Tretyakevich, S.S.; Koreniak, A.P.

2006-01-01

As a result of Chernobyl NPP accident, the greatest quantity of radionuclides has fallen on the territory of Belarus, therefore 23% of the territory have been contaminated with Cs 137 with a level exceeding 37 kBq/m 2 on the total area of 46.45 thousand km 2 that has led to the exclusion from an agricultural rotation 2,64 thousand km 2 of farmland. Now, external gamma-radiation on the territory of Belarus is formed due to 'Chernobyl' and 'global' (caused by tests of the nuclear weapon) radioactive losses. A contribution is also done by natural radioactivity. To-date, due to natural radionuclides decay a radiation conditions in zones of Chernobyl contamination has been stabilized and main dose formation radionuclide is Cs 137. In conformity with clause 4 of the Law 'On legal regime of territories, exposed to radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident' the territory of the Republic of Belarus is divided into zones depending on radioactive contamination of soil by radionuclides and sizes of a mean-annual effective dose. The estimation of a dose of external irradiation demands establishment of interrelation between the level of soil contamination with radionuclides and created by them exposure dose power (EDP). As a quantitative size of this link, a normalized on density of contamination of soil Cs 137 EDP at 1 m height is most used which is formed by all radionuclides and is called the transition coefficient 'density of contamination of soil Cs 137 - EDP'. In the given work, empirical values of factor of transition on items of supervision of a network of the radiation monitoring, registered in National System of Environment Monitoring (NSEM) Republic of Belarus have been determined. The carried out data analysis for 1993-2003 showed, that: Value of transition factor within 10 years have changed from 0,054 μR/h/kBq·m 2 to 0,041 μR/h/kBq·m 2 (with 2,0 μR/h/Ci·km 2 to 1,5 μR/h/Ci·km 2 ). Decrease of EDP from 'Chernobyl' radioactive

Relationship between the 137Cs whole-body counting results and soil and food contamination in farms near Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takatsuji, Toshihiro; Sato, Hitoshi; Takada, Jun

2000-01-01

The authors measured the radioactivity in the soil and child food samples from farms near Mogilev (56--270 GBq km -2 137 Cs), Gomel (36--810 GBq km -2 137 Cs), and Klincy (59--270 GBq km -2 137 Cs), who had whole-body 137 Cs counting results measured as part of a health examination in the Chernobyl Sasakawa Health and Medical Cooperation Project. Soil contamination on the family farm seems to be the main source of human contamination because most of the people in the area live on small farms and they and their domestic animals eat crops from the farms. A clear correlation was found between the children's whole-body 137 Cs counting results and the radioactivity in their food (correlation coefficient: 0.76; confidence level of correlation: 3.2 x 10 -9 ). There were also significant correlations between the whole-body 137 Cs counting results and both the radioactivity of the soil samples (correlation coefficient: 0.22; confidence level of correlation: 0.0107) and the average contamination level of their current residence (correlation coefficient: 0.20; confidence level of correlation: 0.0174)

Statistical evaluation of internal contamination data in the man following the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarroni, G.; Battisti, P.; Melandri, C.; Castellani, C.M.; Formignani, M.

1989-01-01

The main implications of the general interest derived from the statistical analysis of the internal human contamination data obtained by ENEA-PAS with Whole Body Counter mesurements performed in Bologna in consequence of the Chernobyl accident are presented. In particular the trend with time of the individual body activity of members of a homogeneous group, the variability of individual contamination in ralation to the mean contamination, the statistical distribution of the data, the significance of mean values concerning small, homogeneous groups of subjects, the difference between subjects of different sex and its trend with time, are examined. Finally, the substantial independence of the individual committed dose equivalent evaluation due to the Chernobyl contamination on the Whole from the hypothesized values of the metabolic parameters is pointed out when the evaluation is performed on the basis of direct measurements with a Whole Body Counter

Spatial datasets of radionuclide contamination in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Kashparov, Valery; Levchuk, Sviatoslav; Zhurba, Marina; Protsak, Valentyn; Khomutinin, Yuri; Beresford, Nicholas A.; Chaplow, Jacqueline S.

2018-02-01

The dataset Spatial datasets of radionuclide contamination in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was developed to enable data collected between May 1986 (immediately after Chernobyl) and 2014 by the Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR) after the Chernobyl accident to be made publicly available. The dataset includes results from comprehensive soil sampling across the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Analyses include radiocaesium (134Cs and 134Cs) 90Sr, 154Eu and soil property data; plutonium isotope activity concentrations in soil (including distribution in the soil profile); analyses of hot (or fuel) particles from the CEZ (data from Poland and across Europe are also included); and results of monitoring in the Ivankov district, a region adjacent to the exclusion zone. The purpose of this paper is to describe the available data and methodology used to obtain them. The data will be valuable to those conducting studies within the CEZ in a number of ways, for instance (i) for helping to perform robust exposure estimates to wildlife, (ii) for predicting comparative activity concentrations of different key radionuclides, (iii) for providing a baseline against which future surveys in the CEZ can be compared, (iv) as a source of information on the behaviour of fuel particles (FPs), (v) for performing retrospective dose assessments and (vi) for assessing natural background dose rates in the CEZ. The CEZ has been proposed as a radioecological observatory (i.e. a radioactively contaminated site that will provide a focus for long-term, radioecological collaborative international research). Key to the future success of this concept is open access to data for the CEZ. The data presented here are a first step in this process. The data and supporting documentation are freely available from the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC) under the terms and conditions of the Open Government Licence: https://doi.org/10.5285/782ec845-2135-4698-8881-b38823e533bf.

Spatial datasets of radionuclide contamination in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Kashparov

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The dataset Spatial datasets of radionuclide contamination in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was developed to enable data collected between May 1986 (immediately after Chernobyl and 2014 by the Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR after the Chernobyl accident to be made publicly available. The dataset includes results from comprehensive soil sampling across the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ. Analyses include radiocaesium (134Cs and 134Cs 90Sr, 154Eu and soil property data; plutonium isotope activity concentrations in soil (including distribution in the soil profile; analyses of hot (or fuel particles from the CEZ (data from Poland and across Europe are also included; and results of monitoring in the Ivankov district, a region adjacent to the exclusion zone. The purpose of this paper is to describe the available data and methodology used to obtain them. The data will be valuable to those conducting studies within the CEZ in a number of ways, for instance (i for helping to perform robust exposure estimates to wildlife, (ii for predicting comparative activity concentrations of different key radionuclides, (iii for providing a baseline against which future surveys in the CEZ can be compared, (iv as a source of information on the behaviour of fuel particles (FPs, (v for performing retrospective dose assessments and (vi for assessing natural background dose rates in the CEZ. The CEZ has been proposed as a radioecological observatory (i.e. a radioactively contaminated site that will provide a focus for long-term, radioecological collaborative international research. Key to the future success of this concept is open access to data for the CEZ. The data presented here are a first step in this process. The data and supporting documentation are freely available from the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC under the terms and conditions of the Open Government Licence: https://doi.org/10.5285/782ec845-2135-4698-8881-b

About estimation of the contamination of territorial-administrative regions of the Chernobyl genesis radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berezhnoj, A.V.

2005-01-01

It is recommended to realize the matching territorial-administrative regions on degree of the contamination their of the Chernobyl genesis radionuclides to size generalised index gravity of the radionuclide soiling region. The methodology of the calculation indexes is offered. The results executed estimation are briefly stated. (authors)

THE EVALUATION OF VORONEZH REGION RADIATION CONTAMINATION IMPACT OVER THIRTY YEARS’ PERIOD FOLLOWING THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu. I. Stepkin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The study aimed at radiation contamination impact assessment due to the 1986 Chernobyl accident in Voronezh Region territory more than 600 kilometers away from the ground zero. The major Chernobyl accident impact assessment indicators were the characteristics of 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides’ soil surface contamination (Ci/km2 as well as the average annual effective dose of critical population group ( mSv/year over 1986–2014. The Population oncological morbidity indicators were analyzed (all malignant neoplasms, including those in thyroid gland, lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue in the territories contrastingly differing on the levels of radiation factor impact. The study covered the period of 2010–2014.It was established that for Voronezh Region territories referred to as the post- Chernobyl radioactively contaminated zone over 29 years period the maximum soil surface contamination by 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides reduced by 1.90 and 1.91 times (from 3,15 Ci/km2 to 1,66 Ci/km2 and from 0,063 Ci/km2 to 0,0033 Ci/km2, respectively.Currently the relationship was not found between the radioactive contamination density in Voronezh Region and the levels of malignant neoplasms for the local residents.The present situation related to radiation factor impact on Voronezh Region territories remains stable and safe. Mindful of the indicators results the assessment of ionizing sources impact did not identify any exceeding the normative values.

Bacterial community analysis of contaminant soils from Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sergeant, C.; Vesvres, M.H.; Chapon, V.; Berthomieu, C.; Piette, L.; Le Marrec, C.; Coppin, F.; Fevrier, L.; Martin-Garin, A.

2010-01-01

Complete text of publication follows: Shortly after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, vegetation, contaminated soil and other radioactive debris were buried in situ in trenches. The aims of this work are to analyse the structure of bacterial communities evolving in this environment since 20 years, and to evaluate the potential role of microorganisms in radionuclide migration in soils. Therefore, soil samples exhibiting contrasted radionuclides content were collected in and around the trench number 22. Bacterial communities were examined using a genetic fingerprinting method that allowed a comparative profiling of the samples (DGGE), with universal and group-specific PCR primers. Our results indicate that Chernobyl soil samples host a wide diversity of Bacteria, with stable patterns for Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and more variable for Proteobacteria. A collection of 650 aerobic and anaerobic culturable isolates was also constructed. A phylogenetic analysis of 250 heterotrophic aerobic isolates revealed that 5 phyla are represented: Beta-, Gamma-proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and spore-forming Firmicutes, which is largely dominant. These collection will be screened for the presence of radionuclide-accumulating species in order to estimate the potential influence of microorganisms in radionuclides migration in soils

Radioactive contamination of food and forage in SR Serbia after the Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djuric, G; Popovic, D; Smelcerovic, M [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro); Petrovic, B [Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beograd, (Serbia and Montenegro); Djujic, I [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro)

1989-07-01

The results of some important radionuclide contents evaluation in food and forage in Serbia after the Chernobyl accident are presented. The results indicate that the distribution of the radionuclides was not uniform and that three main zones of radioactive contamination could be established. The sheep breeding and the cattle breeding was the most endangered, while alfalfa and oleaceous plant were the most endangered among plant cultures (author)

Radioactive contamination of food and forage in SR Serbia after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djuric, G.; Popovic, D.; Smelcerovic, M.; Petrovic, B.; Djujic, I.

1989-01-01

The results of some important radionuclide contents evaluation in food and forage in Serbia after the Chernobyl accident are presented. The results indicate that the distribution of the radionuclides was not uniform and that three main zones of radioactive contamination could be established. The sheep breeding and the cattle breeding was the most endangered, while alfalfa and oleaceous plant were the most endangered among plant cultures (author)

Analysis of the results of environmental monitoring in Spain after the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luque Heredia, S.; Salas Collantes, R.; Rey del castillo, C.; Marugar tovar, I.; Sterling carmona, A.; Ramos Salvador, L.; Lorente Lorente, P.

2013-01-01

As a result of accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants, CSN launched special surveillance devices to monitor radioactive contamination through the values provided by the various networks and environmental monitoring programs. The aim of this study is to compare and analyze the results corresponding to the exposure pathways and matrices in which contamination is detected. (Author)

Results of the internal contamination measurements performed after Chernobyl accident by means of Casaccia whole body counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rampa, E.; Santoni, G.; Di Pietro, S.

1987-01-01

Direct measurements of internal contamination were carried out in human subjects following the nuclear accident of Chernobyl. The Whole Body Counter facility operated by Dipartimento Protezione Ambientale e Salute dell'Uomo, Divisione Scienze Ambientali, Centro Ricerche Energia - C.R.E. - Casaccia (Rome) was utilized. This investigation was continued until December 31, 1986. The subjects were either resident of the Rome metropolitan area or Italian citizens returning from East European Countries. The report present the data regarding 131 I in the thyroid and 134 Cs and 137 Cs in the whole body. An ingestion or inhalation of these radionuclides is also calculated. The results of this study should contribute to a better evaluation of the theoretical models for the transfer of radionuclides from the environment to man

High levels of fluctuating asymmetry in populations of Apodemus flavicollis from the most contaminated areas in Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oleksyk, Taras K.; Novak, James M.; Purdue, James R.; Gashchak, Sergiy P.; Smith, Michael H.

2004-01-01

Random deviations from the perfect symmetry of normally bilaterally symmetrical characters for an individual with a given genotype occur during individual development due to the influence of multiple environmental factors. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is often used as a measure of developmental instability, and can be estimated as the variance of the distribution of differences between the left and right sides. We addressed the question of whether levels of FA were elevated in radioactively contaminated populations living around Chernobyl compared to those in reference populations of the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis). In addition, we studied amounts of directional asymmetry (DA) when one side is larger than the other on average. There was a significant difference among populations, including reference populations, in the amount of both FA and DA. A higher level of FA was documented for the contaminated populations in close proximity to the failed Chernobyl reactor for both the asymmetry of size and shape. The FAs of size and shape were highest in populations from the most contaminated locations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Although the directional asymmetry of shape was also highest in the contaminated populations, it was not significantly different from those in most of the reference populations. Populations from less contaminated areas inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone did not express FA values different from those of the reference populations outside the affected area. FA of skulls of A. flavicollis may indicate the degree to which the level of radioactive contamination affects the development of animals at Chernobyl. However, the mechanisms leading to these effects are not clear and probably vary from population to population. There were significant correlations between the overall right to left differences for the Procrustes aligned shape configurations, centroid sizes, and intramuscular 137 Cs. Detectable effects of radiation on developmental

Living conditions in the contaminated territories of Bielorussia 8 years after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heriard-Dubreuil, G.; Girard, P.

1997-01-01

Living conditions in the contaminated territories of Bielorussia after the Chernobyl accident: evaluation of the situation in the district of Chetchersk in Bielorussia. This article presents an analysis of the social and economic aspects of radiological protection in the territories contaminated by the Chernobyl accident. It is based on the results of two surveys performed in 1994 on the living conditions of the inhabitants of a territorial community located in Bielorussia, 180 km north of Chernobyl. The first part presents the radiological post-accident situation of the district, together with an analysis of this situation's demographic impact since 1986. The second part presents a description of the modes of exposure of the inhabitants of the contaminated territories and an assessment of he various countermeasures programmes initiated by the authorities in the legislative framework of 1991. The last part addresses the economic aspects of the Chetchersk district and an evaluation of the consequences of the radiological situation on the economic, and above all agricultural, activities of the district.The conclusion highlights the difficulties that face the Byelorussian authorities today. The now definitive presence of inhabitants in a durably contaminated environment poses a new category of problems. The objectives of radiological protection have to be reshaped within a set of constraints of different types, notably social and economic. The development of radiological safety cannot be dissociated from a return to quality living in these territories. This necessarily entails re-establishing a climate of social confidence. The initial legislative plan for post-accident management must be adapted to give greater autonomy to local participants in the reconstruction of satisfactory living conditions. (authors)

Microorganisms associated with feathers of barn swallows in radioactively contaminated areas around chernobyl.

Science.gov (United States)

Czirják, Gábor Arpád; Møller, Anders Pape; Mousseau, Timothy A; Heeb, Philipp

2010-08-01

The Chernobyl catastrophe provides a rare opportunity to study the ecological and evolutionary consequences of low-level, environmental radiation on living organisms. Despite some recent studies about negative effects of environmental radiation on macroorganisms, there is little knowledge about the effect of radioactive contamination on diversity and abundance of microorganisms. We examined abundance patterns of total cultivable bacteria and fungi and the abundance of feather-degrading bacterial subset present on feathers of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), a colonial migratory passerine, around Chernobyl in relation to levels of ground level environmental radiation. After controlling for confounding variables, total cultivable bacterial loads were negatively correlated with environmental radioactivity, whereas abundance of fungi and feather-degrading bacteria was not significantly related to contamination levels. Abundance of both total and feather-degrading bacteria increased with barn swallow colony size, showing a potential cost of sociality. Males had lower abundance of feather-degrading bacteria than females. Our results show the detrimental effects of low-level environmental radiation on total cultivable bacterial assemblage on feathers, while the abundance of other microorganism groups living on barn swallow feathers, such as feather-degrading bacteria, are shaped by other factors like host sociality or host sex. These data lead us to conclude that the ecological effects of Chernobyl may be more general than previously assumed and may have long-term implications for host-microbe interactions and overall ecosystem functioning.

Contaminants in food chains of arctic ungulates: what have we learned from the Chernobyl accident?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Åhman, B.

1998-01-01

The Chernobyl accident of 1986 caused radioactive contamination of widespread areas of reindeer pasture in Scandinavia. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are especially exposed to radioactive fallout due to their winter diet, of which lichens are an important part. Much knowledge about the transfer of radiocaesium to reindeer, and via reindeer meat to man, was accumulated by intense scientific investigations, undertaken during the 1960s and 1970s, following nuclear weapons testing. Various ways to reduce the transfer of radiocaesium to animals and humans were also developed during this time. Much of the older knowledge proved to be of great value in the attempts to determine potential consequences of the Chernobyl accident and to suggest possible ways to ameliorate the effects of contamination. After Chernobyl, not only did reindeer prove to be a problem; many other food products originating from natural and semi-natural ecosystems were found to accumulate significant amounts of radiocaesium. Intense scientific work has produced new knowledge about the role of ungulates in the transfer of nutrients and contaminants within these systems. Different measures, like providing uncontaminated feed, use of caesium binders, altering the time of slaughter have been used with good results to minimize the transfer of radiocaesium to animals grazing natural pastures. The high cost of countermeasures has enforced consideration of cost against risk, which may also be of general interest with respect to other forms of pollution. Information, introduction of countermeasures and so forth would be more efficient in case a similar accident were to happen again. The Chernobyl accident is an obvious example of how human failures when dealing with a modern technical system can have global consequences and also be a potential threat to what we like to think of as the unspoiled wilderness of the Arctic

Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaare, E.; Jonsson, B.; Skogland, T.

1991-04-01

Due to southeasterly wind and rainfall during the critical days after the Chernobyl accident, Norway got a substantial part of the cesium isotopes released. The radioactive fallout followed closely the rainfall and was mainly concentrated to some thin populated areas in the central parts of the country. This report summerize the results from a post-Chernobyl research program on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in contaminated areas. Pathways, processes and factors determining the Cs-137 concentration in soil, plant, water, fish and wild animal were investigated. 84 refs., 40 figs., 20 tabs

Contamination levels observed on the Belgian territory subsequent to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cottens, E.

1986-01-01

A summary of the data from different laboratories concerning the fallout on the Belgian territory following the Chernobyl emissions is presented. The evolution of the particulate air activity at ground level, the integrated fallout captured in water, the deposition on soil surface directly for different localities in Belgium are given. The grass contamination, the milk contamination from individual farms, the concentration levels on leafy vegetables, surface waters and water basins and the contamination of meat during the month of May are presented. (A.F.)

Markers for hepatitis B, C, D and G contamination in the population suffered of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhavoronok, S.V.; Kalinin, A.L.; Grimbaum, O.A.; Chernovetskij, M.A.; Babarykina, N.Eh.; Ospobat, Ya.M.

1998-01-01

The results received in the study of 2814 persons having taken part in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident consequences, of people (adult and teenagers) migrated from the contaminated territories to Vitebsk region and of the control group consisted of 46773 donors are presented. Hepatitis B and C viruses have been revealed more frequently in people suffered of the Chernobyl accident. Hepatitis D and G viruses have defined. It allows to predict a larger number of death caused by hepato cirrhosis or primary carcinomas of the liver

Chernobyl, 14 years later

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

This report draws an account of the consequences of Chernobyl accident 14 years after the disaster. It is made up of 8 chapters whose titles are: 1) Some figures about Chernobyl accident, 2) Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 3)Sanitary consequences of Chernobyl accident, 4) The management of contaminated lands, 5) The impact in France of Chernobyl fallout, 6) International cooperation, 7) More information about Chernobyl and 8) Glossary

Iodine-129 and Caesium-137 in Chernobyl contaminated soil and their chemical fractionation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hou, Xiaolin; Fogh, C.L.; Kucera, J.

2003-01-01

Soil samples from areas in Belarus, Russia and Sweden contaminated by the Chernobyl accident were analysed for I-129 by radiochemical neutron activation analysis, as well as for Cs-137 by gamma-spectrometry. The atomic ratio of I-129/(CS)-C-137 in the upper layer of the examined soil cores ranged...... from 0.10 to 0.30, with an average of 0.18, and no correlation between I-129/Cs-137 ratio and the distance from Chernobyl reactor to sampling location was observed. It seems feasible to use the I-129/Cs-137 ratio to reconstruct the deposition pattern of I-131 in these areas. The association of I-129...... and (CS)-C-137 in the Chernobyl soil and Irish Sea sediment was investigated by a sequential extraction method. Similar speciation of I-129 in the Chernobyl soil and Irish Sea sediment was found. Approximately 70% of I-129 is bound to oxides and organic matter, and 10-20% is in the readily available phase...

Chernobyl, 12 years later

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-04-01

This report draws an account of the consequences of Chernobyl accident 12 years after the disaster. It is made up of 7 chapters whose titles are: 1) Some figures about Chernobyl accident, 2) The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 3)Sanitary consequences of Chernobyl accident, 4) The management of contaminated lands, 5) The impact in France of Chernobyl fallout, 6) The Franco-German cooperation, and 7) Glossary

Effects of radionuclide contamination on leaf litter decomposition in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonzom, Jean-Marc, E-mail: jean-marc.bonzom@irsn.fr [Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PRP-ENV/SERIS, Cadarache, Bât. 183, BP 3, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Hättenschwiler, Stephan [Centre d' Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS–Université de Montpellier–Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier–EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier (France); Lecomte-Pradines, Catherine [Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PRP-ENV/SERIS, Cadarache, Bât. 183, BP 3, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Chauvet, Eric [EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, INPT, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse cedex (France); Gaschak, Sergey [Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, 07100 Slavutych (Ukraine); Beaugelin-Seiller, Karine; Della-Vedova, Claire; Dubourg, Nicolas [Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PRP-ENV/SERIS, Cadarache, Bât. 183, BP 3, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance (France); Maksimenko, Andrey [Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, 07100 Slavutych (Ukraine); and others

2016-08-15

The effects of radioactive contamination on ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition remain largely unknown. Because radionuclides accumulated in soil and plant biomass can be harmful for organisms, the functioning of ecosystems may be altered by radioactive contamination. Here, we tested the hypothesis that decomposition is impaired by increasing levels of radioactivity in the environment by exposing uncontaminated leaf litter from silver birch and black alder at (i) eleven distant forest sites differing in ambient radiation levels (0.22–15 μGy h{sup −1}) and (ii) along a short distance gradient of radioactive contamination (1.2–29 μGy h{sup −1}) within a single forest in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In addition to measuring ambient external dose rates, we estimated the average total dose rates (ATDRs) absorbed by decomposers for an accurate estimate of dose-induced ecological consequences of radioactive pollution. Taking into account potential confounding factors (soil pH, moisture, texture, and organic carbon content), the results from the eleven distant forest sites, and from the single forest, showed increased litter mass loss with increasing ATDRs from 0.3 to 150 μGy h{sup −1}. This unexpected result may be due to (i) overcompensation of decomposer organisms exposed to radionuclides leading to a higher decomposer abundance (hormetic effect), and/or (ii) from preferred feeding by decomposers on the uncontaminated leaf litter used for our experiment compared to locally produced, contaminated leaf litter. Our data indicate that radio-contamination of forest ecosystems over more than two decades does not necessarily have detrimental effects on organic matter decay. However, further studies are needed to unravel the underlying mechanisms of the results reported here, in order to draw firmer conclusions on how radio-contamination affects decomposition and associated ecosystem processes. - Highlights: • The effects of radioactivity on

Effects of radionuclide contamination on leaf litter decomposition in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonzom, Jean-Marc; Hättenschwiler, Stephan; Lecomte-Pradines, Catherine; Chauvet, Eric; Gaschak, Sergey; Beaugelin-Seiller, Karine; Della-Vedova, Claire; Dubourg, Nicolas; Maksimenko, Andrey

2016-01-01

The effects of radioactive contamination on ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition remain largely unknown. Because radionuclides accumulated in soil and plant biomass can be harmful for organisms, the functioning of ecosystems may be altered by radioactive contamination. Here, we tested the hypothesis that decomposition is impaired by increasing levels of radioactivity in the environment by exposing uncontaminated leaf litter from silver birch and black alder at (i) eleven distant forest sites differing in ambient radiation levels (0.22–15 μGy h −1 ) and (ii) along a short distance gradient of radioactive contamination (1.2–29 μGy h −1 ) within a single forest in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In addition to measuring ambient external dose rates, we estimated the average total dose rates (ATDRs) absorbed by decomposers for an accurate estimate of dose-induced ecological consequences of radioactive pollution. Taking into account potential confounding factors (soil pH, moisture, texture, and organic carbon content), the results from the eleven distant forest sites, and from the single forest, showed increased litter mass loss with increasing ATDRs from 0.3 to 150 μGy h −1 . This unexpected result may be due to (i) overcompensation of decomposer organisms exposed to radionuclides leading to a higher decomposer abundance (hormetic effect), and/or (ii) from preferred feeding by decomposers on the uncontaminated leaf litter used for our experiment compared to locally produced, contaminated leaf litter. Our data indicate that radio-contamination of forest ecosystems over more than two decades does not necessarily have detrimental effects on organic matter decay. However, further studies are needed to unravel the underlying mechanisms of the results reported here, in order to draw firmer conclusions on how radio-contamination affects decomposition and associated ecosystem processes. - Highlights: • The effects of radioactivity on ecosystem processes

Reproduction in the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus along a gradient of radionuclide contamination at Chernobyl.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Neil; Ford, Alex T; Nagorskaya, Liubov L; Gudkov, Dmitri I; Smith, Jim T

2018-07-01

Nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima have led to contamination of the environment that will persist for many years. The consequences of chronic low-dose radiation exposure for non-human organisms inhabiting contaminated environments remain unclear. In radioecology, crustaceans are important model organisms for the development of environmental radioprotection. Previous laboratory studies have demonstrated deleterious effects of radiation exposure on crustacean reproduction. However, no studies have documented the effects of chronic radiation exposure on the reproduction of natural crustacean populations. Based on data from laboratory exposures, we hypothesised that populations of the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus exposed to radiation for thirty years at Chernobyl would display reduced reproductive output and altered timing of reproduction. To test this hypothesis, A. aquaticus was collected from six lakes at Chernobyl over two years with total dose rates ranging from 0.06-27.1μGy/h. No significant differences in the fecundity, mass of broods or proportion of reproducing female A. aquaticus were recorded. Significant differences in the body mass of gravid females were recorded suggesting different timings of reproduction, however this was not related to radiation contamination. No significant effect of a range of environmental parameters on A. aquaticus reproduction was recorded. Our data suggests current dose rates at Chernobyl are not causing discernible effects on the reproductive output of A. aquaticus. This study is the first to assess the effects of chronic low-dose radiation exposure on the reproductive output of an aquatic invertebrate at Chernobyl. These findings are consistent with proposed radiological protection benchmarks for the maintenance of wildlife populations and will assist in management of environments impacted by radiation. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radioactive contamination characteristics in China following Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zuoyuan

1987-01-01

In the aftermath of Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, the Environmental Radiation Surveillance Network of Ministry of Public Health of China has done monitoring on environmental samples to determine the contamination levels of radioactivity. Radionuclides, such as I-131, I-132, Cs-137, Cs-134 and Te-132, were found on surface of airplanes, which flew in domestic airlines between May 1-3, that means the radionuclides from Chernobyl accident already reached high altitude atmosphere over China, but the concentration was much lower than that in Europe. During the period of May 2-15, in most stations, radionuclides were found in different environmental samples, such as air, milk, vegetables, rain water, river and lake water, and sheep thyroid. Radioactivity levels of samples were higher in north part of China than in south. The amounts of radionuclides in all samples were well below the derived air concentrations and derived intake concentrations specified in the National Basic Health Standards for Radiological Protection. Thus, the public need not to take any precautions for the purpose of radiation protection

Contribution of Chernobyl accident to human contamination with strontium-90

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botezatu, Elena; Iacob, Olga

1998-01-01

The Romanian surveys performed after the Chernobyl accident pointed out the environmental and diet contamination with 90 Sr at levels of one-two orders of magnitude higher than prior to the accident. Given the 90 Sr osteo-tropism we have been interested in its accumulation in the human teeth and bone. The search on 90 Sr accumulation in human teeth evidenced concentrations of 10.8 - 330 mBq/g Ca in milk teeth of young children born during 1986 - 1987 subsequent to Chernobyl. These values were 10-600 times higher than those obtained for permanent or deciduous teeth of all the other age groups or of the same age group born before Chernobyl. There was more 90 Sr activity concentration in ribs than in femur. The highest values of 90 Sr content (mBq/g Ca) were of 75-122 in ribs and 74-120 in femur for 7-10 years old group. These individuals were 0-3 years old during the period of greatest deposition. This age is by far the most critical years due to the heaviest uptake. Smaller concentration values were recorded for the age group older than 55, respectively of 3-20 in ribs and 3.3-10.2 in femur. Our data suggest that the Chernobyl accident did not lead to the increase of 90 Sr accumulation in adults. From the collective equivalent doses of 1500 manSv for bone surfaces and 680 manSv for active red marrow, a potential number of 4 radiation-induced fatal cancers in the studied population (5,2 mil.inh) has been estimated as attributable to Chernobyl accident

The decision-making process in dealing with populations living in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident. The ETHOS project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heriard-Dubreuil, G.; Schneider, T.

1998-01-01

Experience from the Chernobyl accident revealed strong disturbance in social life and stress phenomenon in the population living in the contaminated territories. The ETHOS project (founded by the radiation protection research programme of the European Commission-DG XII) has initiated an alternative approach of the rehabilitation of living conditions in the contaminated territories of the CIS in the post-accident context of Chernobyl. This project started at the beginning of 1996 and is implemented in the Republic of Belarus. Its main goal is to create the conditions for the inhabitants of contaminated territories to reconstruct their global quality of life. The main features of the methodological approach of the ETHOS project in the village of Olmany in the district of Stolyn (Brest region) since March 1996 are presented, and its implementation and first results are discussed. (R.P.)

Reactions of Russians living in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aumonier, S.; Allen, P.

1993-01-01

This article briefly describes how in July 1992 a pilot survey was conducted of the social and psychological factor affecting people living in a contaminated area of the Russian Federation following the Chernobyl accident. First hand experience was gained of the reactions of the people affected by the nuclear accident and the effects of the subsequent countermeasures. (UK)

Long-term trend of radioactive contamination of food products in Bulgaria after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirov, K.; Marinov, V.; Naidenov, M.

1997-01-01

Results which characterize the dynamics for the power of radioactive contamination of foods in the Bulgaria with Cesium radionuclides from May 1986 to December 1995 are presented. It was done for motivation of some conclusions during the progress of radiation situation in Bulgaria after the Chernobyl accident. The data are compared with Maximum residues limits (MRL) of our country as well as that of international organizations. They are compared with the background contamination of foods descended from regions affected after experimental nuclear explosion till 1963 too

Optimal management routes for the restoration of territories contaminated during and after the Chernobyl accident: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, G.

1997-01-01

This report identifies optimised restoration strategies for contaminated territories (actually private agricultural lands and forests) in Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation resulting from the Chernobyl accident. The evaluation of restoration strategies is based on economic and radiological criteria. For this purpose a methodology involving the subdivision of the territories into categories based on doses was developed. Remediation strategies for agricultural lands involves many options; for example, extensive resettlement, supply of clean milk, radical improvement of land, etc. For contaminated forests the potential radiological impact resulting from a selection of countermeasures like incineration of contaminated wood has been thoroughly evaluated

International programme on the health effects of the Chernobyl accident (IPHECA). 'Epidemiological registry' Pilot project. Reconstruction of absorbed doses from external exposure of the population living in areas of Russia contaminated as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitkevic, V.A.; Duba, V.V.; Ivanov, V.K.; Tsyb, A.F.

1994-01-01

In order to carry out epidemiological research on the influence of radiation factors on the health of people living in centres of population areas contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident, a knowledge of the amount of external and internal exposure to the thyroid gland and the whole body is crucial. After seven years of the Chernobyl accident, an attempt was made to reconstruct the complete dynamic picture of radioactive contamination of Russian territory, taking into consideration current data on the temporal behavior of the source of accidental radionuclide emissions from the reactor where the accident occurred, meteorological conditions at the time, detailed measurements of cesium 137 fall-out density on CIS territory, air exposure dose rate measurements. Such an approach will enable to determine absorbed doses in centers of population, where radiation parameters were not measured at all. 17 refs, 6 figs, 6 tabs, 1 map

Radioactive contamination of game and farm animals after the Chernobyl disaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hecht, H.

1988-01-01

The author shows how, by using a network covering a certain area and based on the examination of the meat of roedeer, a survey of the contamination situation in meat and venison, using radioisotopes, was available very soon after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. During the first few months after the disaster the radioactive contamination of meat decreased rapidly. In the autumn of 1986 again rise was observed, due to the use of contaminated feed, although this rise was smaller than had been feared. At the end of 1986 the meat of farm animals had relatively low radiocaesium contents (pork x tilde ≅ 70, beef x tilde ≅ 32 Bq/kg). (orig./ECB) [de

Study of caesium contamination in foodstuffs in Ghana after the Chernobyl nuclear accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darko, E.O.; Schandorf, C.; Yeboah, J.

1996-01-01

Fallout radioactivity has been studied in foodstuffs in the Environmental Monitoring Laboratory after the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. The study covers the analysis of reference samples of imported foods, mainly meat and milk, for 137 Cs and 134 Cs contamination using a low-level gamma spectrometer. The purpose of this study is to determine whether it is necessary to control food imports in order to reduce the risk from intake of radionuclides by the Ghanian public resulting from transboundary contamination. Measurement of caesium levels in various foods over a period of seven years has shown contamination to be within the recommended action levels for international trade in foods. The committed effective dose intakes in any single year is far below the 1 mSv annual dose recommended by the ICRP in Publication 60. (author)

The Chernobyl silences: the contaminated future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grandazzi, G.

2004-01-01

This analyse provides the sanitary actuality of the Chernobyl accident which occurred in 1986. Testimonies, politicians, scientists, philosophers and artists reflexions are provided. It wonders on the information evolution and the notion of ''accident'' since Chernobyl. (A.L.B.)

8 years after Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovalev, S.D.

1994-01-01

The Chernobyl accident is the largest radiation catastrophe in its scale and prolonged consequences. Nearly 70% of radioactive materials released into the atmosphere as a result of the reactor accident have deposited at the territory of Belarus. 23% of the territory republic turned out to be contaminated with cesium 137 with radiation density 1 Ci/sq.km. 2.1 millions of people inhabited these areas in Belarus (about 20% population). More than 18000 sq.km of agricultural land (22%) and more than 20000 sq.km of forests (30% of the entire tract) have been contaminated with radionuclides. There is not a single branch of production which is not damaged by the accident at the Chernobyl NPP. After-effects of the accident tell on health of people. The increase of diseases of cardiovascular, alimentary, nervous, musculoskeletal systems, mental and lung diseases is observed in the area of radioactive contamination. Lately, the rise of thyroid cancer rates in children (from 1986 until 1994 more than 250 cases) causes particular anxiety. Nowadays, thyroid cancer is precisely considered as the direct after-effect of the Chernobyl catastrophe. Frequency of children birth with defects is nearly twice as large in the areas with density of contamination with cesium 137 radionuclides exceeding 15 Ci/sq.km. The creation of the system of radiation control is one of the main problems in elimination of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP. Radiometers with the ability to control over Republican permissible levels of radionuclide content in food product and water have been created in the Republic. The radiation situation have been studied and the contaminated areas have been mapped. The control over radioactive contamination of air, water, sediments in carried out. (author)

Chernobyl'-92. Reports of the 3. All-Union scientific and technical meeting on results of accident effect elimination at the Chernobyl' NPP. V. 1. Radiation monitoring. Migration of radionuclides in environment. Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senin, E.V.

1992-01-01

Section Radiation monitoring comprises: atlas of area radioactive contamination as a result of the Chernobyl' NPP accident, state of automated radiation monitoring control system, hydrological monitoring, radiation situation in different areas, problems of radiation monitoring and protection of water objects, methods for determining radionuclidescontents, radiochemical mechanisms of radionuclide migration mobility in the Chernobyl' effluents, the results of investigations into migration of radionuclides in soils, landscapes, bottom depositions, in the soil-plant chain

Aquatic ecosystems within the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone: radioactive contamination, doses and effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gudkov, D.I.; Kuzmenko, M.I.; Krot, Y.G.; Kipnis, L.S.; Mardarevich, M.G.; Ponomaryov, A.V.; Derevets, V.V.; Nazarov, A.B.

2003-01-01

For past 17 years after accident the character of radioactive contamination of water objects within the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone has undergone essential changes. First of all it connected with realisation on a wide area of deactivation works, and also with transformation of radioactive substances in water-soil systems. Besides, during 1991-95 the complex of hydraulic engineering structures as protection dams, interfering washing away of radioactive substances from soils of the left-bank catchment basin and changed a hydrological regime of these territories during a high water, was constructed. The levels of radionuclide contamination of water objects within the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone was rather stabilised. Due to high water change rate the river bottom sediments have undergone decontamination processes (especially during floods and periods of high water) and over the years have ceased to play the essential role as a secondary source of water contamination. On the other hand, the closed reservoirs have considerably higher levels of radioactive contamination caused by limited water change and by relatively high concentration of radionuclides deposited in the bottom sediments. Therefore, for the majority of standing reservoirs the level of radionuclide content is determined mainly by the rates of mobile radionuclide forms exchange between bottom sediment and water, as well as by the external washout from the catchment basin. In this paper will be considered: (1) the latest data on radionuclide content (Sr-90, Cs-137, Pu-238, Pu-239+240 and Am-241) and dynamics in water, seston, bottom sediments and hydrobionts of different trophic levels and ecological groups; (2) the peculiarities of formation of vegetative communities from lakes within embankment territory of Pripyat River flood-lands and its impact on radionuclide redistribution in aquatic ecosystems; (3) the major hydrochemical factors, which determine the behaviour of radionuclides in the aquatic

Chernobyl three years later: radiobiologic evaluation of a radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behar, A.; Cohen-Boulakia, F.; Othmani, S.

1990-01-01

On April 26, 1986, after partial fusion and confining loss by explosion of a nuclear reactor, 5 x 10(7) Ci of radionuclides escaped from Chernobyl. Three years later, maps show contamination by radioactive isotopes (formed during that period) of 21,000 km2 of Soviet soil, mainly in Byelorussia and part of the Ukraine. Decontamination measures have not been effective to date and 135,000 persons are being followed medically, taking into account the radioactive doses they received. An initial excess of morbidity from solid tumors has been noted much sooner than in the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but its significance is in dispute. Three years later, only the extent of the ecologic disaster caused by the radioactive contamination can be confirmed. It is too early to draw conclusions about radiation-induced carcinogenesis for the contaminated population

Chernobyl'-92. Reports of the 3. All-Union scientific and technical meeting on results of accident effect elimination at the Chernobyl' NPP. V. 1. Radiation monitoring. Migration of radionuclides in natural environment. Part 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senin, E.V.

1992-01-01

Section Radiation monitoring comprises: atlas of area radioactive contamination as a result of the Chernobyl' nuclear power station accident, state of computerized radiation control system, hydrological monitoring, radiation situation in different areas, problems of radioactive monitoring and protection of water objects, methods for determining radionuclides content, radiochemical mechanisms of radionuclide migration mobility of the Chernobyl' effluents, the results of investigations into migration of radionuclides in soils, landscapes, bottom depositions, in the soil-plant chain

Radioactive contamination of the Dutch soil in consequence of the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koester, H.W.; Mattern, F.C.M.; Pennders, R.M.J.

1987-01-01

As a consequence of the reactor accident in Chernobyl air, contaminated with radioactive materials, spread over the Netherlands. From 2nd May to 6th May, with dry and to a greater extent with wet deposits, important quantities of radionuclides came upon the earth surface. In this period the weather circumstances within the Netherlands differed strongly resulting in distinct variations in deposit. In this document a preliminary picture is given of the contamination of the Dutch bottom on the basis of soil samplings made in the first few months after the accident. No attention is paid to geographic differences in bottom contamination. The contamination of the bottom is expressed in Bq/kg dry soil as well as in Bq/m 2 soil. 5 refs.; 6 tabs. (H.W.)

Strontium measurement results from the Federal Republic of Germany and from Switzerland after the Chernobyl reactor accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neu, A.; Goll, L.; Voelkle, H.; Winter, M.

1987-10-01

The Working Group Environmental Monitoring (AKU) of Fachverband fuer Strahlenschutz e.V. (Radiation Protection Association) performed an inquiry about the time after the Chernobyl reactor accident concerning the results of strontium-90 measurements carried out for the territories of the Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland. The data suppliers listed in the report furnished to AKU results of Sr-90 measurements made on approximately 1000 samples in total. The individual measuring results have been entered into separate tables in a uniform representation. The tables also include the results of Sr-89-measurements as well as the Cs-137/Sr-90 ratios as far as they were available. The results of measurements presented here taken together prove that contamination with Sr-90 of the environmental media including food as a result of the Chernobyl fallout were only low in the Federal Republic of Germany and in Switzerland compared with the contamination due to the nuclides I-/131 and Cs-137. The same applies to the amount of Sr-90 transferred into the soil as compared with the level of existing contamination due to nuclear weapons fallout which has accumulated since the 60ies. (orig.) [de

Radioactive caesium contamination in human milk in Italy after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venuti, G.C.; Risica, S.; Rogani, A.

1991-01-01

A systematic study of human milk contamination due to the Chernobyl fall-out was conducted from May 1986 to December 1988 in the Rome area. A comparison was made with the contamination in the same period in other infant food, that is, cows' and powdered milk. The thyroid and effective dose equivalent for breast fed infants born in different periods were evaluated. Using average main food contamination data in the same area, an assessment of the transfer coefficient between the mothers' diet and their milk was performed. 40 K content of this milk was also measured and is discussed in the paper. An extension of the sampling to other areas was made in 1987 and 1988. (author)

Foliary contamination in the area of Bratislava (Czecho-Slovakia) after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koprda, V.

1991-01-01

The contamination of leaves of some ornamental and fruit-tree plants (18 species), herbs (6) and early leafy vegetable (2) were assessed in Bratislava and its vicinity through the first months after the Chernobyl accident. The levels of contamination showed local and temporal dependence. In October compared to its levels five months earlier, foliar contamination showed a relative 12 to 200-fold decrease of radioactivity. The effective half-life of the mixture of fission products in cumulative fallout on leaves changed on time after the accident from 4 days to 150 days. The soluble fraction of radioactive contaminants on plant foliage ranged from 0.12 to 0.64. (author) 7 refs.; 1 fig.; 3 tabs

Chernobyl, 25 years later, demographical situation and health problems in the contaminated territories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandajevski, Yury I.; Bandajevskaya, G.S.; Dubovaya, Natalia; Kadun, O.N.

2011-04-01

On April 26, 1986, the reactor no.4 of the Chernobyl power plant (Ukraine) exploded. The real human impact of this catastrophe is still unknown. Today, 1.4 million people, included 260.000 children, are living in contaminated areas. What is the population situation of these areas and what are the actual health problems encountered? Written by scientists who have worked for 25 years in contaminated areas, this book follows two goals: - providing the reader with verified and reliable information about the accident impacts on public health and demography; - proposing a remedial action plan aiming at improving the health of the populations living in the contaminated areas (named 'model of life system in a radioactivity contaminated territory'). (J.S.)

Assessment of the consequences of the radioactive contamination of aquatic media and biota for the Chernobyl NPP cooling pond: model testing using Chernobyl data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryshev, I.I.; Sazykina, T.G.; Hoffman, F.O.; Thiessen, K.M.; Blaylock, B.G.; Feng, Y.; Galeriu, D.; Heling, R.; Kryshev, A.I.; Kononovich, A.L.; Watkins, B.

1998-01-01

The 'Cooling Pond' scenario was designed to test models for radioactive contamination of aquatic ecosystems, based on data from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant cooling pond, which was heavily contaminated in 1986 as a result of the reactor accident. The calculation tasks include (a) reconstruction of the dynamics of radionuclide transfer and bioaccumulation in aquatic media and biota following the accident; (b) assessment of doses to aquatic biota; and (c) assessment of potential doses and radiation risks to humans from consumption of contaminated fish. Calculations for the Scenario were performed by 19 participants using 6 different models: LAKECO-B (Netherlands); LAKEPOND (Romania); POSOD (USA); WATER, GIDRO and ECOMOD-W (Russia). For all endpoints, model predictions were compared with the test data, which were derived from the results of direct measurements and independent dose estimates based on measurements. Most of the models gave satisfactory agreement for some portions of the test data, although very few participants obtained good agreement with all criteria for model testing. The greatest level of difficulty was with the prediction of non-equilibrium radioecological processes in the first year after the accident (1986). The calculations 5 for this scenario gave modellers a unique opportunity to test their models using an independent data base and to analyse the advantages and weaknesses of different model approaches. The use of post-Chernobyl data in such a scenario is also recommended for use in training students in the field of radioecology and environmental protection. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Radiological effects on populations of Oligochaeta in the Chernobyl contaminated zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsytsugina, V.G.; Polikarpov, G.G. E-mail: ggp@iur.sebastopol.ua

2003-07-01

A detailed investigation of 3 populations of Oligochaete species (Dero obtusa, Nais pseudobtusa and Nais pardalis) has been carried out in contaminated lake of the close-in Chernobyl zone and in a control lake. Hydrochemical indices and concentrations of heavy metals, chloro-organi compounds and {sup 90}Sr in bottom sediments have been measured. Absorbed doses were calculated on the basis of the results of radiochemical analysis an assessed directly with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). Stimulation of paratomous division (asexual reproduction) was found in one species of worm (D. obtusa), and activation of sexual reproduction in the two other specie studied. An increase in the amount of cytogenetic damage in the somatic cells of worms from the contaminated lake was found and an attempt was made to assess the relative contributions of radiation and chemical exposure on the basis of analyses of inter-cellular aberration distributions and the types of chromosome aberrations observed in the cells.

Secondary radioactive contamination of the Black Sea after Chernobyl accident: recent levels, pathways and trends.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulin, S B; Mirzoyeva, N Yu; Egorov, V N; Polikarpov, G G; Sidorov, I G; Proskurnin, V Yu

2013-10-01

The recent radionuclide measurements have showed that concentrations of the Chernobyl-derived (137)Cs and (90)Sr in the surface Black Sea waters are still relatively high, reaching 56 and 32 Bq m(-3), respectively. This is comparable or even exceeds the pre-Chernobyl levels (∼16 Bq (137)Cs and 22 Bq (90)Sr per m(3) as the basin-wide average values). The measurements have revealed that the Black Sea continues to receive Chernobyl radionuclides, particularly (90)Sr, by the runoff from the Dnieper River. An additional source of (90)Sr and (137)Cs was found in the area adjacent to the Kerch Strait that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. This may be caused by the inflow of the contaminated Dnieper waters, which come to this area through the North-Crimean Canal. The long-term monitoring of (137)Cs and (90)Sr concentration in the Black Sea surface waters and in the benthic brown seaweed Cystoseira sp., in comparison with the earlier published sediment records of the radionuclides, have showed signs of a secondary radioactive contamination, which has started to increase since the late 1990's. This may be the result of the combined effect of a higher input of radionuclides from the rivers in 1995-1999 due to an increased runoff; and a slow transport of the particulate bound radionuclides from the watersheds followed by their desorption in seawater from the riverine suspended matter and remobilization from the sediments adjacent to the river mouths. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The consequences of radioactive contamination of forest ecosystems due to Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tikhomirov, F.A.; Shcheglova, A.I.

1997-01-01

The effect of forests on the radionuclide primary distribution in different components of the contaminated ecosystems is considered by the example of Chernobyl accident. A basic mathematical model is developed describing 137 Cs biogeochemical cycling under conditions of quasi-steady state radionuclide redistribution in the ecosystem. Forest ecosystems are proved to diminish radionuclide migration in the environment, and forest should be regarded as an important sanitary factor. The contribution of contaminated forests and forest products to the total irradiation dose to local population is estimated. Special countermeasures are elaborated in order to diminish unfavorable consequences of forest radioactive contamination. A long-term dynamics of radioactive situation in the forest ecosystems in forecasted and further studies on the subject are drafted

Chernobyl from the point of view of disaster sociology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesvetajlov, G.A.

1992-01-01

Some social aspects of the Chernobyl accident for Belarus are considered. The information system of publications on this theme is analyzed. The influence of various factors of the Chernobyl accident on social changes in the areas of radioactive contamination is investigated. The Chernobyl subculture formation process in the contaminated areas is considered. Practical recommendations of sociologists on the elimination of the Chernobyl catastrophe effects are given. 12 refs

Microbial diversity in contaminated soils along the T22 trench of the Chernobyl experimental platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chapon, Virginie [CEA, DSV, IBEB, SBVME, LIPM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); CNRS, UMR 6191, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Universite d' Aix-Marseille, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Piette, Laurie [CEA, DSV, IBEB, SBVME, LIPM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); CNRS, UMR 6191, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Universite d' Aix-Marseille, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Vesvres, Marie-Helene [Universite de Bordeaux 1/CNRS-IN2P3, UMR 5797, CENBG, POB 120, F-33175 Gradignan cedex (France); Coppin, Frederic [IRSN, DEI/SECRE/LRE-Bat 186, B.P.3, Cadarache Center, F-13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance cedex (France); Marrec, Claire Le [ISVV, UMR 1219, Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux/INRA, POB 50008, F-33882 Villenave d' Ornon (France); Christen, Richard [Universite de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Centre de Biochimie, Parc Valrose, F-06108 Nice (France); CNRS, UMR 6543, Centre de Biochimie, Parc Valrose, F-06108 Nice (France); Theodorakopoulos, Nicolas [CEA, DSV, IBEB, SBVME, LIPM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); CNRS, UMR 6191, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Universite d' Aix-Marseille, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Universite de Bordeaux 1/CNRS-IN2P3, UMR 5797, CENBG, POB 120, F-33175 Gradignan cedex (France); IRSN, DEI/SECRE/LRE-Bat 186, B.P.3, Cadarache Center, F-13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance cedex (France); Fevrier, Laureline [IRSN, DEI/SECRE/LRE-Bat 186, B.P.3, Cadarache Center, F-13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance cedex (France); others, and

2012-07-15

The diversity of bacterial communities exposed to radioactive contamination in Chernobyl soils was examined by a combination of molecular and culture-based approaches. A set of six radioactive soil samples, exhibiting high levels of {sup 137}Cs contamination, were collected from the T22 trench. Three samples were also collected in nearby soils with low contamination. Complex bacterial community structures were observed in both highly and weakly contaminated samples, using a molecular approach targeting the 16S rRNA gene. However, the presence of specific populations within samples from highly contaminated soils could not be revealed by statistical analysis of the DGGE profiles. More than 200 culturable isolates, representative of dominant morphotypes, were grouped into 83 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) and affiliated to Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-Proteobacteria and Bacteroiedetes. No specific pattern linked to contamination was observed for these culturable bacteria. The results show that both highly and weakly contaminated soils host a wide diversity of bacteria, suggesting that long term exposure to radionuclides does not lead to the extinction of bacterial diversity.

Microbial diversity in contaminated soils along the T22 trench of the Chernobyl experimental platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapon, Virginie; Piette, Laurie; Vesvres, Marie-Hélène; Coppin, Frédéric; Marrec, Claire Le; Christen, Richard; Theodorakopoulos, Nicolas; Février, Laureline

2012-01-01

The diversity of bacterial communities exposed to radioactive contamination in Chernobyl soils was examined by a combination of molecular and culture-based approaches. A set of six radioactive soil samples, exhibiting high levels of 137 Cs contamination, were collected from the T22 trench. Three samples were also collected in nearby soils with low contamination. Complex bacterial community structures were observed in both highly and weakly contaminated samples, using a molecular approach targeting the 16S rRNA gene. However, the presence of specific populations within samples from highly contaminated soils could not be revealed by statistical analysis of the DGGE profiles. More than 200 culturable isolates, representative of dominant morphotypes, were grouped into 83 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) and affiliated to Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-Proteobacteria and Bacteroïdetes. No specific pattern linked to contamination was observed for these culturable bacteria. The results show that both highly and weakly contaminated soils host a wide diversity of bacteria, suggesting that long term exposure to radionuclides does not lead to the extinction of bacterial diversity.

Aspermy, Sperm Quality and Radiation in Chernobyl Birds

Science.gov (United States)

Møller, Anders Pape; Bonisoli-Alquati, Andrea; Mousseau, Timothy A.; Rudolfsen, Geir

2014-01-01

Background Following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, large amounts of radionuclides were emitted and spread in the environment. Animals living in such contaminated areas are predicted to suffer fitness costs including reductions in the quality and quantity of gametes. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied whether aspermy and sperm quality were affected by radioactive contamination by examining ejaculates from wild caught birds breeding in areas varying in background radiation level by more than three orders of magnitude around Chernobyl, Ukraine. The frequency of males with aspermy increased logarithmically with radiation level. While 18.4% of males from contaminated areas had no sperm that was only the case for 3.0% of males from uncontaminated control areas. Furthermore, there were negative relationships between sperm quality as reflected by reduced sperm velocity and motility, respectively, and radiation. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that radioactive contamination around Chernobyl affects sperm production and quality. We are the first to report an interspecific difference in sperm quality in relation to radioactive contamination. PMID:24963711

Radiochemical Procedures Used at Iaea-Ilmr Monaco for Measuring Artificial Radionuclides Resulting from the Chernobyl Accident

Science.gov (United States)

Ballestra, S.; Gastaud, J.; Lopez, J. J.

The Chernobyl accident which occurred on 26 April 1986 resulted in relatively high levels of radioactive fallout over the major part of Europe. Air filter and precipitation samples enabled us to follow the contamination from the accident. In addition contamination was also monitored in selected environmental samples such as seaweeds, sea water, sediment, soil, suspended matter and biological material from the Mediterranean. All samples were counted on Ge(Li) or Ge(HP) detectors to determine the type and quantity of gamma emitting radionuclides and plutonium, americium and curium isotopes were separated and measured using radiochemical techniques and alpha counting. Increased atmospheric radioactivity from the Chernobyl accident was first detected by observing increased activity levels on air filters taken on April 30, 1986, with maximum activities occurring during 1-3 May. Most of the radionuclides initially measured were short-lived fission products. Cs-137 was one of the predominant isotope in the fallout debris and its deposition at Monaco due to Chernobyl was estimated to be around 1400 Bq m-2, which represents 25-40% of the integrated fallout at this latitude. The deposition of Pu-239+240 was much smaller and was estimated to be around 10 mBq m-2 or only 0.1% of the total deposition from nuclear weapon testing.

Earthworm populations in soils contaminated by the Chernobyl atomic power station accident, 1986-1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivolutzkii, D.A.; Pokarzhevskii, A.D.; Viktorov, A.G.

1992-01-01

A study of earthworm populations in the 30 km zone around the Chernobyl atomic power station was carried out in 1986-1988. Significant differences in earthworm population numbers were found between highly contaminated and control plots in summer and autumn 1986 and in April 1987. But in the autumn of 1988 the earthworm population numbers in contaminated plots were higher than in the control plots. The ratio of mature to immature specimens was higher in 1986 in the contaminated plots in comparison with the control plots. Only one species of earthworms, Dendrobaena octahedra, was found in contaminated forest plots during the first 2 yr following the accident but in the control forest plots Apporectodea caliginosa was also found. (author)

The Chernobyl Catastrophe. Consequences on Human Health

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yablokov, A.; Labunska, I.; Blokov, I. (eds.)

2006-04-15

Twenty years after the Chernobyl disaster, the need for continued study of its far-reaching consequences remains as great as ever. Several million people (by various estimates, from 5 to 8 million) still reside in areas that will remain highly contaminated by Chernobyl's radioactive pollution for many years to come. Since the half-life of the major (though far from the only) radioactive element released, caesium-137 (137Cs), is a little over 30 years, the radiological (and hence health) consequences of this nuclear accident will continue to be experienced for centuries to come. This event had its greatest impacts on three neighbouring former Soviet republics: Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The impacts, however, extended far more widely. More than half of the caesium-137 emitted as a result of the explosion was carried in the atmosphere to other European countries. At least fourteen other countries in Europe (Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova and Greece) were contaminated by radiation levels above the 1 Ci/km{sup 2} (or 37 kBq/m{sup 2}), limit used to define areas as 'contaminated'. Lower, but nonetheless substantial quantities of radioactivity linked to the Chernobyl accident were detected all over the European continent, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and in Asia. Despite the documented geographical extent and seriousness of the contamination caused by the accident, the totality of impacts on ecosystems, human health, economic performance and social structures remains unknown. In all cases, however, such impacts are likely to be extensive and long lasting. Drawing together contributions from numerous research scientists and health professionals, including many from the Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation, this report addresses one of these aspects, namely the nature and scope of the long-term consequences for human health. The range

Investigation on the health effects and radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagataki, Shigenobu; Yokoyama, Naokata

1996-01-01

In the screening of the thyroid diseases in the radiation cohort, it is essential to make correct diagnosis, to measure radiation dose in every subjects and to analyze the dose response relationship by the most appropriate statistical method. Based on experiences of atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki, children around Chernobyl area were examined. In the Chernobyl accident, various investigations were supported by many international organizations and groups in the world. More than 80,000 children were screened in 5 diagnostic centers; Klincy in Russia, Mogilev and Gomel in Beralus and Kiev and Korosten in Ukraine. Children with thyroid cancer confirmed by histology were 2 in Mogilev. 19 in Gomel, 6 in Kiev, 5 in Korosten and 4 in Klincy until the end of 1994. The prevalence of thyroid cancer was remarkably high (lowest 100 and highest 1,000/million children), compared to the other parts of the world (0.2 to 5/millions/year). However, there was no dose response relationship between the prevalence of thyroid diseases and whole body 137 Cs radioactivity or the soil 137 Cs radio contaminated levels. Although a significant correlation between thyroid cancer and reconstructed thyroid 131 I dose was presented, there are no previous reports to prove that 131 I produces thyroid cancer in human. It is concluded about childhood thyroid cancer around Chernobyl that; it is confirmed that there are many children with thyroid cancer in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia and its diagnosis is correct. The increases of the incidence of thyroid cancer after the Chernobyl accident is probable confirmed. It is suspected but no confirmed that cause of thyroid cancer is the radioactive fallout of Chernobyl accident. Investigation on internal radiation and short lived isotopes along with 131 I may be important to elucidate the cause of thyroid cancer. (K.H.)

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident: ecotoxicological update

Science.gov (United States)

Eisler, R.; Hoffman, David J.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Burton, G. Allen; Cairns, John

2003-01-01

The accident at the Chernobyl, Ukraine, nuclear reactor on 26 April 1986 released large amounts of radiocesium and other radionuclides into the environment, contaminating much of the northern hemisphere, especially Europe. In the vicinity of Chernobyl, at least 30 people died, more than 115,000 others were evacuated, and consumption of milk and other foods was banned because of radiocontamination. At least 14,000 human cancer deaths are expected in Russia, Belarus, and the Ukraine as a direct result of Chernobyl. The most sensitive local ecosystems, as judged by survival, were the soil fauna, pine forest communities, and certain populations of rodents. Elsewhere, fallout from Chernobyl significantly contaminated freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and flesh and milk of domestic livestock; in many cases, radionuclide concentrations in biological samples exceeded current radiation protection guidelines. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Scandinavia were among the most seriously afflicted by Chernobyl fallout, probably because their main food during winter (lichens) is an efficient absorber of airborne particles containing radiocesium. Some reindeer calves contaminated with 137Cs from Chernobyl showed 137Cs-dependent decreases in survival and increases in frequency of chromosomal aberrations. Although radiation levels in the biosphere are declining with time, latent effects of initial exposure--including an increased frequency of thyroid and other cancers--are now measurable. The full effect of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident on natural resources will probably not be known for at least several decades because of gaps in data on long-term genetic and reproductive effects and on radiocesium cycling and toxicokinetics.

Chernobyl'-88. Reports of the 1. All-Union scientific and technical meeting on results of accident effect elimination at the Chernobyl' NPP. V. 4. Organization of accident effect elimination and prospects of the 30-km zone use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatenko, E.I.

1989-01-01

Some results of liquidation of the Chernobyl' NPP accident effects and main principles of the zone development are discussed. The problems of management for the zone territory and natural objects and the ways for wood industry development are considered. The state estimation and forecasting for conifers in the zone, wood ecosystem radioactive contamination effects, analysis of conifer genetic effects are made. The results of physical-mathematical simulation of formation of the Chernobyl' NPP near zone territory contamination with long-living radionuclides are given. The protection ability of the aeration zone soil-grounds within the boundaries of radiogeochemical effects of radioactive effluents from internal surfaces of air conduit and ventilation duct during ventilation system operation is estimated

Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bar'yakhtar, V.G.

1995-01-01

The monograph contains the catastrophe's events chronology, the efficiency assessed of those measures assumed for their localization as well as their environmental and socio-economic impact. Among materials of the monograph the results are presented of research on the radioactive contamination field forming as well as those concerning the investigation of biogeochemical properties of Chernobyl radionuclides and their migration process in the environment of the Ukraine. The data dealing with biological effects of the continued combined internal and external radioactive influence on plants, animals and human health under the circumstances of Chernobyl accident are of the special interest. In order to provide the scientific generalizing information on the medical aspects of Chernobyl catastrophe, the great part of the monograph is allotted to appraise those factors affecting the health of different population groups as well as to depict clinic aspects of Chernobyl events and medico-sanitarian help system. The National Programme of Ukraine for the accident consequences elimination and population social protection assuring for the years 1986-1993 and this Programme concept for the period up to the year 2000 with a special regard of the world community participation there

Secondary radioactive contamination of the Black Sea after Chernobyl accident: recent levels, pathways and trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulin, S.B.; Mirzoyeva, N.Yu.; Egorov, V.N.; Polikarpov, G.G.; Sidorov, I.G.; Proskurnin, V.Yu.

2013-01-01

The recent radionuclide measurements have showed that concentrations of the Chernobyl-derived 137 Cs and 90 Sr in the surface Black Sea waters are still relatively high, reaching 56 and 32 Bq m −3 , respectively. This is comparable or even exceeds the pre-Chernobyl levels (∼16 Bq 137 Cs and 22 Bq 90 Sr per m 3 as the basin-wide average values). The measurements have revealed that the Black Sea continues to receive Chernobyl radionuclides, particularly 90 Sr, by the runoff from the Dnieper River. An additional source of 90 Sr and 137 Cs was found in the area adjacent to the Kerch Strait that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. This may be caused by the inflow of the contaminated Dnieper waters, which come to this area through the North-Crimean Canal. The long-term monitoring of 137 Cs and 90 Sr concentration in the Black Sea surface waters and in the benthic brown seaweed Cystoseira sp., in comparison with the earlier published sediment records of the radionuclides, have showed signs of a secondary radioactive contamination, which has started to increase since the late 1990's. This may be the result of the combined effect of a higher input of radionuclides from the rivers in 1995–1999 due to an increased runoff; and a slow transport of the particulate bound radionuclides from the watersheds followed by their desorption in seawater from the riverine suspended matter and remobilization from the sediments adjacent to the river mouths. -- Highlights: • Concentration of 137 Cs and 90 Sr in the Black Sea water is still relatively high. • The Black Sea continues to receive considerable radionuclide amount from the rivers. • The North-Crimean Canal is significant source of the Black Sea radioactivity. • Secondary radioactive contamination of the Black Sea increased in the late 1990's. • Radionuclide remobilization from sediments leads to a further Black Sea pollution

Using on based molecular biology approaches to assess plant elusive responses mechanisms to chronic ionizing radiation in radionuclide contaminated Chernobyl zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashydov, N.; Hajduch, M.

2014-01-01

Full text : It is well known that the Chernobyl accident released large amounts of radioactive isotopes into the environment. As a consequence, the vicinity of Chernobyl Nuclear power Plant remains contaminated with long-lived radionuclide such as 137Cs, 90Sr and several transuranic isotopes. There have been a few molecular analyses of plants grown in the radio-contaminated Chernobyl area, but there is as yet no broad understanding of the mechanisms that underlie their survival or success. Much research has addressed the nature of mutation sites in DNA, changes in signaling networks, epigenetic changes, changes at the transcription level, protein level. All of these must be considered when designing a global strategy for understanding the far discovering elusive of resistance and adaptive mechanisms of plants to chronic ionizing radiation

Evaluation of the Relationship between Current Internal 137Cs Exposure in Residents and Soil Contamination West of Chernobyl in Northern Ukraine.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Yuko; Okubo, Yuka; Hayashida, Naomi; Takahashi, Jumpei; Gutevich, Alexander; Chorniy, Sergiy; Kudo, Takashi; Takamura, Noboru

2015-01-01

After the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, the residents living around the Chernobyl were revealed to have been internally exposed to 137Cs through the intake of contaminated local foods. To evaluate the current situation of internal 137Cs exposure and the relationship between the 137Cs soil contamination and internal exposure in residents, we investigated the 137Cs body burden in residents who were living in 10 selected cities from the northern part of the Zhitomir region, Ukraine, and collected soil samples from three family farms and wild forests of each city to measured 137Cs concentrations. The total number of study participants was 36,862, of which 68.9% of them were female. After 2010, the annual effective doses were less than 0.1 mSv in over 90% of the residents. The 137Cs body burden was significantly higher in autumn than other seasons (p Chernobyl accident, the internal exposure doses to residents living in contaminated areas of northern Ukraine is limited but still related to 137Cs soil contamination. Furthermore, the consumption of local foods is considered to be the cause of internal exposure.

Some radioactivity concentrations and ingestion dose projections arising from consumption of food containing Chernobyl contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paz, L.R. de la; Palattao, M.V.; Estacio, J.F.L.; Anden, A.

1987-04-01

Doses arising from the ingestion of radioactive contamination coming from Chernobyl accident are calculated using various radioactivity limits adopted by different organizations after the accident. These are compared with that allowed in the Philippines. Projected concentrations of Cs-137 and Cs-134 in various food items in the affected countries, one month and one year after the accident are calculated using a model proposed by Boone, Ng and Palms. Except for food produced in one or two hot spots, the projected concentrations after one year are expected to return to within the range of pre-Chernobyl values. (Auth.) 12 refs.; 13 tabs.; 6 figs

Chernobyl, 14 years later; Tchernobyl, 14 ans apres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

This report draws an account of the consequences of Chernobyl accident 14 years after the disaster. It is made up of 8 chapters whose titles are: (1) Some figures about Chernobyl accident, (2) Chernobyl nuclear power plant, (3)Sanitary consequences of Chernobyl accident, (4) The management of contaminated lands, (5) The impact in France of Chernobyl fallout, (6) International cooperation, (7) More information about Chernobyl and (8) Glossary.

Structural-genetic approach to analysis and mapping of Chernobyl's radionuclide contamination field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proskura, N.I.; Bujkov, M.; Nagorsky, V.A.; Tepikin, V.; Poletaev, V.; Solyanke, E.G.; Shkvorets, O.Y.; Shestopalov, V.M.; Skvortsov, V.

1997-01-01

As a main tool for revealing and interpreting the internal structure of radionuclide contamination field, around the Chernobyl NPP the reliable and validated detailed scale maps of contamination densities could serve. Such maps should have, on the one hand, a high enough density of initial observation points (not less than 1 to 10 points per 1 sq.cm. of final map) and, on the other hand, a high representativeness of each observation point, i.e. reliability of presentation of its vicinity (0.1 to 1 sq.km). The available analytical data files of soil sampling in the exclusion zone conform neither to the first requirement, nor to the second one: real density of sampling does not exceed 0-2 to 0.5 points per 1 sq.m, and the representativeness of obtained results has a typical variation from medium values (in the neighbourhood of 0.1 to 1 sq.km) to 3 to 5 times

Introduction: geoscientific knowledgebase of Chernobyl and Fukushima

Science.gov (United States)

Yamauchi, Masatoshi; Voitsekhovych, Oleg; Korobova, Elena; Stohl, Andreas; Wotawa, Gerhard; Kita, Kazuyuki; Aoyama, Michio; Yoshida, Naohiro

2013-04-01

Radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) accidents is a multi-disciplinary geoscience problem. Just this session (GI1.4) contains presentations of (i) atmospheric transport for both short and long distances, (ii) aerosol physics and chemistry, (ii) geophysical measurement method and logistics, (iv) inversion method to estimate the geophysical source term and decay, (v) transport, migration, and sedimentation in the surface water system, (vi) transport and sedimentation in the ocean, (vii) soil chemistry and physics, (viii) forest ecosystem, (ix) risk assessments, which are inter-related to each other. Because of rareness of a severe accident like Chernobyl and Fukushima, the Chernobyl's 27 years experience is the only knowledgebase that provides a good guidance for the Fukushima case in understanding the physical/chemical processes related to the environmental radioactive contamination and in providing future prospectives, e.g., what we should do next for the observation/remediation. Unfortunately, the multi-disciplinary nature of the radioactive contamination problem makes it very difficult for a single scientist to obtain the overview of all geoscientific aspects of the Chernobyl experience. The aim of this introductory talk is to give a comprehensive knowledge of the wide geoscientific aspects of the Chernobyl contamination to Fukushima-related geoscience community.

The Chernobyl Trace in Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pokumejko, J.M.; Matveyenko, I.I.; Germenchuk, M.G.

1996-01-01

It is described the radiation contamination of territory of the Republic of Belarus in 1996 as result of the Chernobyl NPP accident. The maps and diagrams showing a radiation situation in the republic are given. 24 figs

Radionuclide migration in the Chernobyl contamination zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golosov, V.N.; Panin, A.V.; Ivanova, N.N.

1998-01-01

It is well known that fallout of 137 Cs reaching the land soils with precipitation was rapidly and tightly sorbed to the fine fraction of sediment or soils. The majority of the 137 Cs is retained in the top few centimetres of the soil or sediment profiles (Loughran et al, 1993, Owens et al, 1996). In the absence of strong variations in precipitation over a relatively small area the total bomb-derived 137 Cs fallout can assumed to be spatial uniform. The Chernobyl 137 Cs fallout was mostly connected with one or two rains. So the spatial variability of this 137 Cs can be higher. Furthermore because the explosion on the Chernobyl nuclear plant happen together with fire, a lot of ashes particles with radionuclide were distributed within vast areas. So even microvariability of Chernobyl 137 Cs can be very high in some places. The horizontal migration of 137 Cs connects with soil erosion processes that dominate on the agricultural lands of the Central Russia. The main goal of this investigation is to evaluate the caesium-137 horizontal and vertical migration within typical landscape of the Central Russia 11 years after the Chernobyl accident

Historical and cultural legacy in the Chernobyl contaminated zone: the recommendations for its preservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filistovich, M.M.

1995-01-01

The Chernobyl accident has an effect not only on economics and environment of Belarus. Impact on historical and cultural inheritance of the republic have done. The descriptions of the main archaeological and architectural monuments on the contaminated territory are given. The recommendations for preservation of the historical and cultural inheritance are given for local authorities and state bodies of culture and education

Post-Chernobyl contamination of Belarus biosphere with plutonium and americium-241 radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudryashov, V.P.; Mironov, V.P.; Boulyga, S.F.; Lomonosova, E.M.; Kievets, M.K.; Yaroshevich, O.I.; Bazhanova, N.N.; Kanash, N.V.; Malenchenko, A.F.; Zhuk, I.V.

2001-01-01

The levels of Post-Chernobyl soil surface contamination in Belarus are presented, as well as the data on vertical migration of Pu and 241 Am in soils, on actinides concentrations in the near-ground air, sizes and the activity aerosol 'hot' particles, Pu content in organs and tissues in the inhabitants of Belarus. It is shown that hairs can be test-tissue for a lifetime assessment of the levels of Pu intake and content in the organism of a human being. (author)

Radiocesium in migratory bird species in northern Ireland following the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearce, J.

1995-01-01

Radioactive fallout arising form the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986 reached Northern Ireland in early May and was deposited in rain. However, the subsequent contamination of food supplies in Northern Ireland were well below national and international levels at which any action would be considered necessary and presented no risks to health. In addition to the direct contamination of food supplies with radionuclides in the form of fallout following the Chernobyl incident another potential source of radioactive contamination entering the human food chain was through the arrival of migratory species of game birds. Each autumn and winter many thousands of birds migrate to Northern Ireland from Northern and Eastern Europe and some of these could have been contaminated as a result of being directly affected by the fallout from Chernobyl. The purpose of this work was to examine the extend of radionuclide contamination in such species and a number of samples were obtained for analyses during the autumn/winter periods in 1986/87 and 1987/88. The results obtained are outlined below. 5 refs., 3 tabs

Some thoughts concerning the radioactive contamination of foodstuffs 10 years after the Chernobyl disaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szabo, S.A.

1997-01-01

Although the Chernobyl disaster happened 10 years ago (26 Apr. 1986), investigation of the radioactive contamination of the environmental is still in the focus of interest. However it can be established that the pollution level in Hungary- like other, from the place of accident rather far located countries - decreased significantly in the food chain in comparison with measured data in May-June, 1986. Practically the present contamination level (e.q. 137 Cs, 90 Sr) since 1989 is the same as it was in the years before the disaster. Since the level of artificial contamination is much less than the natural radioactivity (e.q. 40 K, 226 Ra) of the foodstuffs, the radiation burden caused by the consumed foodstuffs is negligible. (author)

Remediation strategies for contaminated territories resulting from Chernobyl accident. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, P.; Fesenko, S.; Firsakova, S.K.

2001-03-01

The present report realizes a settlement specific approach to derive remediation strategies and generalizes the results to the whole affected area. The ultimate aim of the study is to prepare possible investment projects on remediation activities in the contaminated territories. Its current aim was to identify the areas and the remedial actions that should be primarily supported and their corresponding cost. The present report starts with an outline of the methodology of deriving remediation strategies, a description of data for 70 representative settlements and of parameters of the remedial actions considered, and a classification of the contaminated territory according to radiological criteria. After summarising aspects of the contamination situation and applications of remedial actions in the past, dose calculations and derived remediation strategies for the representative settlements are described. These are generalized to the total contaminated territory. Within the contaminated territory private produce is of main importance for the radionuclide intake. At the end of the report, radiological aspects of the produce of collective farms are described. (orig.)

Inhibition of intestinal radiocaesium absorption from Chernobyl contaminated whey by hexacyanoferrates(II) in pigs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresow, B.; Asmus, J.; Fischer, R.; Nielsen, P.; Heinrich, H.C.

1993-01-01

The inhibition of radiocaesium transfer from Chernobyl contaminated whey powder to the pork and liver of fattening pigs using various dosages of different hexacyanoferrate (II) compounds (HCF) was studied under normal feeding conditions. Increasing amounts of all three hexacyanoferates tested resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the 134+137 Cs activity concentration in all of the tissues sampled. KFe[Fe(CN) 6 ] and NE 4 Fe(CN) 6 ] were effective to the same extent while Fe 4 [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3 was less effective at dosages of 1-3 g d -1 HCF. Administration of 10 g d -1 HCF resulted in an almost complete inhibition (>99%) of intestinal radiocaesium absorption for all three compounds. (Author)

Peculiarities of forming and dissemination of radioactive contamination in Iput' river after the Chernobyl NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhukova, O.M.; Shiryaeva, N.M.; Myshkina, N.K.; Shagalova, Eh.D.; Denisova, V.V.; Skurat, V.V.

2001-01-01

The process of radiation contamination forming of the river systems by Cs 137 and Sr 90 after the Chernobyl NPP accident was analyzed. It was shown that before 1990-1994 the river system contamination was formed by the initial falling out of radionuclides on the aquatic surface. After 2000 the contamination will form by means of entrance of radionuclides with surface flowing off from columbines. It was determined that the transboundary transport of radionuclides from the Russia territories influences essentially on contamination of Iput' river on the territory of Belarus. On the authors estimations such input was 30% for Cs 137 and 96% for Sr 90 in 1986, 86% for Cs 137 and 65% for Sr 90 at present

Estimation and justification of permissible levels of Sr 90 in firewood and timber produced on the territories contaminated after the Chernobyl NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zabrodskij, V.N.; Bondar', Yu.I.; Sadchikov, V.I.; Kalinin, V.N.

2014-01-01

The permissible levels of Sr 90 in firewood and timber produced on the radioactively contaminated territory are calculated and justified. They are proposed to be used on the territories contaminated after the Chernobyl accident. (authors)

High 36Cl/Cl ratios in Chernobyl groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roux, Céline; Le Gal La Salle, Corinne; Simonucci, Caroline; Van Meir, Nathalie; Fifield, L. Keith; Diez, Olivier; Bassot, Sylvain

2014-01-01

After the explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April 1986, contaminated material was buried in shallow trenches within the exclusion zone. A 90 Sr plume was evidenced downgradient of one of these trenches, trench T22. Due to its conservative properties, 36 Cl is investigated here as a potential tracer to determine the maximal extent of the contamination plume from the trench in groundwater. 36 Cl/Cl ratios measured in groundwater, trench soil water and leaf leachates are 1–5 orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical natural 36 Cl/Cl ratio. This contamination occurred after the Chernobyl explosion and currently persists. Trench T22 acts as an obvious modern point source of 36 Cl, however other sources have to be involved to explain such contamination. 36 Cl contamination of groundwater can be explained by dilution of trench soil water by uncontaminated water (rainwater or deep groundwater). With a plume extending further than that of 90 Sr, radionuclide which is impacted by retention and decay processes, 36 Cl can be considered as a suitable tracer of contamination from the trench in groundwater provided that modern release processes of 36 Cl from trench soil are better characterized. - Highlights: • High 36 Cl/Cl ratios measured in the Chernobyl Pilot Site groundwater. • Trench T22 acts as a modern source of groundwater contamination by 36 Cl but other sources are involved. • Contamination results from dilution of a contaminated “T22” soil water with rainwater. • Processes involved in the modern release need to be investigated

Biological dosimetric studies in the Chernobyl radiation accident, on populations living in the contaminated areas (Gomel regions) and in Estonian clean-up workers, using FISH technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darroudi, F.; Natarajan, A.T.

1996-01-01

In order to perform retrospective estimations of radiation doses seven years after the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of individuals living in contaminated areas around Chernobyl and the Estonian clean-up workers were determined. The first study group composed of 45 individuals living in four areas (i.e. Rechitsa, Komsomolski, Choiniki and Zaspa) in the vicinity (80-125 km) of Chernobyl and 20 individuals living in Minsk (control group - 340 km from Chernobyl). The second study group (Estonian clean-up workers) composed of 26 individuals involved in cleaning up the Chernobyl for a different period of time (up to 7 months) and a matched control group consisting of 9 probands. Unstable aberrations (dicentrics and rings) were scored in Giemsa stained preparations and stable aberrations (translocations) were analyzed using chromosome specific DNA libraries and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique. For both study groups the estimated average dose is between 0,1-0,4 Gy. Among the people living in the contaminated areas in the vicinity of Chernobyl, a higher frequency of numerical aberrations (i.e. trisomy, hyper diploidy) was evident

Remediation strategies for rural territories contaminated by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, P.; Fesenko, S.; Firsakova, S.K.; Likhtarev, I.A.; Schotola, C.; Alexakhin, R.M.; Zhuchenko, Y.M.; Kovgan, L.; Sanzharova, N.I.; Ageyets, V.

2001-01-01

The objective of the present paper is to derive remediation strategies for rural settlements contaminated by the Chernobyl accident in which annual doses to a critical group still exceed 1 mSv. Extensive radioecological data have been collected for 70 contaminated settlements. A dose model based on these data resulted in estimates that are on average close to and a bit less than the official dose estimates ('catalogue doses') published by the responsible Ministries of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. For eight remedial actions that can be applied on a large scale, effectiveness and costs have been assessed in light of their dependence on soil type, contamination level and on the degree of previous application of remedial actions. Remediation strategies were derived for each of the 70 settlements by choosing remedial actions with lowest costs per averted dose and with highest degree of acceptability among the farmers and local authorities until annual doses are assessed to fall below 1 mSv. The results were generalised to 11 contamination/internal-dose categories. The total numbers of rural inhabitants and privately owned cows in the three countries distributed over the categories were determined and predicted until the year 2015. Based on these data, costs and averted doses were derived for the whole affected population. The main results are (i) about 2000 Sv can be averted at relatively low costs, (ii) the emphasis on reducing external exposures should be increased, (iii) radical improvement of hay-land and meadows and application of Prussian blue to cows should be performed on a large scale if annual doses of 1 mSv are an aim to be achieved, (iv) additional remedial actions of importance are fertilising of potato fields, distribution of food monitors and restriction of mushroom consumption, and (v) for inhabitants of some settlements (in total about 8600) annual doses cannot be reduced below 1 mSv by the remedial actions considered

Chernobyl, 13 years after

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regniault-Lacharme, Mireille; Metivier, Henri

1999-04-01

This is an annual report, regularly issued by IPSN, that presents the ecological and health consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. The present status of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, which Ukraine engaged to stop definitively in year 2000, is summarized. The only reactor unit now in operation is Chernobylsk-3 Reactor which poses two safety questions: evolution of cracks in part of the tubing and behaviour of the pressure tubes. Although, some improvements in the RBMK reactor types were introduced, problems remain that make IPSN to stress the requirement of stopping this NPP completely. In the contaminated territories surrounding Chernobyl incidence rate of infant thyroid cancers continues to grow, reaching values 10 to 100 times higher than the natural rate. In France the IPSN analyzed 60,000 records carried out in 17 sites during May 1986 and April 1989. It was estimated that the individual dose received during 60 years (1986-2046) by the inhabitants of the most affected zone (eastern France) is lower than 1.5 mSv, a value lower than 1% of the natural cosmic and telluric radioactivity exposure for the same period. For the persons assumed to live in the most attacked forests (from eastern France) and nourishing daily with venison and mushrooms the highest estimate is 1 mSv a year. Concerning the 'hot spots', identified in mountains by IPSN and CRIIRAD, the doses received by excursionists are around 0.015 mSv. For an average inhabitant of the country the dose piled up in the thyroid due to iodine-131 fallout is estimated to 0.5-2 mSv for an adult and 6.5-16 mSv for an infant. These doses are 100 to 1000 times lower than the ones to which the infants living in the neighbourhood of Chernobyl are exposed to. The contents of the report is displayed in the following six chapters: 1. Chernobyl in some figures; 2. The 'sarcophagus' and the reactors of the Chernobyl NPP; 3. Health consequences of the Chernobyl accident;. 4. The impact of Chernobyl fallout in France

Chernobyl its effect on Ireland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunningham, J.D.; MacNeill, G.; Pollard, D.

1987-03-01

This report reviews the results of the measurements made during the first six months after the Chernobyl accident to determine the extent of the resultant environmental contamination. Estimates are presented of the individual and collective doses received by the public during the first six months and the first year after the accident

Caesium-137 behaviour in small agricultural catchments on the area of the Chernobyl contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kvasnikova, E.V.; Stukin, E.D.; Golosov, V.N.; Ivanova, N.N.; Panin, A.V.

1999-01-01

The vertical distribution of 137 Cs from the Chernobyl accident in soils of the basin of the Gusinaya Lapka dry river, situated in the Eastern region, 550 km from the reactor, has been investigated. In this area the 137 Cs contamination levels range between 250 and 502 kBq.m -2 . In the accumulation zones, at the bottom of the valley, the sediment deposits over the last ten years represent a layer of not more than 10 cm. On arable lands, the erosion processes are limited and no perceptible redistribution of 137 Cs could be observed, except at the transition between ploughed lands on the inter-rivers and meadows on the Balka slopes. This study demonstrates the potential use of the 137 Cs from the Chernobyl accident for the quantification of the soil erosion process. (author)

Effects of radionuclide contamination on leaf litter decomposition in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonzom, Jean-Marc; Hättenschwiler, Stephan; Lecomte-Pradines, Catherine; Chauvet, Eric; Gaschak, Sergey; Beaugelin-Seiller, Karine; Della-Vedova, Claire; Dubourg, Nicolas; Maksimenko, Andrey; Garnier-Laplace, Jacqueline; Adam-Guillermin, Christelle

2016-08-15

The effects of radioactive contamination on ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition remain largely unknown. Because radionuclides accumulated in soil and plant biomass can be harmful for organisms, the functioning of ecosystems may be altered by radioactive contamination. Here, we tested the hypothesis that decomposition is impaired by increasing levels of radioactivity in the environment by exposing uncontaminated leaf litter from silver birch and black alder at (i) eleven distant forest sites differing in ambient radiation levels (0.22-15μGyh(-1)) and (ii) along a short distance gradient of radioactive contamination (1.2-29μGyh(-1)) within a single forest in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In addition to measuring ambient external dose rates, we estimated the average total dose rates (ATDRs) absorbed by decomposers for an accurate estimate of dose-induced ecological consequences of radioactive pollution. Taking into account potential confounding factors (soil pH, moisture, texture, and organic carbon content), the results from the eleven distant forest sites, and from the single forest, showed increased litter mass loss with increasing ATDRs from 0.3 to 150μGyh(-1). This unexpected result may be due to (i) overcompensation of decomposer organisms exposed to radionuclides leading to a higher decomposer abundance (hormetic effect), and/or (ii) from preferred feeding by decomposers on the uncontaminated leaf litter used for our experiment compared to locally produced, contaminated leaf litter. Our data indicate that radio-contamination of forest ecosystems over more than two decades does not necessarily have detrimental effects on organic matter decay. However, further studies are needed to unravel the underlying mechanisms of the results reported here, in order to draw firmer conclusions on how radio-contamination affects decomposition and associated ecosystem processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dispersal, deposition and collective doses after the Chernobyl disaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Fairlie, Ian

2007-01-01

This article discusses the dispersal, deposition and collective doses of the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident. It explains that, although Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were heavily contaminated by the Chernobyl fallout, more than half of the fallout was deposited outside these countries, particularly in Western Europe. Indeed, about 40 per cent of the surface area of Europe was contaminated. Collective doses are predicted to result in 30,000 to 60,000 excess cancer deaths throughout the northern hemisphere, mostly in western Europe. The article also estimates that the caesium-137 source term was about a third higher than official figures.

Uptake of americium-241 by plants from contaminated Chernobyl exclusive zone test site soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashydov, N.M.

2002-01-01

Americium-241 was found to accumulate in soils and biological objects of the environment. Its concentration has increased many times after the Chernobyl disaster and can be expected to increase about 40 times in the future. This research concentrated on the contaminated exclusive Chernobyl zone polluted by trace radionuclides, their behavior and accumulation by various plant species. Special attention is devoted to the bioavailability of 241 Am to the plants Galium rivale, G. tinctorium, G. aparine, G. intermedium, Berteroa incana, Artemisia absinthium, A. vulgaris, Centaurea borysthenica, C. arenaria, Cirsium arvense, Succissa pratensis, Solidago virgaurea, Linaria vulgaris, Lepidium ruderale, Stenactis annua, Veronica maxima, Verbascum lychnitis, Euphorbia cyparissias, Genista tinctoria, Erigeron canadensis, Oenothera biennis, Betula pendula and Quercus robur, which were collected from the Chernobyl, Kopachi, and Yanov districts. The plant samples of Oenothera biennis, Betula pendula and Quercus robur were collected from the Yanov district, where the soil contamination by 241 Am and 137 Cs was at the level of 660 and 27 MBq/m 2 , respectively. Gamma spectroscopy and radiochemical methods were used to estimate the activity concentration of 137 Cs, 90 Sr, 238 Pu, 239+240 Pu, 241 Am. The radionuclides were measured in the dry green mass of the plant samples and in the dry soils. The contamination of the Oenothera biennis, Betula pendula and Quercus robur samples by 137 Cs was (5.8±1,5)x10 6 , (7.4±1.1)x10 5 , and (2.6±0.2)x10 6 Bq/kg dry mass, respectively, and contamination by 241 Am was 47±5, 45±3 and 3.2±0.2 Bq/kg, respectively. The soil-to-plant transfer ratio for 137 Cs ranged lay within the interval of 0.2 to 0.03 Bq/kg : Bq/m 2 , the the transfer ratio for 241 Am did not exceed 7x10 -5 Bq/kg : Bq/m 2 . The coefficient of the relative contents of the 241 Am/ 239+240 Pu radionuclides in the various plant samples varied from 3.2 to 8.3, while for soil from

Cesium fallout in Norway after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Backe, S.; Bjerke, H.; Rudjord, A.L.; Ugletveit, F.

1986-01-01

Results of country-wide measurements of 137 Cs and 134 Cs in soil samples in Norway after the Chernobyl accident are reported. The results clearly demonstrates that municipalities in the central part of southern Norway, Troendelag and the southern part of Nordland, have been rather heavily contaminated. The total fallout of 137 Cs and 134 Cs from the Chernobyl accident in Norway is estimated to 2300 TBq and 1200 TBq, respectively. This is approximately 6% of the cesium activity released from the reactor

Results of a honey monitoring program in Italy after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omet, C.; Piermattei, S.; Ossola, P.; Tofani, S.; Fabretto, M.; Padovani, R.

1988-01-01

Honey bees (Apis Mellifera) as bioindicators of environmental pollution have been studied for a long time to analyse their ability to detect air and water pollution. Bees forage over a large area (around 7Km 2 ) and seem to act as biomagnifiers of the contamination of the environment. Honey bees and their products, mainly honey, were used in the U.S.A. during the seventies to monitor potential releases from nuclear waste disposal sites. Honey samples were examined to detect contaminated areas surrounding a nuclear facility at Cattaraugus Country (NY); the presence of radionuclides from fallout of nuclear weapon tests in honey samples was also investigated. As a consequence of the Chernobyl accident, the radioactive contamination spread all over the Italian soil allowed the analysis of the radioactivity transfer from the environment to honey

Chernobyl plume: commentary about a discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2011-01-01

The Paris appeal court has dismissed the charges against P. Pellerin who was the head of the SCIRP (service of protection against the ionizing radiations) at the time of the Chernobyl accident. The appeal court confirms that P.Pellerin never said that the Chernobyl plume stopped at the French border but instead he said that the Chernobyl plume entered the French territory but the radioactivity level was so low that it was unnecessary to take sanitary steps. P.Pellerin based his decision on the results of 6500 controls performed by the SCIRP in May and June 1986. Seven other European countries recommended not to take sanitary measures. The increase of thyroid cancers that has happened in all industrialized countries and that affect only adults, can not due to Chernobyl contamination because child's thyroid is far more sensitive than adult's. The increase of thyroid cancer is mainly due to a better detection of the tumors. (A.C.)

Contamination and radiation exposure in Germany following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ettenhuber, E.; Winkelmann, I.; Ruehle, H.R.; Bayer, A.; Wirth, E.; Haubelt, R.; Koenig, K.

1997-01-01

The radioactive substances released following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were distributed by atmospheric transport over large parts of Europe. Due to dry and wet deposition processes, soil and Plants were contaminated. The ''radioactive cloud'' was first monitored on the 29th of April by near surface measurement stations; by the 30th of April the whole of southern Germany was affected. The contaminated air then spread out in both westerly and northerly directions, resulting in increased airborne radioactivity over the entire country within the following days. Airborne radionuclides were deposited on soil and plants in dry form as well as by precipitation. Locally varying deposits resulted from different activity concentrations in aerosols and very large differences in the intensity of precipitation during the passage of contaminated air masses. Rain fails were particularly heavy in Germany during the time the cloud was passing, especially south of the Danube where on average 2,000 to 50,000 Bq of Cs-137 was deposited per square meter on soil, and in some cases even as much as 100,000 Bq per square meter

Contamination and radiation exposure in Germany following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ettenhuber, E; Winkelmann, I; Ruehle, H R [Bundesamt fuer Strahlenschutz, Berlin (Germany); Bayer, A; Wirth, E; Haubelt, R; Koenig, K [Bundesamt fuer Strahlenschutz, Muenchen (Germany)

1997-09-01

The radioactive substances released following the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were distributed by atmospheric transport over large parts of Europe. Due to dry and wet deposition processes, soil and Plants were contaminated. The ``radioactive cloud`` was first monitored on the 29th of April by near surface measurement stations; by the 30th of April the whole of southern Germany was affected. The contaminated air then spread out in both westerly and northerly directions, resulting in increased airborne radioactivity over the entire country within the following days. Airborne radionuclides were deposited on soil and plants in dry form as well as by precipitation. Locally varying deposits resulted from different activity concentrations in aerosols and very large differences in the intensity of precipitation during the passage of contaminated air masses. Rain fails were particularly heavy in Germany during the time the cloud was passing, especially south of the Danube where on average 2,000 to 50,000 Bq of Cs-137 was deposited per square meter on soil, and in some cases even as much as 100,000 Bq per square meter. 2 refs, 3 figs, 1 tab.

Rehabilitation of life conditions in territories contaminated by Chernobyl accident. ETHOS project in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolevitch, I.; Pachkievitch, V.; Petroviet, V.; Lepicard, S.; Livolsi, P.; Lochard, J.; Schneider, T.; Ollagnon, H.; Pupin, V.; Heriard-Dubreuil, G.; Girard, P.; Guyonnet, J.F.; Le Cardinal, G.; Monroy, M.; Pena-Vega, A.; Rigby, J.

1999-01-01

This article presents the ETHOS project funded by European Union and whose aim is to stimulate a lasting rehabilitation of life conditions in the territories contaminated by Chernobyl nuclear accident. The daily life of people living in the contaminated regions has been affected not only on medical aspect but also on economic, ecological, social and cultural aspects. The strict regulations imposed by radiation protection authorities have been a major element to the degradation of the standard of living. ETHOS project is based on a cooperation between the authorities and the inhabitants and on a strong motivation of the people, for instance in the Olmany village 6 work groups have been organized around themes such as: the improvement of the quality of the milk and meat produced in the village, the radiation protection of children, the practical basics to know when living in a contaminated area, and the right management of home wastes like ashes that are particularly contaminated. (A.C.)

Proteomic analysis of flax seed grown in radioactive contaminated areas of Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klubicova, K.; Danchenko, M.; Pretova, A.; Hajduch, M.; Skultety, L.; Rashydov, N.

2010-01-01

An explosion of one of the four reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power occurring 26.4.1986, causing the worst nuclear disaster in human history. During the explosion is released into the environment are a number of different radioactive elements was also contaminated and much of Europe. Nowadays, after more than 20 years, the area located near the nuclear power plant is still contaminated by radioactive elements with long-lived, such as 90 Sr and 137 Cs. Despite the increased radiation in the environment of the plant not ceased to increase, that is, they have created a mechanism of adaptation. The aim of our work was to investigate the possible mechanisms involved in the adaptation of plants in the environment. During the first generation, we analyzed the mature seeds of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) grown in the control and in the contaminated zone. Proteins have separated and identified by mass spectrometry. Identified proteins (28) We were categorized into nine functional categories. We have designed a working model of adaptation of plants to elevated levels of radiation in the environment.

Proteomic analysis of flax seed grown in radioactive contaminated areas of Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klubicova, K.; Danchenko, M.; Pretova, A.; Hajduch, M.; Skultety, L.; Rashydov, N.

2010-01-01

An explosion of one of the four reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on 26 th April 1986, causing the worst nuclear disaster in human history. During the explosion a number of different radioactive elements were released into the environment which contaminated much of Europe. Nowadays, after more than 20 years, the area located near the nuclear power plant is still contaminated by radioactive long-lived elements, such as 90 Sr and 137 Cs. Despite increased radiation in the environment the plants did not stop increasing. It means that they have created a mechanism of adaptation . The aim of the work was to investigate the possible mechanisms involved in adaptation of plants in the environment. During the first generation, the authors analyzed the mature seeds of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) grown in control zone and in contaminated zone. Proteins were separated and identified by mass spectrometry. Identified proteins (28) were categorized into nine functional categories. The authors have designed a working model of adaptation of the plants to elevated level of radiation in the environment.

Dynamics of 137Cs concentration in agricultural products in areas of Russia contaminated as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fesenko, S.V.; Alexakhin, R.M.; Spiridonov, S.I.; Sanzharova, N.I.

1995-01-01

The dynamics of 137 Cs concentration in the main types of agricultural products obtained in regions of Russia contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident in 1986, have been analysed. The rate of decline of 137 Cs contamination in agricultural products during the period under study (1987-1992) was not uniform. Reductions of the 137 Cs content of produce was most rapid during the early years after the accident, as a consequence of the intensive application of countermeasures at that time. Half-life periods for 137 Cs content in milk (the basic dose-forming product) and the decrease in products for areas in Russia subjected to the most intensive contamination amounted to 1.6 to 4.8 years, depending on the scale of countermeasures carried out. Half-life periods of decrease of 137 Cs content in other types of agricultural products (grain, potato) were within the range of 2 to 7 years. Based on the comparison of the dynamics of 137 Cs levels in agricultural products of the regions where the countermeasures scales differed, the contribution of countermeasures and of natural biogeochemical processes to the decrease of 137 Cs contamination levels of the main types of agricultural products that determine the dose from internal irradiation of local population has been estimated. (author)

Radiocaesium fallout in Ireland from the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McAulay, I.R.; Moran, D.

1989-01-01

This paper presents a radiocaesium deposition pattern over Ireland resulting from the Chernobyl accident. Contaminated grassland soils from over 110 sites were analysed using gamma ray spectrometry. 134 Cs, 137 Cs and 40 K were measured in all samples. The Chernobyl 137 Cs was identified using an initial Chernobyl fallout 137 Cs to 134 Cs ratio of 1.90. The results show a mean deposition level of 3.2 kBq m -2 of 137 Cs due to Chernobyl. The range of deposition was from 0.3 to 14.2 kBq m -2 . The distribution pattern is presented both on a National grid sub-zone basis and a higher resolution shaded map. A similarly shaded map shows the rainfall levels responsible for most of the washout. It is pointed out that some areas on both east and west coasts with maximum rainfall did not have maximum caesium deposition. In other areas a better correlation between rainfall and caesium deposition exists. A mean figure for the pre-Chernobyl 137 Cs in surface soil is provided. (author)

Chernobyl and the Slimbridge swans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hancock, R.; Woolam, P.

1987-11-01

Radioactivity measurements were carried out on 46 live Bewick swans to determine if they had ingested any of the Chernobyl fallout deposits. The swans migrate each autumn from their breeding grounds in Artic Russia to spend the winter at Slimbridge, United Kingdom. At the time of the Chernobyl accident, the swans were at least 2500 km from Chernobyl. However on their migratory flight in the autumn, the swans would have stopped for several days on the Baltic Sea/North Sea coasts, which are known to be contaminated with fallout from the initial Chernobyl plume. The measurements were made in January 1987 on swans in the Slimbridge area, and the levels of radioactivity were so low that detection was very difficult.

Chernobyl and the Slimbridge swans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hancock, R.; Woolam, P.

1987-01-01

Radioactivity measurements were carried out on 46 live Bewick swans to determine if they had ingested any of the Chernobyl fallout deposits. The swans migrate each autumn from their breeding grounds in Artic Russia to spend the winter at Slimbridge, United Kingdom. At the time of the Chernobyl accident, the swans were at least 2500 km from Chernobyl. However on their migratory flight in the autumn, the swans would have stopped for several days on the Baltic Sea/North Sea coasts, which are known to be contaminated with fallout from the initial Chernobyl plume. The measurements were made in January 1987 on swans in the Slimbridge area, and the levels of radioactivity were so low that detection was very difficult. (UK)

Lake fish as the main contributor of internal dose to lakeshore residents in the Chernobyl contaminated area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travnikova, I.G.; Bazjukin, A.N.; Bruk, G.Ja.; Shutov, V.N.; Balonov, M.I.; Skuterud, L.; Mehli, H.; Strand, P.

2004-01-01

Two field expeditions in 1996 studied 137 Cs intake patterns and its content in the bodies of adult residents from the village Kozhany in the Bryansk region, Russia, located on the shore of a drainless peat lake in an area subjected to significant radioactive contamination after the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The 137 Cs contents in lake water and fish were two orders of magnitude greater than in local rivers and flow-through lakes, 10 years after Chernobyl radioactive contamination, and remain stable. The 137 Cs content in lake fish and a mixture of forest mushrooms was between approximately 10-20 kBq/kg, which exceeded the temporary Russian permissible levels for these products by a factor of 20-40. Consumption of lake fish gave the main contribution to internal doses (40-50%) for Kozhany village inhabitants Simple countermeasures, such as Prussian blue doses for dairy cows and pre-boiling mushrooms and fish before cooking, halved the 137 Cs internal dose to inhabitants, even 10 years after the radioactive fallout

Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, J.G.; Davies, L.M.

1986-09-01

On April 26th 1986, the worst accident in the history of commercial nuclear power generation occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station some 60 miles north of Kiev in the Ukraine. This article describes the sequence of events that occurred and the consequences of the accident. There was extensive damage to the Unit 4 reactor and the building which housed it. Some 31 people have died as a result of the accident either directly or as a result of receiving lethal radiation doses. A significant release of fission products occurred, contaminating land around the station and requiring the evacuation of around 135,000 people from their homes. The radioactive cloud generated over many days was carried by winds to all parts of Europe where there was a varying degree of public concern. The contamination resulted in restrictions on the consumption of meat and vegetables. The latent health effects may not be statistically significant when viewed against the normal mortality rate over the next 40 years. (author)

Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience. Report of the Chernobyl Forum Expert Group 'Environment'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The explosion on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is located 100 km from Kiev in Ukraine (at that time part of the USSR), and the consequent reactor fire, which lasted for 10 days, resulted in an unprecedented release of radioactive material from a nuclear reactor and adverse consequences for the public and the environment. The resulting contamination of the environment with radioactive material caused the evacuation of more than 100 000 people from the affected region during 1986 and the relocation, after 1986, of another 200 000 people from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Some five million people continue to live in areas contaminated by the accident. The national governments of the three affected countries, supported by international organizations, have undertaken costly efforts to remediate the areas affected by the contamination, ... >> The explosion on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is located 100 km from Kiev in Ukraine (at that time part of the USSR), and the consequent reactor fire, which lasted for 10 days, resulted in an unprecedented release of radioactive material from a nuclear reactor and adverse consequences for the public and the environment. The resulting contamination of the environment with radioactive material caused the evacuation of more than 100 000 people from the affected region during 1986 and the relocation, after 1986, of another 200 000 people from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Some five million people continue to live in areas contaminated by the accident. The national governments of the three affected countries, supported by international organizations, have undertaken costly efforts to remediate the areas affected by the contamination, provide medical services and restore the region's social and economic well-being. The accident's consequences were not limited to the territories of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, since other European

Chernobyl: getting to the heart of the matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

North, Richard.

1996-01-01

In the second of two linked articles on the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident of 1986, the author explores the effects on local agriculture and the health of populations affected by the contamination from the fall-out, especially children. Agriculture around Chernobyl has resumed, with workers moving back from the cities to areas where radiation doses are similar to parts of Cornwall. Concern continues about the safety of milk from cows grazing contaminated grass and eating local mushrooms. The largest risk to children's health is not birth deformaties, but leukaemia, possibly in part due to iodine deficiency in their diet prior to contamination. Concern also continues about keeping power supplies going in areas heavily dependent on nuclear power. Reactor safety issues remaining operational RBMK reactors and the sarcophagus around Chernobyl-4 itself have yet to be resolved. (UK)

The radioactive contamination of milk and milk products due to the Chernobyl reactor accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiechen, A.

1987-01-01

The situation in the area around the town of Kiel in a given period of time is taken as the example to explain the radioactive contamination of milk and milk products due to the Chernobyl fallout. The measured data reported refer to the nuclides I-131 and Cs-137 in milk, and are compared with data on the I-131 and Cs-137 activity measured in raw milk collected in southern Bavaria, and in other Lands of the F.R.G. (DG) [de

Chernobyl, 16 years later

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-04-01

This document on the Chernobyl site evolution is constituted around four main questions. What about the future of the Chernobyl site, the damaged reactor and the ''sarcophagus'' constructed around the reactor? What about the sanitary consequences of the accident on the liquidators asked to blot out the radiation and the around people exposed to radiation? What about the contaminated land around the power plant and their management? Concerning the France, what were the ''radioactive cloud'' sanitary consequences? (A.L.B.)

The results of selective cytogenetic monitoring of Chernobyl accident victims in the Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilinskaya, M.A.

1996-01-01

Selective cytogenetic monitoring of the highest priority groups of Chernobyl disaster victims has been carried out since 1987. In 1992-1993, 125 liquidators (irradiated mainly in 1986) and 42 persons recovering from acute radiation sickness of the second and third degrees of severity were examined. Cytogenetic effects (an elevated level of unstable as well as stable markers of radiation exposure) were found in all groups, which showed a positive correlation with the initial degree of irradiation severity even 6-7 y after the accident. Comparative scoring of conventional staining vs. G-banding in 10 liquidators showed the identical rate of unstable aberrations. At the same time, the yield of stable aberrations for G-banded slides exceeded the frequency for conventional staining. In order to study possible mutagenic activity of chronic low levels of irradiation, the cytogenetic monitoring of some critical groups of the population (especially children and occupational groups-tractor drivers and foresters) living in areas of the Ukraine contaminated by radionuclides was carried out. In all the examined groups, a significant increase in the frequency of aberrant metaphases, chromosome aberrations (both unstable and stable), an chromatid aberrations was observed. Data gathered from groups of children reflect the intensity of mutagenic impact on the studied populations and demonstrate a positive correlation with the duration of exposure. Results of cytogenetic examination of adults confirmed the importance of considering the contribution of occupational radiation exposure to genetic effects of Chernobyl accident factors on the population of contaminated areas. 17 refs., 3 tabs

Genetic consequences of radioactive contamination by the Chernobyl fallout to agricultural crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geraskin, S.A.; Dikarev, V.G.; Zyablitskaya Ye.Ya.; Oudalova, A.A.; Spirin, Ye. V; Alexakhin, R.M.

2003-01-01

The genetic consequences of radioactive contamination by the fallout to agricultural crops after the accident at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986 have been studied. In the first, acute, period of this accident, when the absorbed dose was primarily due to external β- and γ-irradiation, the radiation injury of agricultural crops, according to the basic cytogenetic tests resembled the effect produced by acute γ-irradiation at comparable doses. The yield of cytogenetic damage in leaf meristem of plants grown in the 10-km zone of the ChNPP in 1987-1989 (the period of chronic, lower level radiation exposure) was shown to be enhanced and dependent on the level of radioactive contamination. The rate of decline with time in cytogenetic damage induced by chronic exposure lagged considerably behind that of the radiation exposure. Analysis of genetic variability in three sequentia generations of rye and wheat revealed increased cytogenetic damage in plants exposed to chronic irradiation during the 2nd and 3rd years

Some aspects of thyroid system status in persons exposed to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheban, A.K.; Afanasyev, D.E.; Boyarskaya, O.Y.

1997-01-01

The thyroid system status estimation held in post-accidental period dynamics among 7868 children evacuated from the 30-km Chernobyl zone and resident now in Slavutich city (Cs-137 contaminated area), among contaminated regions permanent residents, among native kievites and evacuated from 30-km zone. The thyroid pathology incidence dependence on residence place during Chernobyl Accident and after that was revealed. The immune-inflammatory thyroid disorders are characteristic for 30-km zone migrants, goitre different forms - for the radionuclides contaminated territories residents. No thyroid function abnormalities frequency confidential increase was registered during the research activities run. The total serum cholesterol level application unavailability is revealed in Chernobyl accident survivors thyroid hormones metabolic effects estimation. Data concerning Chernobyl accident consequences cleaning up participants (CACCP) presented additionally. (author)

Is exposure to ionising radiation associated with childhood cardiac arrhythmia in the Russian territories contaminated by the Chernobyl fallout? A cross-sectional population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jourdain, Jean-Rene; Landon, Geraldine; Clero, Enora; Doroshchenko, Vladimir; Silenok, Aleksandr; Kurnosova, Irina; Butsenin, Andrei; Denjoy, Isabelle; Franck, Didier; Heuze, Jean-Pierre; Gourmelon, Patrick

2018-03-25

To investigate childhood cardiac arrhythmia and chronic exposure to caesium-137 ( 137 Cs) resulting from the Chernobyl accident. Prospective cross-sectional study using exposed/unexposed design conducted in the Bryansk region from May 2009 to May 2013 on children selected on the basis of 137 Cs soil deposition: control territories ([ 137 Cs]555 kBq per square metre, where children were considered as exposed). Russian territories affected by the Chernobyl fallout (Bryansk region). This cross-sectional study included 18 152 children aged 2-18 years and living in the Bryansk region (Russia). All children received three medical examinations (ECG, echocardiography and 137 Cs whole-body activity measurement) and some of them were given with a 24-hour Holter monitoring and blood tests. Cardiac arrhythmia was diagnosed in 1172 children living in contaminated territories and 1354 children living in control territories. The crude prevalence estimated to 13.3% in contaminated territories was significantly lower than in control territories with 15.2% over the period 2009-2013 (PChernobyl fallout. The suspected increase of cardiac arrhythmia in children exposed to Chernobyl fallout is not confirmed. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Soil to plant transfer of radiocesium: application to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonopoulos-Domis, M.; Clouvas, A.; Gagianas, A.

1990-01-01

Radiocesium contamination of different annual crops, due to the Chernobyl accident, was systematically studied in two experimental agricultural farms in North Greece for the years 1987, 1988 and 1989. For the first three years after the Chernobyl accident it was generally observed that radiocesium contamination of almost all the annual crops appears to be time independent, the differences lying within the experimental error. Transfer Factors, relating radiocesium deposition to contamination of crops were found to be for cereals about 0.01, one order of magnitude smaller than those deduced from field experiments in Northern European Countries, mainly due to different soil characteristics. The results are also discussed in the framework of the UNSCEAR's empirical model and the corresponding parameters are deduced. (author)

Comparative study between radioactive contamination in milk powder by chernobyl accident [137Cs] and natural radioactivity [40K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navarrete, J.M.; Martinez, T.; Cabrera, L.

2005-01-01

After the Chernobyl accident in 1986, Mexico imported from an European country 28,000 Tons of contaminated milk powder with the fission product 137 CS. When the contamination was detected, the alarm among the authorities and population spread out very quick and of course the product was retired at once from the foodstuff market. Nevertheless, the public panic grew up in such a manner, that even the way to manage and to dispose safely this material, considered highly dangerous, was largely discussed. Now, about two decades ago from this event, a study has been performed to compare the level of radioactivity due to both radioisotopes present in one saved sample: the artificial contaminant 137 CS, beside the natural, all around present 40 K, in order to evaluate in a more realistic way how risky was the management, possible consumption, and final disposition of this nourishment. This paper considers results obtained within an uncertainty degree equal to ±5%, and set up conclusions by comparing artificial and natural radioactivity present in that contaminated milk powder.

Cytogenetic effects of radiation from Chernobyl nuclear accident on humans and animals in the contaminated area of Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeliseeva, K.; Mikhalevich, L.; Kartel, N.

1995-01-01

Cytogenetic monitoring of amphibian and rodent populations, and children from the radio contaminated regions of the Republic of Belarus was conducted as a follow up to Chernobyl nuclear accident. A statistically significant increase in the levels of cytogenetic damage in bone marrow cells of amphibians and rodent and in peripheral blood lymphocytes of children was found. The presence of chromosome-type aberrations supports the conclusion that radiation is the causative agent. However, no direct relationship between the level of radionuclide contamination and the degree of the cytogenetic damage was found. (Author)

Disturbances of bird embryo development in fall-out contaminated biocenoses of the Chernobyl NPP 30-km zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galinskaya, I.A.; Gaber, N.A.

1994-01-01

Special features of bird reproduction in Chernobyl 30-km zone are analyzed. On the areas with higher degree of contamination a decrease of hatching indices, an increase of both embryo death-rate and embryo per cent of inherent disorders have been noticed. The more frequent cases of inherent disorders for different bird species have been considered. The trend to a bird reproduction successfulness decrease has been fixed

Chernobyl record. The definitive history of the Chernobyl catastrophe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mould, R.F.

2000-01-01

The contents of Chernobyl Record have taken 14 years to compile and this period of time was necessary to enable information to be released from Soviet sources, measurements to be made in the environment, for estimation of radiation doses and for follow-up of the health of population groups which had been exposed. This time frame also includes the 10th anniversary conferences and the completion of joint projects of the European Commission, Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation. It has also enabled me to visit the power plant site, Chernobyl town and Pripyat relatively soon after the accident and also some 10 years later: December 1987 and June 1998. Without such visits some of the photographs in this Record could not have been obtained. Information is also contained in these pages of comparisons of various aspects of the Chernobyl accident with data from the Three Mile Island accident in the USA in 1979, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, the highly contaminated Techa river area in the Urals in Russia and the accident in Tokaimura, Japan in 1999. The first two chapters are introductory in that they describe terminology which is necessary for an understanding of the remaining chapters. Chapters 3-6 describes the early events: including those leading up to the explosion and then what followed in the immediate aftermath. Chapters 7-8 describe the Sarcophagus and the past and future of nuclear power for electricity generation, including the future of the Chernobyl power station. Chapters 9-11 consider the radiation doses received by various populations, including liquidators, evacuees and those living on contaminated territories: and the contamination of milk by 131 I, and the contamination of other parts of the food chain by 137 Cs. Chapters 12-14 describe the environmental impact of the accident, as does chapter 11. Chapters 15-18 detail the long-term effects on health, including not only the incidence of cancer, but also of non-malignant diseases and

Chernobyl revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This article summarizes the report of the International Chernobyl Project for Canadian readers. General conclusions included the following: there were no health disorders that could be directly attributed to radiation exposure; there were substantial adverse psychological consequences; the relocation and food restrictions should have been less extensive. The second part of this article is the Chernobyl History taken from the same report. It deals with: emergency actions at the site, evacuation of the prohibited zone, securing the site, radiation release and transport, protection of water supplies, intervention measures. The safe living concept based on 350 mSv over a lifetime of 70 years has been replaced by the concept of three classes of zones based on surface contamination levels of cesium

Direct contamination - seasonality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aarkrog, A.

1994-01-01

Direct contamination is the primary pathway to terrestrial vegetation in the first period after an activity release to the atmosphere. All radionuclides are able to be transferred via this pathway. Deposition, interception and retention are the three processes involved in direct contamination of crops. Wet deposition is more important than dry deposition in temperature regions. Resuspension and rainsplash both belong to secondary direct deposition and became evident for e.g. radiocaesium after the Chernobyl accident. Seasonality is the varying response to radioactive contamination of crops according to the time of the year when the contamination occurs. Shortlived radionuclides (as 131 I) and those that mainly enter the foodchain by direct contamination (e.g. 137 Cs) are especially important in this connection. In particular, the contamination of cereal crops is influenced by seasonality. As a result of seasonality the impact of the Chernobyl accident on the radioactive contamination of human diet was for the same deposition density higher in southern than in northern Europe. (orig.)

Sanitary study of the population living in the Chernobyl region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mettler, F.A. Jr.; Briggs, J.E.

1991-01-01

The populations of Ukraine, Belarus and Russian Federation affected by Chernobyl accident are anxious about the radiation effects on their healthy. The International Chernobyl Project has, in a great part, looked for the pathology increase and to assess its incidence on their healthy. This study does not prove that the Chernobyl accident would have important effects on population healthy of contaminated areas

Survey of post-Chernobyl contamination in Sumava region using various methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drabova, D.; Filgas, R.; Malatova, I.; Cespirova, I.; Foltanova, S.; Hoeschl, V.; Roudny, R.; Jurza, P.; Pichl, R.

1998-01-01

A nation-wide survey of fallout and soil contamination was made immediately after the Chernobyl accident, on 16-18 June 1986. This, however, could not be done near the Bavarian and Austrian border with a special restricted-access regime. Measurements were completed there 10 years later. Cesium deposition was examined by the airborne scintillation and semiconductor spectrometric systems, complemented with ground in-situ spectrometry and measurement of soil samples at selected sites. The 137 Cs deposition in July 1996, as obtained by ENMOS airborne measurement, ground in-situ gamma spectrometry, and soil sampling lay within the ranges of 12-65, 15-63, and 7-81 kBq/m 2 , respectively. The cesium activity in the individual soil samples in each sampling point varied by more than one order of magnitude. (P.A.)

Radioactive waste management after NPP accident: Post-Chernobyl experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikhalevich, A.; Grebenkov, A.

2000-01-01

As a result of the Chernobyl NPP accident a very large amount of so-called 'Chernobyl waste' were generated in the territory of Belarus, which was contaminated much more than all other countries. These wastes relate mainly to two following categories: low-level waste (LLW) and new one 'Conventionally Radioactive Waste' (CRW). Neither regulations nor technology and equipment were sufficiently developed for such an amount and kind of waste before the accident. It required proper decisions in respect of regulations, treatment, transportation, disposal of waste, etc. (author)

Using of dosimetric properties of quartz for radiation monitoring of territories contaminated due to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sholom, S.; Chumak, V.; Voloskij, V.; Pasalskaya, L.

1998-01-01

Specific dosimetric properties of red brick samples from a contaminated area near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were studied. The doses were reconstructed from samples accumulated during 11 years following the accident. The conventional technique of extraction and purification of quartz grains from the bricks was used. The thermoluminescent emission was recorded and a comparative analysis of the high temperature and pre-dose techniques was performed. (M.D.)

Radioactive Waste Management and Environmental Contamination Issues at the Chernobyl Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, Bruce A.; Schmieman, Eric A.; Voitsekhovitch, Oleg V.

2007-01-01

The destruction of the Unit 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant resulted in the generation of radioactive contamination and radioactive waste at the site and in the surrounding area (referred to as the Exclusion Zone). In the course of remediation activities, large volumes of radioactive waste were generated and placed in temporary near surface waste-storage and disposal facilities. Trench and landfill type facilities were created from 1986 to 1987 in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone at distances 0.5 to 15 km from the NPP site. This large number of facilities was established without proper design documentation, engineered barriers, or hydrogeological investigations and they do not meet contemporary waste-safety requirements. Immediately following the accident, a Shelter was constructed over the destroyed reactor; in addition to uncertainties in stability at the time of its construction, structural elements of the Shelter have degraded as a result of corrosion. The main potential hazard of the Shelter is a possible collapse of its top structures and release of radioactive dust into the environment. A New Safe Confinement (NSC) with a 100-years service life is planned to be built as a cover over the existing Shelter as a longer-term solution. The construction of the NSC will enable the dismantlement of the current Shelter, removal of highly radioactive, fuel-containing materials from Unit 4, and eventual decommissioning of the damaged reactor. More radioactive waste will be generated during NSC construction, possible Shelter dismantling, removal of fuel containing materials, and decommissioning of Unit 4. The future development of the Exclusion Zone depends on the future strategy for converting Unit 4 into an ecologically safe system, i.e., the development of the NSC, the dismantlement of the current Shelter, removal of fuel containing material, and eventual decommissioning of the accident site. To date, a broadly accepted strategy for radioactive waste

Radioactive waste management and environmental contamination issues at the Chernobyl site.

Science.gov (United States)

Napier, B A; Schmieman, E A; Voitsekovitch, O

2007-11-01

The destruction of the Unit 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant resulted in the generation of radioactive contamination and radioactive waste at the site and in the surrounding area (referred to as the Exclusion Zone). In the course of remediation activities, large volumes of radioactive waste were generated and placed in temporary near-surface waste storage and disposal facilities. Trench and landfill type facilities were created from 1986-1987 in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone at distances 0.5-15 km from the nuclear power plant site. This large number of facilities was established without proper design documentation, engineered barriers, or hydrogeological investigations and they do not meet contemporary waste-safety requirements. Immediately following the accident, a Shelter was constructed over the destroyed reactor; in addition to uncertainties in stability at the time of its construction, structural elements of the Shelter have degraded as a result of corrosion. The main potential hazard of the Shelter is a possible collapse of its top structures and release of radioactive dust into the environment. A New Safe Confinement (NSC) with a 100 y service life is planned to be built as a cover over the existing Shelter as a longer-term solution. The construction of the NSC will enable the dismantlement of the current Shelter, removal of highly radioactive, fuel-containing materials from Unit 4, and eventual decommissioning of the damaged reactor. More radioactive waste will be generated during NSC construction, possible Shelter dismantling, removal of fuel-containing materials, and decommissioning of Unit 4. The future development of the Exclusion Zone depends on the future strategy for converting Unit 4 into an ecologically safe system, i.e., the development of the NSC, the dismantlement of the current Shelter, removal of fuel-containing material, and eventual decommissioning of the accident site. To date, a broadly accepted strategy for radioactive waste

Chernobyl'-88. Reports of the 1. All-Union scientific and technical meeting on results of accident effect elimination at the Chernobyl' NPP. V. 1. Radiation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatenko, E.I.

1989-01-01

Information on the contamination levels within the 30 km area and in the adjacent area after the Chernobyl'-4 reactor accident is presented. There are some data on reper isotope ratio which add some knowledge about the processes taking place in the reactor core after the reactor accident. The time-dependent background radiation variations for the first two years after the accident are demonstrated

Use of total {sup 137}Cs deposition to predict contamination in feed vegetation and reindeer 25 years after Chernobyl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skuterud, Lavrans [Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, P.O. Box 55, N-1332 Oesteraas (Norway); Norwegian Reindeer Husbandry Administration, P.O. Box 1104, N-9504 Alta (Norway); Thoerring, Haavard; Ytre-Eide, Martin A. [Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, P.O. Box 55, N-1332 Oesteraas (Norway)

2014-07-01

}. These results will be used to study the importance of soil deposition levels in determining the present concentrations levels in plants and lichens, which will be crucial for the development of the directed grazing strategy in years to come. In addition to the soil - plant contamination assessments above, long-term data on contamination in reindeer meat is being linked to the 2011 deposition maps to assess the correlation between deposition and meat contamination levels in specified grazing areas within the mapped area (i.e., using aggregated transfer factors). The aim is to elucidate possible regional differences in transfer to reindeer which could be compared with the soil - plant results above. Finally, the study will focus on the applicability of the results for reindeer husbandry in the area. The long-term Chernobyl challenges for animal production require predictable and robust remediation strategies enabling the animal owners and herders to gain influence over their own situation. (authors)

The effect of Chernobyl accident on the development of non malignant diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zonenberg, A.; Leoniak, M.; Zarzycki, W.

2006-01-01

The early medical complications of Chernobyl accident include post radiation disease, which were diagnosed in 134 subjects affected by ionizing radiation. 28 persons died during the first 100 days after the event. The increase occurrence of coronary heart disease, endocrine, haematological, dermatological and other diseases were observed after disaster in the contaminated territories. We also discussed the impact of ionizing radiation from Chernobyl accident on pregnancy and congenital defects occurrence. Changes following the Chernobyl accident, as the inhabitants migration from contaminated regions, political and economic conversions, led to depression, anxiety, and even to '' epidemic '' of mental diseases. Increased suicide rate, car accidents, alcohol and drug abuse have been observed in this population. Nowadays vegetative neurosis is more often diagnosed in Ukrainian children. Epidemiological studies were conducted on the ionising radiation effect on the health and on the dose of received radiation after Chernobyl accident face numerous problems as the absence of reliable data regarding diseases in the contaminated territories.(authors)

Chernobyl' 94. Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arkhipov, N.P.

1994-01-01

This book contains materials of the 4th International Scientific and Technical Conference devoted to the results of 8-years work on Chernobyl accident consequences mitigation. Main results of research in radiation monitoring, applied radioecology, effect of radionuclides on biological objects in contaminated territories are presented. Information about waste management and medical consequences of the accident is given. Methodology and strategic of further research on radionuclides in environment and their influence on living organisms is determined. Large factual materials and its generalization may be usefull for scientists and practical workers in the field of radiation monitoring, radiology and medicine

Radioactive contamination of foodstuffs from Burgenland after Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maringer, F.J.

1987-01-01

About 500 samples of foodstuffs, drinking water and grass from Burgenland (an eastern province of Austria) were measured by the author's institution in May to August 1986. Burgenland and generally the east of Austria had, with respect to the Chernobyl fallout, an advantage against other parts of Austria, due to low rainfall and favorable winds in the days after the Chernobyl accident. The activities were generally below the legal limits for drinking water and higher than these in few cases in foodstuffs and grass. The legal limits for activity concentrations in foodstuffs and drinking water for the elements iodine 131, cesium 134, cesium 137 and strontium 90 are listed in an appendix. 2 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs

Chernobyl 25 years on

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

After a brief recall on radioactivity measurement units and on radioactivity itself, this report describes and comments the Chernobyl accident, its consequent releases, the scattering of the radioactive plume over Europe, the formation of radioactive deposits in Europe, the contamination of the different environments and of the food chain, the health impact in the most contaminated areas, the doses received in France and their associated risks. It finally draws some lessons from this accident

Chernobyl record. The definitive history of the Chernobyl catastrophe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mould, R.F

2000-07-01

The contents of Chernobyl Record have taken 14 years to compile and this period of time was necessary to enable information to be released from Soviet sources, measurements to be made in the environment, for estimation of radiation doses and for follow-up of the health of population groups which had been exposed. This time frame also includes the 10th anniversary conferences and the completion of joint projects of the European Commission, Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation. It has also enabled me to visit the power plant site, Chernobyl town and Pripyat relatively soon after the accident and also some 10 years later: December 1987 and June 1998. Without such visits some of the photographs in this Record could not have been obtained. Information is also contained in these pages of comparisons of various aspects of the Chernobyl accident with data from the Three Mile Island accident in the USA in 1979, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, the highly contaminated Techa river area in the Urals in Russia and the accident in Tokaimura, Japan in 1999. The first two chapters are introductory in that they describe terminology which is necessary for an understanding of the remaining chapters. Chapters 3-6 describes the early events: including those leading up to the explosion and then what followed in the immediate aftermath. Chapters 7-8 describe the Sarcophagus and the past and future of nuclear power for electricity generation, including the future of the Chernobyl power station. Chapters 9-11 consider the radiation doses received by various populations, including liquidators, evacuees and those living on contaminated territories: and the contamination of milk by {sup 131}I, and the contamination of other parts of the food chain by {sup 137}Cs. Chapters 12-14 describe the environmental impact of the accident, as does chapter 11. Chapters 15-18 detail the long-term effects on health, including not only the incidence of cancer, but also of non

Results of in vivo monitoring of the witnesses of the Chernobyl accident (invited paper)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutkov, V.A.

2000-01-01

About 1500 people were involved in emergency operations on 26-27 April 1986 at the site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They worked in different working conditions and were exposed to aerosols of different characteristics. The Chernobyl accident was the first accident in which, when the reactor core was destroyed, aerosol of the dispersed spent nuclear fuel became a significant source of internal and external exposure for a large group of people. Detailed information on the properties of the Chernobyl aerosol for the first post-accident period is absent. Therefore, results of in vivo monitoring of the witnesses of the Chernobyl accident can be an important source of information for assessing the radiological properties of the Chernobyl aerosol. (author)

The improved long-term prognoses of surface waters contamination after Chernobyl accident for the territories of Bryansk Region of Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novitsky, M.A.

2004-01-01

The precision of information about the density of contamination by long-lived radionuclides the territory of Russia was improved repeatedly after the Chernobyl accident. Also has appeared a lot of new information on processes of radionuclides migration in a surface layer of soil. Through the modified complex of the models with using the updated set of parameters the prognostic calculations for the annual concentration of radionuclides in the rivers and lakes of South-Western areas of Bryansk region up to twenty years were performed. The performed prognostic calculations show that it is possible to expect only decreasing with time annual concentrations of Chernobyl-generated radionuclides in surface waters for the South-Western territories of Bryansk region relative to current levels.Yet, special attention should be given to the reservoirs with weak and no outflow in which contamination levels are a little higher than the tolerable levels.On this basis, the guidelines on water using in the areas under consideration and on the realization of further operations are prepared. (author)

Radioactive contamination in the Netherlands caused by the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-10-01

In this report of the Dutch Coordination Commission for Measurements of Radioactivity and Xenobiotic matters (CCRX) a detailed survey is presented of the spread of radioactive material over Europe as a consequence of the reactor accident in Chernobyl and of measurements of the contamination of the physical environment, food and human people in the Netherlands. The radiation burden for the Dutch people and the effects upon public health are estimated and a measuring program is introduced for monitoring the effects of the reactor accident upon the Dutch people. Finally a number of requirements are discussed on the base of the acquired experiments, to which future watching programs should satisfy. 24 refs.; 32 figs.; 16 tabs

Hygienic evaluation of radiation consequences after the Chernobyl accident in highly populated areas of Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karachev, I.I.; Tkachenko, N.V.; Markelova, L.K.

1993-01-01

This paper addresses radiation exposure to the people in the Ukraine as a result of the Chernobyl accident. As a result of this accident all Ukrainian regions have been heavily contaminated, even though the contamination density obtained in different regions are considerably different. Soils have become contaminated and plants grown in the soils transfer radionuclides to people

The Chernobyl reactor accident source term: development of a consensus view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devell, L.; Guntay, S.; Powers, D.A.

1995-11-01

Ten years after the reactor accident at Chernobyl, a great deal more data is available concerning the events, phenomena, and processes that took place. The purpose of this document is to examine what is known about the radioactive materials released during the accident, a task that is substantially more difficult than it might first appear to be. The Chernobyl station, like other nuclear power plants, was not instrumented to characterize a disastrous accident. The accident was peculiar in the sense that radioactive materials were released, at least initially, in an exceptionally energetic plume and were transported far from the reactor site. Release of radioactivity from the plant continued for several days. Characterization of the contamination caused by the releases of radioactivity has had a much lower priority than remediation of the contamination. Consequently, an assessment of the Chernobyl accident source term must rely to a significant extent on inferential evidence. The assessment presented here begins with an examination of the core inventories of radioactive materials. In subsequent sections of the report, the magnitude and timing of the releases of radioactivity are described. Then, the composition, chemical forms, and physical forms of the releases are discussed. A number of more recent publications and results from scientists in Russia and elsewhere have significantly improved the understanding of the Chernobyl source term. Because of the special features of the reactor design and the peculiarities of the Chernobyl accident, the source term for the Chernobyl accident is of limited applicability to the safety analysis of other types of reactors

Assessment of radiation risks as a result of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, V.K.

1998-01-01

Full text of publication follows: the Government of the former USSR had made decision on establishing common registry of exposed persons in several months after the Chernobyl accident. The registry had served in Medical Radiological Research Centre of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Obninsk City till 1992 (the time of dissolution of the USSR). Individual medical and dosimetric information on 659292 persons, including 284907 emergency accident workers (liquidators) had been collected for the period between 1986 and 1991. As of 01.01.1998, National Chernobyl Registry of the Russian Federation has kept individual data on 508236 persons including 167726 liquidators. As it is known, long-term epidemiological study of Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors resulted in statistically significant assessments of radiation risks for induction of cancer at the dose level above 0.5 Gy. Radiation doses after the Chernobyl accident do not exceed 0.3-0.5 Gy. That is why assessment of radiation risks at low radiation doses is a problem of great importance. As a result of the epidemiological studies performed on the basis of the Russian Chernobyl registry we pioneered the assessment of statistically significant radiation risks for induction of cancer at low radiation dose. (author)

Mulching as a countermeasure for crop contamination within the 30 km zone of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yera, T.S.; Vallejo, R.; Tent, J.; Rauret, G.; Omelyanenko, N.; Ivanov, Y.

1999-01-01

The effect of mulch soil cover on crop contamination by 137 Cs was studied within the 30 km zone of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Experiments were performed with oats (Avena sativa) over a three year period. In 1992 soil surface was covered by a plastic net. In 1993 two straw mulch treatments were applied at a dose rate of 200 g m -2 using 137 Cs contaminated and clean straw, respectively. A similar mulch treatment was applied in 1994, and two mulch doses of clean straw were tested. Protection of the soil with a plastic net significantly increased crop yield and reduced crop contamination. When clean straw was used as a mulch layer, a significant decrease of about 30--40% in 137 Cs activity concentration was observed. Mulching with 137 Cs contaminated straw did not reduce crop contamination, probably due to an increase in soil available 137 Cs released from the contaminated mulch. Mulching has been shown to be an effective treatment both for reducing 137 Cs plant contamination and improving crop yield. Therefore, it can be considered as a potential countermeasure in a post-accident situation

Radioactive contamination. Italian programme to monitor the radiocesium levels in the urine and thyroid status of exposed children from Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontana, C.; Valeriani, F.; Musumeci, R.G.; Salimei, G.; Marinosci, N.; Giannotti, I.

2000-01-01

Since 1995, following the accident at Chernobyl, the Italian Red Cross has hosted about 2,000 children from the contaminated zones of Belorussia and the Ukraine. The purpose of the project was to ensure, by temporary removal of the children from the contaminated areas, an improvement in their general well-being with both physical and psychological benefits. In the current work, in particular, the results reported are of a study carried out in order to evaluate radioactive contamination levels and the medical surveillance of the thyroid status of the exposed children after the fall-out of the accident at Chernobyl. During the course of the research 400 children were examined, masculine and feminine, between the ages of 6 and 16. The children from Belorussia were hosted by families in Tuscany and the children from the Ukraine were hosted in the Corpomiles Center of the Italian Red Cross in Lazio. The children were hosted for a period of 30 days in our country and many have returned since then and we have repeated the same analyses. In the current work a radiometric analysis was carried out on the children's urine samples to find Cs-137 and Cs-134. The concentration of the two radionuclides was measured at the beginning and end of the children's stay in Italy. The two radionuclides were collected over a period of 24 hours. Moreover, a scan of the thyroid was carried out on the same children to discover the potential presence of a glandular tumour of pathological form caused by I-131. The results of the spectrometric analyses give indications as to the degree of radioactivity contamination in the children relative to their different home countries. The results confirm the existence of a chronic radioactive contamination due to a balanced diet of contaminated food. The analysis of the thyroid also demonstrated small to medium lymphadenopaties latero cervical. In conclusion, data collected from our present multidisciplinary work shows a decrease of around 30% in Cs-137

Healthy living after Chernobyl?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartau, S.; Rosenkranz, B.

1987-01-01

Our food today is endangered not only through environmental poisons and the machinations of profit-hungry manufacturers but also, after the reactor disaster of Chernobyl, by radioactive materials. There is great uncertainty amongst consumers: Whan can I still eat? How can I best protect my children from food products contaminated by radioactivity or enriched with pollutants? Does it still make sense to buy organically produced foodstuffs? Which food products are low in pollutants? With this book the authors want to counteract general helplessness and help the reader with comprehensible and sound information as well as practical tips for eating and living healthily after Chernobyl. (orig.) [de

The reactor accident of Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koenig, L.A.; Schuettelkopf, H.; Erat, S.; Fessler, H.; Hempelmann, S.; Maurer, K.; Pimpl, M.; Radziwill, A.

1986-08-01

The contamination, caused by the radioactivity released during the reactor accident of Chernobyl was measured in samples taken in the environment of the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center. The radioactivity was determined in air, fodder, milk, vegetables, other plants, foodstuffs, soil, precipitations, drinking water, sludge and other samples. Results of measurements are reported which were received with considerably more than 1000 samples. The evaluation of the data will be presented in KfK 4140. (orig.) [de

Derivation of soil to plant transfer factors of radiocaesium in Northern Greece after the Chernobyl accident, and comparison with greenhouse experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonoloulos-Domis, M.; Clouvas, A.; Gagianas, A.

1990-01-01

Radiocesium contamination of cereals, due to the Chernobyl accident, was systematically studied in two selected experimental agricultural farms in Northern Greece for the years 1987, 1988 and 1989. Radiocesium contamination of all annual crops is very low, of the order of 1 Bq kg -1 , and appears to be, for the first 3 years after the Chernobyl accident, time independent, the differences lying within the experimental error. Transfer factors, relating radiocesium deposition to contamination of crops, are deduced from the experimental results. Results are also discussed in the framework of UNSCEAR's empirical model, and the corresponding parameters are deduced. In addition greenhouse experiments show that the Transfer Factors obtained are independent of the initial radiocesium deposition and that radiocesium from the Chernobyl fallout behaves differently from usual experimental sources, such as 137 CsCl. (author)

Chernobyl (Ukraine)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

After having recalled the different steps and mistakes which resulted in the Chernobyl accident, the events and measures after the accident, this document briefly describes the various interventions and works performed on this site since 1986, and notably during the first months, evokes the movement of a radioactive cloud over Europe. It outlines the silence and hesitations of Russian authorities, the reactions in European countries regarding nuclear safety, the control of contaminated products. It also evokes the controversy in France about the SCPRI. It indicates some assessments and comments regarding health, environmental and psychological consequences. It finally evokes the project of construction of a new shelter for the wrecked plant

A compendium of the measurements related to the Chernobyl nuclear accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deworm, J.P.

1987-01-01

Results of radiation measurements performed in Belgium after the Chernobyl accident are presented. Contamination of air, soil, milk, grass, fruit, vegetables and water is studied. The committed effective dose equivalents for the population are estimated. (MCB)

The French-German initiative for Chernobyl: programme 3: Health consequences of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tirmarche, M.; Kellerer, A.M.; Bazyka, D.

2006-01-01

- Goals: The main objectives of the health programme are collection and validation of existing data on cancer and non cancer diseases in the most highly contaminated regions of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, common scientific expertise on main health indicators and reliable dosimetry, and finally communication of the results to the scientific community and to the public. - General Tasks: 1- Comparison between high and low exposed regions, 2- Description of trends over time, 3- Consideration of specific age groups. This methodological approach is applied on Solid cancer incidence and leukaemia incidence in different regions in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, With a special focus on thyroid cancer in young exposed ages. - Thyroid cancer: Those exposed in very young ages continue to express a relatively high excess of thyroid cancer even though they have now reached the age group 15-29. Those exposed as young adults show a small increase, at least partly due to better screening conditions - Leukemia: Description of leukemia trends for various age groups show no clear difference between exposed and unexposed regions when focusing on those exposed at very young ages. The rates of childhood leukemia before and after the accident show no evidence of any increase (oblasts in Belarus over 1982-1998). - Specific studies: Incidence of congenital malformations in Belarus; Infant mortality and morbidity in the most highly contaminated regions; Potential effects of prenatal irradiation on the brain as a result of the Chernobyl accident; Nutritional status of population living in regions with different levels of contamination; Dosimetry of Chernobyl clean-up workers; Radiological passports in contaminated settlements. - Congenital malformations: As a national register was existing since the 1980's and gives the possibility to compare trends before and after the accident, results of congenital malformations describe large results collected over Belarus, There is no evidence of a

Elaboration of methods for assessment of radio-ecological safety state of objects, situated on the territories contaminated with Chernobyl radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saltanov, Eugene; Saltanova, Irina

2008-01-01

The main purpose of assessment of radio-ecological state of object is to elaborate recommendations to reduce both radiation dose and negative action of other contaminators on human organism. The basis of objects' ecological safety assessment is considering complex influence of multiple negative factors, such as radioactive contamination, firstly, and air, water, soil and noise pollution, secondly. The objects of assessments are social, industrial, rural enterprises and their production: school buildings and territories, all kinds of recreational institutions, civil buildings, etc. The described method is embodied in a computer program, which enables calculation of integral indicator of contamination and gives information about object's safety state. The results of the work may be proposed to the corresponding supervisor institutions as a prototype of practical guidance to control ecological state of the objects and territories. Particularly, the proposed methods are necessary to determine the order of measures, normally undertaken to deactivate objects, and to provide unified approach to radio-ecological safety assessment of objects, situated in the territories contaminated with Chernobyl radionuclides. (author)

Consequences of the Chernobyl accident in Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mastauskas, A.; Nedvecktaite, T.; Filistovic, V.

1997-01-01

After the Chernobyl accident of 26 April, 1986, population dose assessment favours the view that the radiation risk of population effected by the early fallout would be different from that in regions contaminated later. Taking into account the short half-time of the most important radioactive iodine isotopes, thyroid disorders would be expected mainly to follow the early fallout distribution. At the time of accident at Unite 4 of the Chernobyl NPP, surface winds were from the Southeast. The initial explosions and heat carried volatile radioactive materials to the 1,5 km height, from where they were transported over the Western part of Belarus, Southern and Western part of Lithuania toward Scandinavian countries. Thus the volatile radioiodine and some other radionuclides were detected in Lithuania on the very first days after the accident. The main task of the work - to conduct short Half-time radioiodine and long half-time radiocesium dose assessment of Lithuanian inhabitants a result of the early Chernobyl accident fallout

Estimation of doses received in a dry-contaminated residential area in the Bryansk region, Russia, since the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, K.G.; Roed, J.

2006-01-01

In nuclear preparedness, an essential requirement is the ability to adequately predict the likely consequences of a major accident situation. In this context it is very important to evaluate which contributions to dose are important, and which are not likely to have significance. As an example of this type of evaluation, a case study has been conducted to estimate the doses received over the first 17 years after the Chernobyl accident in a dry-contaminated residential area in the Bryansk region in Russia. Methodologies for estimation of doses received through nine different pathways, including contamination of streets, roofs, exterior walls, and landscape, are established, and best estimates are given for each of the dose contributions. Generally, contaminated soil areas were estimated to have given the highest dose contribution, but a number of other contributions to dose, e.g., from contaminated roofs and inhalation of contaminants during the passage of the contaminated plume, were of the same order of magnitude

Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience. Report of the Chernobyl Forum Expert Group 'Environment'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The explosion on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is located 100 km from Kiev in Ukraine (at that time part of the USSR), and the consequent reactor fire, which lasted for 10 days, resulted in an unprecedented release of radioactive material from a nuclear reactor and adverse consequences for the public and the environment. The resulting contamination of the environment with radioactive material caused the evacuation of more than 100 000 people from the affected region during 1986 and the relocation, after 1986, of another 200 000 people from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Some five million people continue to live in areas contaminated by the accident. The national governments of the three affected countries, supported by international organizations, have undertaken costly efforts to remediate the areas affected by the contamination, provide medical services and restore the region's social and economic well-being. The accident's consequences were not limited to the territories of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, since other European countries were also affected as a result of the atmospheric transfer of radioactive material. These countries also encountered problems in the radiation protection of their populations, but to a lesser extent than the three most affected countries. Although the accident occurred nearly two decades ago, controversy still surrounds the real impact of the disaster. Therefore the IAEA, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, as well as the competent authorities of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, established the

Effects of the Chernobyl accident on radioactivity in Swedish reindeer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aahman, B.; Aahman, G.

1995-01-01

Fallout radiocesium is effectively transferred to reindeer and the transfer is highly dependent on the season. The reduction of radiocesium from the soil-pasture-reindeer ecosystem has occurred with a higher rate after the Chernobyl fallout than after the nuclear weapons tests. Effective countermeasures have helped to prevent contamination of reindeer meat intended for human consumption. Nevertheless, the fallout from Chernobyl will probably remain a problem for reindeer husbandry in the contaminated parts of Sweden for a least 20 more years. 6 refs., 2 figs

Materials of scientific symposium Chernobyl 1986-1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The scientific symposium 'Chernobyl 1986-1996' has been devoted to assessment of consequences for environment and human population of Chernobylsk-4 Nuclear Reactor accident. The environment contamination in Poland has been performed on the base of monitoring results carried out during the decade after the event. The influence of environment and food contamination for human health has been assessed in detail. The organization of medical preventive action, especially in children population in Poland has been positively assessed as well as cooperation of governmental and territorial authorities immediately after the accident. The long-lasting consequences of environment contamination and radionuclide migration to crops and food products have been also discussed

Chernobyl accident: causes and consequences (expert conclusion). Part 3. Chernobyl accident effect on Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesterenko, V.B.

1992-01-01

Expert conclusion is presented on the Chernobyl accident effect on Belarus. Problems of ground and food contamination, medical and biological radiation effects on the population are considered. Attention is paid to the radiation monitoring and radiometric gages. Scale of the damage for forestry and agriculture is described and recommendations on the agriculture is described and recommendations on the agricultural production and forest utilization at contaminated areas are given. 24 refs.; 4 figs.; 24 tabs

The reconstruction of thyroid dose following Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepanenko, V.; Kondrashov, A.; Yaskova, E.; Petin, D.; Skvortsov, V.; Parshkov, E.; Gavrilin, Yu.; Khrousch, V.; Shinkarev, S.; Makarenkova, I.; Volkov, V.; Zvonova, I.; Bratilova, A.; Kaidanovsky, J.; Minenko, V.; Drozdovich, V.; Ulanovsky, A.; Korneev, S.; Heinemann, K.; Pomplun, E.; Hille, R.; Bailiff, A.

1996-01-01

The report presents the overview of several approaches in working out the methods of thyroid internal dose reconstruction following Chernobyl. One of these approaches was developed (IBPh, Moscow; MRRC, Obninsk; IRM, Minsk) using the correlations between the mean dose calculation based on I 131 thyroid content measurements and Cs 137 contamination of territories. The available data on I 131 soil contamination were taken into account. The lack of data on I 131 soil contamination was supposed to be compensated by I 129 measurements in soil samples from contaminated territories. The semiempiric model was developed for dose reconstruction. The comparison of the results obtained by semiempiric model and empirical values are presented. The estimated values of average dose according semiempiric model were used for individual dose reconstruction. The IRH (St.-Petersburg) has developed the following method for individual dose reconstruction: correlation between the total I 131 radioiodine incorporation in thyroid and whole body Cs 137 content during first months after accident. The individual dose reconstruction is also mentioned to be performed using the data on individual milk consumption during first weeks after accident. For evaluation of average doses it is suggested to use the linear correlation: thyroid dose values based on radioiodine thyroid measurements vs Cs 137 contamination, air kerma rate, mean I 131 concentration in the milk. The method for retrospective reconstruction of thyroid dose caused by short-living iodine nuclides released after the Chernobyl accident has been developed by Research Centre, Juelich, Germany. It is based on the constant ratio that these nuclides have with the long-living I 129 . The contamination of soil samples by this nuclide can be used to assess thyroid doses. First results of I 129 contamination values and derived thyroid doses are to be presented

Health effects in a casual sample of immigrants to Israel from areas contaminated by the Chernobyl explosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kordysh, E.A.; Goldsmith, J.R.; Cohen, R.

1995-01-01

We analyzed questionnaire and physician examination data for 1560 new immigrants from the former USSR divided into three groups by potential exposure to Chernobyl radiation. Two groups were chosen according to soil contamination by cesium-137 at former residences, as confirmed by our findings in a 137 Cs body burden study. The third group consisted of open-quotes liquidators,close quotes persons who worked at the Chernobyl site after the disaster. Liquidators had greater self-reported incidences of symptoms commonly accepted as acute effects of radiation exposure, increases in prevalence of hypertension, and more health complaints. Excesses of bronchial asthma and health complaints were reported in children from the more exposed communities. Asthma prevalence in children potentially exposed in utero appears to be increased eightfold. Older adults from more exposed areas had more hypertension as assessed by history and measurements. These findings suggest the possible association of radiation exposure with several nonmalignant effects. 34 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

Chernobyl, 13 years after; Tchernobyl, 13 ans apres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regniault-Lacharme, Mireille; Metivier, Henri [Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire, CEA Centre d' Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France)

1999-04-01

This is an annual report, regularly issued by IPSN, that presents the ecological and health consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. The present status of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, which Ukraine engaged to stop definitively in year 2000, is summarized. The only reactor unit now in operation is Chernobylsk-3 Reactor which poses two safety questions: evolution of cracks in part of the tubing and behaviour of the pressure tubes. Although, some improvements in the RBMK reactor types were introduced, problems remain that make IPSN to stress the requirement of stopping this NPP completely. In the contaminated territories surrounding Chernobyl incidence rate of infant thyroid cancers continues to grow, reaching values 10 to 100 times higher than the natural rate. In France the IPSN analyzed 60,000 records carried out in 17 sites during May 1986 and April 1989. It was estimated that the individual dose received during 60 years (1986-2046) by the inhabitants of the most affected zone (eastern France) is lower than 1.5 mSv, a value lower than 1% of the natural cosmic and telluric radioactivity exposure for the same period. For the persons assumed to live in the most attacked forests (from eastern France) and nourishing daily with venison and mushrooms the highest estimate is 1 mSv a year. Concerning the 'hot spots', identified in mountains by IPSN and CRIIRAD, the doses received by excursionists are around 0.015 mSv. For an average inhabitant of the country the dose piled up in the thyroid due to iodine-131 fallout is estimated to 0.5-2 mSv for an adult and 6.5-16 mSv for an infant. These doses are 100 to 1000 times lower than the ones to which the infants living in the neighbourhood of Chernobyl are exposed to. The contents of the report is displayed in the following six chapters: 1. Chernobyl in some figures; 2. The 'sarcophagus' and the reactors of the Chernobyl NPP; 3. Health consequences of the Chernobyl accident;. 4. The impact of

The main results of fulfilment in 1996 of the scientific part of the State programme of the Republic of Belarus for minimization and overcoming of the Chernobyl NPP accident consequences (1996-2000)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konoplya, E.F.

1997-01-01

In the publication are summarized the basic results of the researches executed in 1996 in the framework of the 'Scientific maintenance of the decision of problems of the Chernobyl NPP accident consequences' of the State program of Republic of Belarus for minimization and overcoming of the Chernobyl NPP accident consequences on 1996-2000 on the following directions: dose monitoring of the population, estimation and forecast of both collective irradiation dozes and risks of radiation induced diseases; development and optimization of a complex of measures for effective land use and decrease of radioactive contamination of agricultural production in order to reduce irradiation dozes of the population; development of complex technologies and means of decontamination, processing and burial of radioactive wastes; development of the measures for increase of radiation protection of the population of Belarus during of the reducing period after the Chernobyl accident; development of complex system of an estimation and decision-making on problems of radiation protection of the population living on contaminated territories; study of influence of radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident on health of people, development of methods and means of diagnostics, treatment and preventive maintenance of diseases for various categories of the victims; development of effective methods of preventive maintenance and treatment of diseases of both mother and child in conditions of influence of the Chernobyl NPP accident consequences; study of genetic consequences caused by the Chernobyl accident and development of effectual measures of their prevention; creation of the effective both prophylactic means and food additives for treatment and rehabilitation of the persons having suffered after the Chernobyl accident; study of the radioisotopes behaviour dynamics in environment (air, water, ground), ecosystems and populated areas; optimization of the system of radiation ecological

Preliminary results on transfer of radionuclides in soil and crops in the Chernobyl area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quinault, J.M.; Picat, P.; Colle, C.; Fache, P.; Maubert, H.; Arutyunyan, R.; Gavrilov, S.; Kancvski, M.; Kiselev, V.; Friedli, C.

1992-01-01

The IPSN is collaborating with IBRAE (INS: Institute of Nuclear Safety of Russia) in the fields of measurements and computer modelling, and of radiochemistry with EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne). The opportunity given by Russia to collect samples in a contaminated area inside the Chernobyl region gives us the possibility to combine the efforts of the three institutes to provide a complete chain: sampling, measurement, modelization and validation. An emphasis is made on the evolution, versus time, of the vertical distribution in different soils, mainly podzol, of cesium, measured by spectrometry gamma, and strontium, extracted by radiochemistry and measured by beta counting. This paper presents the objectives of the project, the progress of the work and the first results obtained. (author)

DNA damage, repair monitoring and epigenetic DNA methylation changes in seedlings of Chernobyl soybeans.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgieva, Mariyana; Rashydov, Namik M; Hajduch, Martin

2017-02-01

This pilot study was carried out to assess the effect of radio-contaminated Chernobyl environment on plant genome integrity 27 years after the accident. For this purpose, nuclei were isolated from root tips of the soybean seedlings harvested from plants grown in the Chernobyl area for seven generations. Neutral, neutral-alkaline, and methylation-sensitive comet assays were performed to evaluate the induction and repair of primary DNA damage and the epigenetic contribution to stress adaptation mechanisms. An increased level of single and double strand breaks in the radio-contaminated Chernobyl seedlings at the stage of primary root development was detected in comparison to the controls. However, the kinetics of the recovery of DNA breaks of radio-contaminated Chernobyl samples revealed that lesions were efficiently repaired at the stage of cotyledon. Methylation-sensitive comet assay revealed comparable levels in the CCGG methylation pattern between control and radio-contaminated samples with a slight increase of approximately 10% in the latter ones. The obtained preliminary data allow us to speculate about the onset of mechanisms providing an adaptation potential to the accumulated internal irradiation after the Chernobyl accident. Despite the limitations of this study, we showed that comet assay is a sensitive and flexible technique which can be efficiently used for genotoxic screening of plant specimens in natural and human-made radio-contaminated areas, as well as for safety monitoring of agricultural products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic and ecological studies of animals in Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Science.gov (United States)

Mousseau, Timothy A; Møller, Anders P

2014-01-01

Recent advances in genetic and ecological studies of wild animal populations in Chernobyl and Fukushima have demonstrated significant genetic, physiological, developmental, and fitness effects stemming from exposure to radioactive contaminants. The few genetic studies that have been conducted in Chernobyl generally show elevated rates of genetic damage and mutation rates. All major taxonomic groups investigated (i.e., birds, bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, mammals) displayed reduced population sizes in highly radioactive parts of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In Fukushima, population censuses of birds, butterflies, and cicadas suggested that abundances were negatively impacted by exposure to radioactive contaminants, while other groups (e.g., dragonflies, grasshoppers, bees, spiders) showed no significant declines, at least during the first summer following the disaster. Insufficient information exists for groups other than insects and birds to assess effects on life history at this time. The differences observed between Fukushima and Chernobyl may reflect the different times of exposure and the significance of multigenerational mutation accumulation in Chernobyl compared to Fukushima. There was considerable variation among taxa in their apparent sensitivity to radiation and this reflects in part life history, physiology, behavior, and evolutionary history. Interestingly, for birds, population declines in Chernobyl can be predicted by historical mitochondrial DNA base-pair substitution rates that may reflect intrinsic DNA repair ability. © The American Genetic Association 2014. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

30 years life with Chernobyl, 5 years life with Fukushima. Health consequences of the nuclear catastrophes of Chernobyl and Fukushima; 30 Jahre Leben mit Tschernobyl, 5 Jahre Leben mit Fukushima. Gesundheitliche Folgen der Atomkatastrophen von Tschernobyl und Fukushima

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Claussen, Angelika; Rosen, Alex

2016-02-15

The IPPNW report on health consequences of the nuclear catastrophes of Chernobyl and Fukushima covers the following issues: Part.: 30 years life with Chernobyl: Summarized consequences of Chernobyl, the accident progression, basic data of the catastrophe, estimation of health hazards as a consequence of the severe accident of Chernobyl, health consequences for the liquidators, health consequences for the contaminated population, mutagenic and teratogenic effects. Part B: 5 years life with Fukushima: The start of the nuclear catastrophe, emissions and contamination, consequences of the nuclear catastrophe on human health, thyroid surveys in the prefecture Fukushima, consequences of the nuclear catastrophe on the ecosystem, outlook.

Experience of the Republic of Belarus in solving the problems of rehabilitation of the territories affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsalko, V.

2002-01-01

As the result of the Chernobyl accident, about a quarter of the Belarussian territory has been contaminated by radionuclides. More than one and a half million of people live on the contaminated territory. The legislation and radiological standards were developed in all spheres related to overcoming of the Chernobyl catastrophe consequences. Significant range of countermeasures is applied in agriculture. The system of social protection of all population categories is under implementation. Considerable part of work has been done to improve living conditions in the contaminated territories. The rehabilitation of the contaminated territories includes a complex of measures aimed at restoration of the economy, social infrastructure, physical and psychological health of people. Although a long time passed since the Chernobyl accident, a lot of problems of rehabilitation of affected areas still remain to be solved. In this regard, both national efforts and international collaboration are very important. (author)

Accidents - Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This file is devoted to the Chernobyl accident. It is divided in four parts. The first part concerns the accident itself and its technical management. The second part is relative to the radiation doses and the different contaminations. The third part reports the sanitary effects, the determinists ones and the stochastic ones. The fourth and last part relates the consequences for the other European countries with the case of France. Through the different parts a point is tackled with the measures taken after the accident by the other countries to manage an accident, the cooperation between the different countries and the groups of research and studies about the reactors safety, and also with the international medical cooperation, specially for the children, everything in relation with the Chernobyl accident. (N.C.)

Differences and similarities between behavior of Fukushima-derived and Chernobyl-derived radiocesium in the environment

Science.gov (United States)

Konoplev, Alexei; Nanba, Kenji; Onda, Yuichi; Golosov, Valentin; Wakiyama, Yoshifumi; Takase, Tsugiko; Yoschenko, Vasyl; Zheleznyak, Mark

2016-04-01

The mobility and bioavailability of radiocesium (r-Cs) of accidental origin is governed by the ratio of its chemical forms in fallout and site-specific environmental characteristics determining the rates of leaching, fixation-remobilization, as well as sorption-desorption of the mobile fraction (its solid-liquid distribution). R-Cs in the environment is strongly bound to soil and sediment particles containing micaceous clay minerals (illite, vermiculite, etc.). This is associated with two basic processes - high selective reversible sorption and fixation. Climate and geographical conditions for Fukushima Prefecture of Japan and Chernobyl zone differ. For example, the catchments of the Chernobyl zone are flat and characterized by low slopes, while Fukushima's watersheds are hilly with steep slopes. Annual precipitation also differs substantially, with annual average for Fukushima about 3 times higher than at Chernobyl. The soils on the north-east coast of the Honshu island that were primarily affected by the radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident differ significantly from the Chernobyl zone soils. The proportion of clays such as illite, vermiculite etc. is 20-30% at Fukushima, which is higher than in the sandy loam soils of the Chernobyl zone. In addition to the landscape differences, the speciation of r-Cs in fallout was also different between Fukushima and Chernobyl. It is a challenge to compare r-Cs behavior in FDNPP and Chernobyl zones. Comparative analysis has been carried out for r-Cs wash-off parameters and the distribution coefficient Kd in rivers and surface runoff on Fukushima and Chernobyl contaminated areas for the first years after the accidents. The r-Cs distribution coefficient in Fukushima rivers was 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than correspondent values for rivers and surface runoff of the Chernobyl zone. This suggests higher ability of Fukushima soils and sediments to bind r-Cs. The normalized

Survey of the 137Cs contamination in Belgium by in-situ gamma spectrometry, a decade after the Chernobyl accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Uyttenhove, J; Pommé, S; Van Waeyenberge, B; Hardeman, F; Buysse, J; Culot, J P

1997-10-01

The residual radiocesium concentration, nearly 10 y after the Chernobyl accident, is measured at different sites on the Belgian territory by means of in-situ gamma-spectrometry. A possible link between the rainfall at the beginning of May 1986 and the actual cesium concentration is investigated. The radiological impact of this contamination, even in the most affected regions in the Ardennes, is very small (<6 microSv y(-1)).

Radiation Dose to Post-Chernobyl Cleanup Workers

Science.gov (United States)

Radiation dose calculation for post-Chernobyl Cleanup Workers in Ukraine - both external radiation exposure due to fallout and internal doses due to inhalation (I131 intake) or ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs.

RADIATION CONDITIONS IN KALUGA REGION 30 YEARS AFTER CHERNOBYL NPP ACCIDENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. G. Ashitko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes radiation conditions in the Kaluga region 30 years after the Chernobyl NPP accident. The Chernobyl NPP accident caused radioactive contamination of nine Kaluga region territories: Duminichsky, Zhizdrinsky, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Kozelsky, Ludinovsky, Meshchovsky, Ulyanovsky and Hvastovichsky districts. Radioactive fallout was the strongest in three southern districts: Zhizdrinsky, Ulyanovsky and Hvastovichsky, over there cesium-137 contamination density is from 1 to 15Ci/km. According to the Russian Federation Government Order in 2015 there are 300 settlements (S in the radioactive contamination zone, including 14 settlements with caesium-137 soil contamination density from 5 to 15 Ci/ km2 and 286 settlements with the contamination density ranging from 1 to 5 Ci/km2. In the first years after the Chernobyl NPP accident in Kaluga region territories, contaminated with caesium-137, there were introduced restrictive land usage, were carried out agrochemical activities (ploughing, mineral fertilizer dressing, there was toughened laboratory radiation control over the main doze-forming foodstuff. All these measures facilitated considerable decrease of caesium-137 content in local agricultural produce. Proceeding from the achieved result, in 2002 there took place the transition to more tough requirements SanPiN 2.3.2.1078-01. Analysis of investigated samples from Zhizdrinsky, Ulyanovsky and Hvastovichsky districts demonstrated that since 2005 meat samples didn’t exceed the standard values, same for milk samples since 2007. Till the present time, the use of wild-growing mushrooms, berries and wild animals meat involves radiation issues. It was demonstrated that average specific activity of caesium-137 in milk samples keeps decreasing year after year. Long after the Chernobyl NPP accident, the main products forming internal irradiation doses in population are the wild-growing mushrooms and berries. Population average annual

Chernobyl team seeks aid for fallout cleanup studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

British nuclear experts have begun raising international aid agency interest in financing studies into cleaning up vast areas of the Ukraine still contaminated with fallout from the Chernobyl reactor explosion in April 1986. In a new 11-month investigation of the area outside an 18.6-mile radius of Chernobyl, the experts identified 80 necessary studies estimated to cost $62 million. open-quotes That's just to get the system up and running. The total cost is much larger, but the authors don't yet know how much,close quotes says investigation coordinator Alan Eggleton of AEA Technology Ltd., Harwell, which led the study team. According to the report, radioactivity contaminated 19,000 sq miles of the Ukraine. The government is now spending some 12% of its income on mitigating the contamination, although most spending is for victim compensation and resettlement

The enduring lessons of Chernobyl. International conference of the Chernobyl Forum, 6 September 2005, Vienna, Austria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2005-01-01

The April 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant remains a defining moment in the history of nuclear energy. The lessons of this tragedy are interwoven with a recurrent theme: namely, the importance of international cooperation. With its recently released document - entitled 'Chernobyl's Legacy' - the Chernobyl Forum has solidly reinforced that theme. The major impacts of Chernobyl fall into three categories: the physical impacts, in terms of health and environmental effects; the psychological and social impacts on the affected populations; and the influence of the accident on the nuclear industry worldwide. The physical impacts mark Chernobyl as the site of the most serious nuclear accident in history. The explosions that destroyed the Unit 4 reactor core released a cloud of radionuclides that contaminated large areas of Europe and, in particular, Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to substantial radiation doses, including workers from all three of these countries who participated in efforts to mitigate the consequences of the accident. The definitive numbers compiled in the Chernobyl Forum report are sobering: the 50 emergency rescue workers who died from acute radiation syndrome and related illnesses; the 4000 children and adolescents who contracted thyroid cancer - 9 of whom also died; and the hundreds of thousands of hectares of cropland, forests, rivers and urban centres that were contaminated by environmental fallout. But as severe as these impacts were, the situation was made even worse by conflicting information and vast exaggerations - in press coverage and pseudo-scientific accounts of the accident - reporting, for example, fatalities in the tens or hundreds of thousands. The psychological and social impacts were also devastating. Over 100 000 people were immediately evacuated, and the total number of evacuees from contaminated areas eventually reached 350 000. While some of these

Radioecological monitoring of the Black Sea basin following the Chernobyl NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulebakina, L.G.; Polikarpov, G.G.

1991-01-01

A monitoring programme was drawn up to study the radioecological situation of the Black Sea basin following the Chernobyl NPP accident, with studies being carried out from May 1986 onwards to determine the levels of radioactive contamination in various parts of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Aegean Sea, including the estuaries of major rivers (Dnieper, Danube, Dniester and Don) and shelf areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The work focused on long-lived radionuclides ( 90 Sr and 137 Cs), with the migration dynamics of these radionuclides in the aquatic environment, bed sediments and aquatic biota (including plants, molluscs, crustacea and fish) being studied. We compared the behaviour of radionuclides in the aquatic environment of the Dnieper reservoirs following the Chernobyl accident (our data) with the behaviour of radionuclides in lakes in the Urals following the Kyshtym accident (published data). As in the case of the lakes in the Urals, the Dnieper waters contain substantial concentrations of 90 Sr as a result of the Chernobyl accident, and 90 Sr therefore enters the Black Sea with the Dnieper waters. The paper compares the contribution of the Chernobyl accident to radioactive contamination of the Black Sea with that of global fallout. (author)

Field methods for determining contents of alpha-radiating nuclides on the areas contaminated with depositions after the Chernobyl nuclear power station failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitkevich, V.A.; Duba, V.V.

1992-01-01

The work is aimed at creating field methods for estimating contents of alpha-radiating nuclides on the areas contaminated with depositions after the Chernobyl' station failure and for measuring the density of alpha-particles flux at various depths of soil. The methods make it possible to estimate the character of migration of isotopes Pu in depth. Instrumental and physical grounding of the methods are given. One can find the results of field measurements of α-active nuclides content in depositions. The results of measurement prove theoretical and practical feasibility of the suggested methods. 2 refs.; 4 figs.; 1 tabs

Chernobyl NPP decommissioning efforts - Past, Present and Future. Decommissioning Efforts on Chernobyl NPP site - Past, Present

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchinskiy, V.

2017-01-01

Two unique large-scale projects are underway at the moment within the Chernobyl - Exclusion zone - Shelter object transformation into ecologically safe system and the decommissioning of 3 Chernobyl NPP Units. As a result of beyond design accident in 1986 the entire territory of the industrial site and facilities located on it was heavily contaminated. Priority measures were carried out at the damaged Unit under very difficult conditions to reduce the accident consequences and works to ensure nuclear and radiation safety are continuous, and the Unit four in 1986 was transformed into the Shelter object. Currently, works at the Shelter object are in progress. Under assistance of the International Community new protective construction was built above the existing Shelter object - New Safe Confinement, which will ensure the SO Safety for the long term - within up to 100 years. The second major project is the simultaneous decommissioning of Chernobyl NPP Units 1, 2 and 3. Currently existing Chernobyl NPP decommissioning Strategy has been continuously improved starting from the Concept of 1992. Over the years the following was analyzed and taken into account: the results of numerous research and development works, international experience in decommissioning, IAEA recommendations, comments and suggestions from the governmental and regulatory bodies in the fields of nuclear energy use and radioactive waste management. In 2008 the final decommissioning strategy option for Chernobyl NPP was approved, that was deferred gradual dismantling (SAFSTOR). In accordance with this strategy, decommissioning will be carried out in 3 stages (Final Shutdown and Preservation, Safe Enclosure, Dismantling). The SAFSTOR strategy stipulates: -) the preservation of the reactor, the primary circuit and the reactor compartment equipment; -) the dismantling of the equipment external in relation to the reactor; -) the safe enclosure (under the supervision); -) the gradual dismantling of the primary

Obtaining ''clean'' produce from livestock reared in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilyazov, R.G.; Firsakova, S.K.; Karpenko, A.F.

1991-01-01

Considerable areas of Byelorussia devoted to intensive livestock farming were contaminated as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP. The problem of furnishing livestock produce meeting Soviet Ministry of Health requirements (provisionally permissible levels) first arose immediately after the accident and is just as pressing nowadays. The main aims of the studies were, in the long term, to devise and implement measures for the fodder/animal/livestock-produce food chain which would result in the maximum reduction of radionuclide levels in livestock produce. It was established that the coefficients of radiocaesium transfer from the daily fodder ration varied from 0.004 to 0.016 for milk, from 0.03 to 0.06 for beet and from 0.10 to 0.11 for sheepmeat, which tallies with previous findings. A procedure for producing meat from cattle reared in a contaminated environment was developed to provide ''clean'' produce from livestock farming. It was established that the rate of radiocaesium removal from muscle tissue is an exponential function with two periods of semi-elimination - 14 and 80 days. Scientific and experimental data were used to draw up practical recommendations for final fattening of cattle with ''clean'' fodder, thus allowing fodder stocks to be used rationally. Ever since the accident occurred, milk with a high concentration of radiocaesium has been processed into butter. The standard method used to make cream butter reduces by a factor of 6 the radiocaesium content in the end product as compared to the original milk; and when melted, the butter contains hardly any traces of radiocaesium. (author)

Chernobyl. Radioactivity measurements in Belgium and abroad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lejeune, P; Gillard, J; Declercq, H; Avaux, J L; Binet, J; Flemal, J M

1986-01-01

A survey of the fallout on the Belgian territory after the Chernobyl accident is presented. Contamination of air, soil, water milk, grass and vegetables is considered. Figures for other countries are also given. (MCB).

Chernobyl. Radioactivity measurements in Belgium and abroad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lejeune, P.; Gillard, J.; Declercq, H.; Avaux, J.L.; Binet, J.; Flemal, J.M.

1986-01-01

A survey of the fallout on the Belgian territory after the Chernobyl accident is presented. Contamination of air, soil, water milk, grass and vegetables is considered. Figures for other countries are also given. (MCB)

THE AVERAGE ANNUAL EFFECTIVE DOSES FOR THE POPULATION IN THE SETTLEMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ATTRIBUTED TO ZONES OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION DUE TO THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT (FOR ZONATION PURPOSES, 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Ja. Bruk

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Chernobyl accident in 1986 is one of the most large-scale radiation accidents in the world. It led to radioactive contamination of large areas in the European part of the Russian Federation and at the neighboring countries. Now, there are more than 4000 settlements with the total population of 1.5 million in the radioactively contaminated areas of the Russian Federation. The Bryansk region is the most intensely contaminated region. For example, the Krasnogorskiy district still has settlements with the level of soil contamination by cesium-137 exceeding 40 Cu/km2. The regions of Tula, Kaluga and Orel are also significantly affected. In addition to these four regions, there are 10 more regions with the radioactively contaminated settlements. After the Chernobyl accident, the affected areas were divided into zones of radioactive contamination. The attribution of the settlements to a particular zone is determined by the level of soil contamination with 137Cs and by a value of the average annual effective dose that could be formed in the absence of: 1 active measures for radiation protection, and 2 self-limitation in consumption of the local food products. The main regulatory document on this issue is the Federal law № 1244-1 (dated May, 15,1991 «On the social protection of the citizens who have been exposed to radiation as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant». The law extends to the territories, where, since 1991: – The average annual effective dose for the population exceeds 1 mSv (the value of effective dose that could be formed in the absence of active radiation protection measures and self-limitation in consumption of the local food products; – Soil surface contamination with cesium-137 exceeds 1 Cu/km2. The paper presents results of calculations of the average effective doses in 2014. The purpose was to use the dose values (SGED90 in zonation of contaminated territories. Therefore, the

The French-German initiative for Chernobyl: programme 3: Health consequences of the Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tirmarche, M. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN), Radiological Protection and Human Health Div. (DRPH), Radiobiology and Epidemiology Dept., 92 - Fontenay-aux-Roses (France); Kellerer, A.M. [Munchen Univ., Strahlenbiologisches Institut (Germany); Bazyka, D. [Chornobyl Center (CC), Kiev regoin (Ukraine)

2006-07-01

- Goals: The main objectives of the health programme are collection and validation of existing data on cancer and non cancer diseases in the most highly contaminated regions of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, common scientific expertise on main health indicators and reliable dosimetry, and finally communication of the results to the scientific community and to the public. - General Tasks: 1- Comparison between high and low exposed regions, 2- Description of trends over time, 3- Consideration of specific age groups. This methodological approach is applied on Solid cancer incidence and leukaemia incidence in different regions in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, With a special focus on thyroid cancer in young exposed ages. - Thyroid cancer: Those exposed in very young ages continue to express a relatively high excess of thyroid cancer even though they have now reached the age group 15-29. Those exposed as young adults show a small increase, at least partly due to better screening conditions - Leukemia: Description of leukemia trends for various age groups show no clear difference between exposed and unexposed regions when focusing on those exposed at very young ages. The rates of childhood leukemia before and after the accident show no evidence of any increase (oblasts in Belarus over 1982-1998). - Specific studies: Incidence of congenital malformations in Belarus; Infant mortality and morbidity in the most highly contaminated regions; Potential effects of prenatal irradiation on the brain as a result of the Chernobyl accident; Nutritional status of population living in regions with different levels of contamination; Dosimetry of Chernobyl clean-up workers; Radiological passports in contaminated settlements. - Congenital malformations: As a national register was existing since the 1980's and gives the possibility to compare trends before and after the accident, results of congenital malformations describe large results collected over Belarus, There is no evidence of a

Chernobyl and the consequences for Austria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoenhofer, F.; Ecker, W.; Hojesky, H.; Junger, W.; Kienzel, K.; Nowak, H.; Riss, A.; Vychytil, P.; Zechner, J.

1986-11-01

In an introducing chapter the meteorological situation over Austria in the days after the Chernobyl accident is outlined. The following chapters are on measurement of contamination of environment, foodstuffs and fodder; on measures taken to minimize the radiation burden; a comparison with the fallout from nuclear weapons tests; a dose estimation to the population and finally, a comparison with contamination in some other european countries. 26 tabs., 117 figs. (qui)

Demographic situation in the Kaluga region for 1976-1992. Possible consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omel'chenko, V.N.; Kurochkina, O.I.; Kostina, M.A.; Sidenko, L.G.

1993-01-01

The paper studies the demographic situation in different areas of the Kaluga region contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident, during 1976-1992. The following indices received the particular attention: the composition of population, size of population, birth rate, mortality, child mortality. It is shown that during the investigated period no variations of the size of population, of the mortality and of the increment of population resulted from the Chernobyl accident were detected

The international Chernobyl project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, A.J.

1992-01-01

The findings of the International Chernobyl Project are summarized herewith. The project focused on four key issues related to the radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident which are of concern to the population and policy makers: the true extent of the current contamination in inhabited areas of Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine; the past, current and future radiation exposure of the population; the actual and potential health effects; and the adequacy or measures being taken to protect the public. The project findings are expected to contribute towards alleviating the consequences of the accident by presenting factual information to allow future policy and worldwide assistance to be channelled to where it is most needed and where it can be best used. (author)

Learned from Chernobyl accident-intervention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuda, Hiroshi

1997-01-01

It is considered that health and social damage as seen in the Chernobyl accident could be avoided by establishing a clear framework for intervention against contamination. The framework must be easy to understand to be accepted by all the people concerned. This study presented a process of decision-making on countermeasures against a regional-scale soil contamination. This process put an emphasis on 1) Clarification of responsibility and intervention principles, 2) Application of probabilistic techniques into individual dose estimation, 3) Reduction of social burden. Examples of decision-making were also presented for a simulated ground surface contamination. (author)

Some problems connected with the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bar'yakhtar, V.G.

1994-01-01

The description of the eruption of radionuclides caused by the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 Accident, including the effective time of the accident, quality and quantity of radio waste, is presented. A particular attention is given to the spotty structure of Chernobyl's contamination. The assumption that the spots distribution may be a consequence of the turbulent processes in the atmosphere is made

Proceedings of the 21. Autumn School of Polish Radiation Research Society '' Chernobyl - 20 years after. Contamination of food and the environment and health effects. Nuclear power industry: for and against ''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pachocki, K.

2006-01-01

21. Autumn Schools of the Polish Radiation Research Society held in 2006 '' Chernobyl - 20 years after. Contamination of food and the environment and health effects '' consisted of 35 lectures and scientific contributions. All aspects concerning accident in the Chernobyl NPP: technical, environmental, medical (direct and prolonged, as well) and safety problems were presented and discussed. Perspectives for the development of the nuclear power industry in Poland were also shown

Speciation of radiocesium in atmospheric aerosol after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasek, M.; Rybacek, K.; Wilhemova, L.

1995-01-01

The aim of this analysis was to verify the hypothesis that physico-chemical forms of radiocesium in the fallout after the accident could depend on the transport conditions, including the distance of a sampling location from Chernobyl. From the results it is obvious that the prevailing form in all samples taken in the period of direct contamination was water-soluble radiocesium. It can be concluded from the presented results that physico-chemical forms of radiocesium in atmospheric aerosol and fallout after the nuclear power plant accident at Chernobyl as well as particulate size distribution can depend on the distance or the conditions of transport from a contamination source to a sampling location. The influence of the conditions of radiocesium transport could result in observed differences in the 137 Cs penetration into soil profile in different locations and also in the found dependence on the resuspension factor for 137 Cs on the level of its fallout in the period of NPP accident for different locations in Europe. (J.K.) 1 tab

Speciation of radiocesium in atmospheric aerosol after the Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomasek, M; Rybacek, K; Wilhemova, L [Academy Science of the Czech Republic, 18086 Prague (Czech Republic). Nuclear Physics Inst., Dept. of Radiation Dosimetry

1996-12-31

The aim of this analysis was to verify the hypothesis that physico-chemical forms of radiocesium in the fallout after the accident could depend on the transport conditions, including the distance of a sampling location from Chernobyl. From the results it is obvious that the prevailing form in all samples taken in the period of direct contamination was water-soluble radiocesium. It can be concluded from the presented results that physico-chemical forms of radiocesium in atmospheric aerosol and fallout after the nuclear power plant accident at Chernobyl as well as particulate size distribution can depend on the distance or the conditions of transport from a contamination source to a sampling location. The influence of the conditions of radiocesium transport could result in observed differences in the {sup 137}Cs penetration into soil profile in different locations and also in the found dependence on the resuspension factor for {sup 137}Cs on the level of its fallout in the period of NPP accident for different locations in Europe. (J.K.) 1 tab.

The international Chernobyl project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This article summarizes the official report of the International Advisory Committee at the conference of the International Chernobyl Project held in Vienna, May 1991. More details will be found in the actual report, ''The International Chernobyl Project: An Overview'' (INI22:066284/5). Measurements and assessments carried out under the project provided general corroboration of the levels of surface cesium-137 contamination reported in the official maps. The project also concluded that the official procedures for estimating radiation doses to the population were scientifically sound, although they generally resulted in overestimates of two- to threefold. The project could find no marked increase in the incidence of leukemia or cancer, but reported absorbed thyroid doses in children might lead to a statistically detectable rise in the incidence of thyroid tumors. Significant non-radiation-related health disorders were found, and the accident had substantial psychological consequences in terms of anxiety and stress. The project concluded that the protective measures taken were too extreme, and that population relocation and foodstuff restrictions should have been less extensive

Fifteen years of the cuban program, with children from areas affected by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, Omar; Medina, Julio

2005-01-01

The Cuban Chernobyl Program arrived to the 15th anniversary in March 2005. This program was designed to offers specialised medical attention and to develop a rehabilitation plan with children from areas affected by the Chernobyl accident. More than 21 500 children and adults had been assisted in the program up to the moment, with a significant set of medical procedures done. Dosimetric and biomedic research had been also carried out as part of the program. The most significant medical attention activities include the treatment of children with haematological disorders, including 120 leukaemia, bone marrow transplants, and the treatment of endocrine and cancer diseases. The dosimetric studies allow made a data base with information on internal 137Cs contamination, internal, external and total doses, children living location, and its contamination by 137Cs, and other significant information for radiological impact evaluation in more than 8000 children. The behaviour of all the medical information of the program in relation to the contamination of the land and the internal contamination of the children was analysed using this database. The program has accumulated an experience of interest for physicians, psychologists and in general persons interested in Chernobyl consequences. This paper present a summary of the main results obtained in the program

The international Chernobyl project. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This report contains the findings of the International Chernobyl Project. Separate chapters deal with the history of the accident and the Soviet emergency measures, environmental contamination, radiation exposure of the population, health impact, and protective measures. The conclusions and recommendations of the Project are presented, and an annex gives the available data on cesium 137 and strontium 90 contamination levels in populated areas of the BSSR, the RSFSR and the UkrSSR from June/July 1989: these data were used to draw up the area contamination maps. Ref, figs and tabs

Changes of radiological situation of Polish environment in 10 years period after Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jagielak, J.; Biernacka, M.; Grabowski, D.; Henschke, J.

1996-01-01

The content of natural and artificial radioisotopes in environment in Poland before and after Chernobyl accident was analyzed. The methods used in radiation monitoring in Poland and results of these measurements in the period 1986-1996 were presented. Since the Chernobyl accident changes of contamination of soils, southern Baltic sea water, other surface waters, deposits in Baltic sea, rivers and lakes in Poland were observed. Also concentration of radioisotopes in foodstuffs: mushrooms, fruits, meat, milk, eggs was described

The Chernobyl accident is the greatest social ecological and technological catastrophe in a human history. Chapter 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babosov, E.M.

1995-01-01

The lessons of the Chernobyl tragedy for mankind are shown. Ecological consequences of the accident are described. It is given the analysis of social and psychological consequences of the Chernobyl accident - change of a mode of life of the people on the contaminated territories, a development post-catastrophe processes, a migration moods of the population, an aggravation of a demographic situation. Problems of an administrative activity on the contaminated territories are discussed and measures for decrease of the Chernobyl accident consequences are offered. 51 refs., 7 tabs

Behavior of accidentally released radiocesium in soil-water environment: Looking at Fukushima from a Chernobyl perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Konoplev, A; Golosov, V; Laptev, G; Nanba, K; Onda, Y; Takase, T; Wakiyama, Y; Yoshimura, K

2016-01-01

Quantitative characteristics of dissolved and particulate radiocesium wash-off from contaminated watersheds after the FDNPP accident are calculated based on published monitoring data. Comparative analysis is provided for radiocesium wash-off parameters and distribution coefficients, Kd, between suspended matter and water in rivers and surface runoff on Fukushima and Chernobyl contaminated areas for the first years after the accidents. It was found that radiocesium distribution coefficient in Fukushima rivers is essentially higher (1-2 orders of magnitude) than corresponding values for rivers and surface runoff within the Chernobyl zone. This can be associated with two factors: first, the high fraction of clays in the predominant soils and sediments of the Fukushima area and accordingly a higher value of the radiocesium Interception Potential, RIP, in general, and secondly the presence of water insoluble glassy particles containing radiocesium in the accidental fallout at Fukushima. It was found also that normalized dissolved wash-off coefficients for Fukushima catchments are 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than corresponding values for the Chernobyl zone. Normalized particulate wash-off coefficients are comparable for Fukushima and Chernobyl. Results of the investigation of radiocesium's ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) vertical distribution in soils of the close-in area of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP - Okuma town and floodplain of the Niida river are presented. The radiocesium migration in undisturbed forest and grassland soils at Fukushima contaminated area has been shown to be faster as compared to the Chernobyl 30-km zone during the first three years after the accidents. This may be associated with higher annual precipitation (by about 2.5 times) in Fukushima as compared to the Chernobyl zone, as well as the differences in the soil characteristics and temperature regime throughout a year. Investigation and analysis of Fukushima's radiocesium distribution in soils of Niida

Clinical effects of chronic low doses irradiation (11 years after Chernobyl accident)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanenko, A.Y.; Bebeshko, V.G.

1997-01-01

Estimation of clinical effects of influence low doses of irradiation as the result of the Chernobyl accident on the human organism is presented in this report. The results of the investigations are concerning to changings in different organs and systems of inhabitants of the contamination territories and among clean-up workers. Increasing of morbidity of digestive and nervous systems is notified. Increase of thyroid cancer, chronic thyroidities and hypothyreouses is resisted in clean-up workers in dynamic observation. Highly morbidity of bronchopulmonal system and blood circulation system is revealed. High level of compensative and adaptive reactions of immune and hemopoietic systems is notified. Excesses of leukemias and lymphomas in inhabitants of the contamination territories is not demonstrated but tendency for increasing quantity cases of oncohematological diseases (leukemias, lymphomas, MDS) among clean-up workers IV-VII 1986 are absent. A dynamic of health state of children injured as a result of Chernobyl accident is characterized with continues negative tendencies. (author)

Challenges to decision makers after urban contamination: The Chernobyl experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Likhtarev, I.; Ilyin, L.

2000-01-01

The real history of the Chernobyl decisions will probably be published in ten or fifty years after the death of the politicians who made those decisions and the soviet scientists who were there creating them. But that is not out of the possibility that real and tragic history will never be published at all. This is mainly because the most hard and responsible Chernobyl decisions which had to be made in the situation of acute time, skill and information deficit, had been marked by the stamp of time and society where all of us, including the authors, were living. Never before, and I hope very much, never in the future, has humanity faced the industrial nuclear-radiation accident with the scale like Chernobyl NPP accident. So it's extremely important to summarise and put together not only the scientific but human experience of the scientists which directly formed the large-scale decisions. It is very important to explain to society not only the scientific background of those decisions but also the scientists' personal views, their personal impressions as at the time of decision making as in eight years after the accident. (author)

High (36)Cl/Cl ratios in Chernobyl groundwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Roux, Céline; Le Gal La Salle, Corinne; Simonucci, Caroline; Van Meir, Nathalie; Fifield, L Keith; Diez, Olivier; Bassot, Sylvain; Simler, Roland; Bugai, Dmitri; Kashparov, Valery; Lancelot, Joël

2014-12-01

After the explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April 1986, contaminated material was buried in shallow trenches within the exclusion zone. A (90)Sr plume was evidenced downgradient of one of these trenches, trench T22. Due to its conservative properties, (36)Cl is investigated here as a potential tracer to determine the maximal extent of the contamination plume from the trench in groundwater. (36)Cl/Cl ratios measured in groundwater, trench soil water and leaf leachates are 1-5 orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical natural (36)Cl/Cl ratio. This contamination occurred after the Chernobyl explosion and currently persists. Trench T22 acts as an obvious modern point source of (36)Cl, however other sources have to be involved to explain such contamination. (36)Cl contamination of groundwater can be explained by dilution of trench soil water by uncontaminated water (rainwater or deep groundwater). With a plume extending further than that of (90)Sr, radionuclide which is impacted by retention and decay processes, (36)Cl can be considered as a suitable tracer of contamination from the trench in groundwater provided that modern release processes of (36)Cl from trench soil are better characterized. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Information on economic and social consequences of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-07-01

This ''Information on economic and social consequences of the Chernobyl accident'' was presented to the July 1990 session of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations by the delegations of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. It presents the radiation situation, the medical aspects of the accident, the evacuation of the inhabitants from areas affected by radioactive contamination and their social welfare, the agro-industrial production and forestry in these areas, the decontamination operations, the scientific back-up for the work dealing with the consequences of the accident and the expenditure and losses resulting from the Chernobyl disaster

Health consequences of Chernobyl disaster in Europe in general and in Norway in particular. Literature review and ecological study.

OpenAIRE

Fedorov, Roman

2012-01-01

Health costs of Chernobyl disaster are still not clear.Main goal of this paper therefore is to investigate health consequences of Chernobyl disaster in Europe (outside the former Soviet Union) as a whole and in Norway in particular as one of the second high contaminated areas after those in the immediate vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. To do that literature review and ecological study with the Incidence rate ratios analysis are conducted. As a result hypothesis about increased...

Behavior of accidentally released radiocesium in soil–water environment: Looking at Fukushima from a Chernobyl perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konoplev, A.; Golosov, V.; Laptev, G.; Nanba, K.; Onda, Y.; Takase, T.; Wakiyama, Y.; Yoshimura, K.

2016-01-01

Quantitative characteristics of dissolved and particulate radiocesium wash-off from contaminated watersheds after the FDNPP accident are calculated based on published monitoring data. Comparative analysis is provided for radiocesium wash-off parameters and distribution coefficients, K d , between suspended matter and water in rivers and surface runoff on Fukushima and Chernobyl contaminated areas for the first years after the accidents. It was found that radiocesium distribution coefficient in Fukushima rivers is essentially higher (1–2 orders of magnitude) than corresponding values for rivers and surface runoff within the Chernobyl zone. This can be associated with two factors: first, the high fraction of clays in the predominant soils and sediments of the Fukushima area and accordingly a higher value of the radiocesium Interception Potential, RIP, in general, and secondly the presence of water insoluble glassy particles containing radiocesium in the accidental fallout at Fukushima. It was found also that normalized dissolved wash-off coefficients for Fukushima catchments are 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than corresponding values for the Chernobyl zone. Normalized particulate wash-off coefficients are comparable for Fukushima and Chernobyl. Results of the investigation of radiocesium's ( 134 Cs and 137 Cs) vertical distribution in soils of the close-in area of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP – Okuma town and floodplain of the Niida river are presented. The radiocesium migration in undisturbed forest and grassland soils at Fukushima contaminated area has been shown to be faster as compared to the Chernobyl 30-km zone during the first three years after the accidents. This may be associated with higher annual precipitation (by about 2.5 times) in Fukushima as compared to the Chernobyl zone, as well as the differences in the soil characteristics and temperature regime throughout a year. Investigation and analysis of Fukushima's radiocesium distribution in

The Chernobyl accident: The consequences in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simmonds, J.R.

1986-01-01

The accidental release of radioactive material from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the USSR led to widespread contamination over Europe. The pattern of the contamination was determined by the weather conditions which occurred during the days when the release was continuing. Actual levels depended on a number of factors including the distance and direction from Chernobyl, rainfall during the passage of the radioactive cloud and local conditions such as topography. The highest levels of radioactivity have been found in parts of Scandanavia, which was affected by the early stages of the release, and in areas where it rained during the passage of the plume e.g. in parts of Italy, Greece and West Germany. Following the release of radionuclides to atmosphere people will be irradiated by a number of different routes. While the cloud is overhead people will be exposed to external irradiation from material in the cloud and internal irradiation following inhalation of the material. Radionuclides are removed from the cloud during transit and deposited on the ground. People are then exposed by other routes, notably external irradiation from the deposited material and the transfer of material through the terrestrial environment to foods consumed by people. These four exposure pathways are the most important in estimating the radiation doses received by the European population due to the Chernobyl accident. Environmental data are required to estimate the radiation doses. Such data are collected in all European countries by national authorities following the Chernobyl accident. In East Europe measurement data supplied by the national authorities were supplemented by information obtained by using the British embassies. The Embassies were supplied with instruments to measure external γ dose rates and they also collected food samples for analysis at NRPB. Various countermeasures were introduced in different countries to reduce exposure. These measures included restrictions on

Internal and atmospheric contamination measurament by means of whole body counter performed up to 31.21.1986 by Bologna ENEA-PAS following the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melandri, C.; Castellani, C.M.; Calamosca, M.; Torroni, G.; Formignani, M.; De Zaiacomo, T.

1987-01-01

Internal contamination and atmospheric sampling data obtained at ENEA PAS-FIBI-AEROSOL Laboratory in Bologna (Italy), following the accident at the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, are presented. Internal contamination data are related to persons coming from European countries (mainly the USSR) and Italy, measured in Bologna in the period May-Dicember 1986, while the atmospheric contamination samplings were performed in Bologna during the first decade of May. Descriptions of the measurement methods, data analysis and the evaluation of the committed dose equivalent due to both inhalation and ingestion of radioactive contaminants are given. The last chapter reports an estimation of the possible trend of internal contamination due to Cs-134 and Cs-137 up to 1991

North Wales Group report on the effects of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-11-01

A report is presented by the North Wales Group concerning the sequence of events affecting North Wales and the identification of the residual problems following contamination from the Chernobyl accident. The first part of the report attempts to establish a time scale for radiation restrictions applicable in North Wales and the size of the areas which are involved. Part two deals with national arrangements to handle incidents like Chernobyl and examines the wider field of international arrangements. A review is given of events as seen by the affected community following the Chernobyl accident. (U.K.)

[The radiological situation before and after Chernobyl disaster].

Science.gov (United States)

Leoniak, Marcin; Zonenberg, Anna; Zarzycki, Wiesław

2006-01-01

The nuclear reactor accident, which occurred on 26 April 1986 at Chernobyl, has been one of the greatest ecological disasters in human history. In our study we discussed the most recent data on the accident, and the natural and synthetic sources of radiation. According to the recent data, the air at Chernobyl had been contaminated with about 5300 PBq radionuclide activity (excluding rare gases), including 1760 PBq (131)I and 85 PBq (137)Cs. The highest radiation received by the liquidators (0.8-16 Gy), lower doses were received by the population which was evacuated or inhabited the contaminated areas (in which the level of (137)Cs activity deposited in the earth was 37 kBq/m(2)). In the European countries the highest mean radiation dose per year for the whole body in the first year after the accident was in Bulgaria (760 microSv), Austria (670 microSv) and Greece (590 microSv), while the lowest radiation dose was observed in Portugal (1.8 microSv) and Spain (4.2 microSv). In Poland the mean effective equivalent dose resulting from Chernobyl accident was 932 microSv and is close to the limited dose permitted in Poland, equalling 1 mSv/year. The highest radiation dose to thyroid was received by inhabitants of the states previously known as Bielskopodlaskie, Nowosadeckie and the north-east region of Poland. Lowest dose was received by inhabitants of the areas previously known as Slupski and Rzeszowski.

Radioecological and dosimetric consequences of the Chernobyl accident in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renaud, Ph.; Beaugelin, K.; Maubert, H.; Ledenvic, Ph.

1997-11-01

This study has as objective a survey of the radioecological and dosimetric consequences of the Chernobyl accident in France, as well as a prognosis for the years to come. It was requested by the Direction of Nuclear Installation Safety (DSIN) in relation to different organisms which effected measurements after this accident. It is based on the use of combined results of measurements and modelling by means of the code ASTRAL developed at IPSN. Various measurements obtained from five authorities and institutions, were made available, such as: activity of air and water, soil, processed food, agricultural and natural products. However, to achieve the survey still a modelling is needed. ASTRAL is a code for evaluating the ecological consequences of an accident. It allows establishing the correspondence between the soil Remnant Surface Activities (RSA, in Bq.m -2 ), the activity concentration of the agricultural production and the individual and collective doses resulting from external and internal exposures (due to inhalation and ingestion of contaminated nurture). The results of principal synthesis documents on the Chernobyl accident and its consequences were also used. The report is structured in nine sections, as follows: 1.Introduction; 2.Objective and methodology; 3.Characterization of radioactive depositions; 4;Remnant surface activities; 5.Contamination of agricultural products and foods; 6.Contamination of natural, semi-natural products and of drinking water; 7.Dosimetric evaluations; 8.Proposals for the environmental surveillance; 9.Conclusion. Finally, after ten years, one concludes that at present the dosimetric consequences of the Chernobyl accident in France were rather limited. For the period 1986-2046 the average individual effective dose estimated for the most struck zone is lower than 1500 μSv, which represents almost 1% of the average natural exposure for the same period. At present, the cesium 137 levels are at often inferior to those recorded before

Twenty years of the Chernobyl accident: Results and problems in eliminating its consequences in Russia 1986-2006. Russian national report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerasimova, N.V.; Marchenko, T.A.; Shoigu, S.K.; Bolshov, L.A.

2006-01-01

Twenty years after the Chernobyl accident, above 1.5 million people in 14 subjects of the Russian Federation continue to live in the area of radioactive contamination. More than 180,000 of the Russians were affected by radiation, when participating in elimination of the accident and its consequences. Since the first days of the accident, the public health service faced a task to develop and implement the measures on minimization of medical effects of the accident and public provision with medical assistance, including the employees of the nuclear power plant and the participants in mitigation of the accident. The health of the liquidators and the public living in the contaminated areas is the most socially significant issue being solved in the process of elimination of the Chernobyl consequences. Radiological effects have been the focus of attention for the overall 20-year period. The radiation protection system was based on performance of the two conditions, namely: absolute prevention of acute (deterministic) effects and reduction in the risk of remote (stochastic) effects to acceptable (justified) levels. As early as in 1986, a decision was made to create the unified system of medical observation for the individuals affected by radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident. The Russian State Medical and Dosimetry Register (RSMDR) was established on the basis of the Medical Radiological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The two most suffered public groups were defined as a result of research activity of the Register. These are the children (at the moment of the accident) living in the highly contaminated areas and the liquidators who have obtained the exposure dose above 150 mGy. According to the Register's data, 122 cases (54%) out of 226 thyroid cancers revealed during the years 1991-2003 among the children (at the moment of the Chernobyl catastrophe) from the Bryansk region can be considered as radiation-stipulated. Hygienic

Radiation situation on the territories of the Leningrad Region affected by the Chernobyl accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Ya. Bruk

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the largest nuclear accident in the world. It led to radioactive contamination of 14 regions of the Russian Federation. In 1991, 4540 settlements were attributable to areas with levels of soil contamination by 137Cs of more than 1.0 Ci/km2. As of 2016, 3855 settlements with the population of more than 1,5 million people are carried to a zone of radioactive contamination according to the Government Directive No 1074 dated October 8, 2015 «On Approval of the List of settlements located within the boundaries of the zones of radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl disaster». In accordance with this Directive, in the Leningrad region 29 settlements were classified as zones of radioactive contamination. This article describes the dynamics of changes in the radiation situation and its current state in the territories of the Leningrad Region affected by the Chernobyl accident. The paper presents the dynamics of 137Cs and 90Sr contents in food products of local origin, the results of calculations of the current average annual effective doses used for the purposes of settlements’ zoning, and the average annual effective radiation doses actually received by the population, dating back to 1986. According to the results of laboratory studies, since 1987, there have been no exceedances of the permissible levels for 137Cs s in agricultural products and food raw materials of local origin. However in the wild products (mushrooms excesses of the permissible levels for 137Cs have been periodically detected. The cases of exceeding the permissible levels for the content of strontium-90 in food, drinking water and water from open water bodies were not recorded for the entire observation period; the determined activity was at the level of tens and hundreds of times less than the permissible levels. In 2016, conservatively estimated average annual effective doses of exposure used for the purposes of

Radiation risk in Republics Belarus after Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saltanova, I.

2006-01-01

Full text: Radiation pollution of the territory of the Republic of Belarus has been considered for a long time as a basic ecological danger source. Since the disaster at Chernobyl, a considerable number of the inhabited areas turned out to be situated on the territory contaminated with the radioactive substances. A risk value of the radiation-inducible affections is used in order to appraise the damage to the health of the population, residing in such regions, in other words - of the long term (stochastic) effects probability, among which malignant neoplasm represents the most serious danger. In many countries the systems of radiological protection and safety criteria are based on ecocentric approaches. Nevertheless the post-Chernobyl situation in the Republic of Belarus is continually producing a wide spectrum of hard questions of human health and social activity on contaminated territories. That is why present work is completely produced in the frameworks of anthropocentric approach. The radiation risk has been evaluated for a number of regions of Gomel areas and Mogilev region in accordance with the linear non-threshold model 'Dose-Effect'. A lifelong risk coefficient of the radiation-inducible cancers of 5% / Zv, offered by the ICRP, is used in the evaluations. The doses, used for the risk assessment, are taken from the Doses Catalogue-1992 of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Belarus, which contains the doses, referring to the years 1991-1992. Correspondingly, our evaluations determine potential cancers, conditioned by the radiation exposure during this period of time. Obtained evaluations do not take into account either the radiation-inducible cancers of the thyroid gland, or the leukemia cases, observed in the liquidators as a result of the radiation exposure in the year 1986. The work also contains an evaluation of the component, specific for the Chernobyl radiation risk, conditioned by the radiation dose, accumulated in the population of the regions

sup 137 Cs and sup 134 Cs human internal contamination in Italy following the 1986 Chernobyl event

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarroni, G.; Melandri, C.; Battisti, P.; Castellani, C.M.; Formignani, M. (ENEA, Bologna (Italy)); Rampa, E. (ENEA, Rome (Italy))

1990-01-01

A synthesis of the data concerning the distribution and behaviour over time until September 1989 of {sup 134}Cs and {sup 137}Cs human contamination derived from the accident to Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station on 26 April 1986, is presented. The controls have been performed by means of two intercalibrated whole-body counters on healthy adult male and female volunteers living in different Italian regions. The main topics investigated are: the behaviour over time of the contamination in Bologna and Rome; geographic distribution in Italy in September 1987; the statistical distribution of data; the variability of the individual activity in relation to the mean activity of homogeneous groups; the intersex differences; and the effect of the element's biokinetic uncertainties on the committed effective dose equivalent evaluation. Trends are also found, mainly useful where extended contamination involves too large a fraction of the population for individual control of all the subjects concerned, thus requiring the identification of small groups of individuals representative of large population groups. (author).

Contribution of the Medical Radiology Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, to liquidation of radionuclide contamination aftereffects in the Kaluga Region that resulted from the Chernobyl power plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matveenko, E.G.; Berdov, B.A.; Gorobets, V.F.; Tsyplyakovskaya, L.M.; Ivanov, V.K.; Stepanenko, V.F.; Pitkevich, V.A.; Omel'chenko, V.N.; Borovikova, M.P.

1992-01-01

Specialists from the Medical Radiology Research Center, have been participating in liquidation of the Chernobyl power plant accident aftereffects since May-June, 1986. The basic trends of their work are mass dosimetric studies of the population of the contaminated areas, annual prophylactic check-ups of children and adolescents, pregnant and nursing women and other adults of high-risk groups (agricultural workers, patients with chronic diseases), development of recommendations for health and prophylactic measures in the districts under observation, treatment of patients from these regions, who are in need of a specialized care, at the clinic of the Center

Some results of liquidation of accident effects at the Chernobyl' NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatenko, E.I.; Komarov, V.I.; Zverkov, V.V.; Proskuryakov, A.G.

1989-01-01

The results of works dealing with liquidation of accident effects at the Chernobyl' NPP are generalized. Some measures realized are estimated. Suggestions directed to efficiency increase when eliminating such accident effects are formulated

Measurements of Sr-90 radionuclide in Slovenian soils before and after Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krizman, M.J.; Ambroz, S.

2005-01-01

Strontium-90 is a long-lived fission product (half life of 28,7 years) that is globally dispersed in the environment. It had been transported by air masses from the nuclear weapon tests sites in the period of 1951-1980 and also from Chernobyl (1986) and deposited elsewhere, especially over northern hemisphere. Contamination of surface layer (0-10 cm) of undisturbed soil in Slovenia was measured in the middle of the seventies (1973-75) and recently (2002). In parallel, long-lived radionuclide, Cs-137 was measured too, the second campaign was performed ten years after Chernobyl accident. Maps on Sr-90 and Cs-137 contents in soil were elaborated, showing different distributions of area contamination and different levels for a case of nuclear weapon tests and due to Chernobyl accident for both radionuclides. The past contamination from atmospheric nuclear tests Sr-90 and Cs-137 in Slovenian territory was characterised with the high values on western part of the country (with the exception of the coastal region) and typical values of 1,5-2 kBq/m 2 for Sr-90 and 3-4 kBq/m 2 for Cs-137. The Chernobyl accident raised the contamination with Cs-137 mostly in northwest part (Alpine region), with an average value of 20-25 kBq/m 2 for the country. Contamination with Sr-90 was much lower, the existing levels increased for about 0,2 kBq/m 2 . Recently measured levels of Sr-90 in the upper layer of soil hardly approach to 0,3 kBq/m 2 . (author)

Radioactive fallout in Norway from the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, P.

1994-01-01

The Chernobyl accident had considerable consequences for Norway. Except for the areas in the former USSR, around Chernobyl some areas in Norway received fallout which gave the highest contamination levels. The natural and semi natural ecosystems will produce food products with high activity levels of radiocesium for several decennium. Cost-effective countermeasures were implemented, and they reduced the doses considerable, especially for critical groups. Doses received over the next 50 years will probably cause cancer in 500 persons. 63 refs., 5 figs., 6 tabs

General situation of the radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grodzinsky, D.M.

1998-01-01

Following the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident on April 26, 1986, epidemiological analyses of data point to impressive deterioration of the health of the people affected by radionuclide contamination in the environment. This deterioration of population health embraces a broad spectrum of diseases. Epidemiological prediction of the rate of thyroid cancer in children near Chernobyl seems strikingly compatible with a real increase. But there is a tendency to consider the morbidity augmentation as a result having been associated with the factors of non-radioactive origin (chemical compounds, heavy metals and mainly social-psychological syndrome development). The Chernobyl catastrophe has implied a heavy burden for Ukraine: pollution of air, water, soils and vegetation in all ecosystems, late radiological effects in the health of people, losses of arable land and forest, necessity of mass-evacuation from thousands of settlements in the contaminated regions, severe psychological shock for millions of people, and painful suffering of unexpected life tragedies. Eleven years after, this tragic event with its causes and consequence brings one to very important conclusions concerning moral aspects of human relations within the nuclear society, as well as interactions between the society and the environment. (J.P.N.)

DDG-NS statement at the opening of the international conference 'Chernobyl: Looking back to go forwards'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taniguchi, T.

2005-01-01

The IAEA, as a specialised nuclear-related technical UN agency, has been involved in the mitigation of the Chernobyl accident consequences since early May 1986 when former Director General Hans Blix had visited Chernobyl in order to observe the physical damage and to discuss further actions. The IAEA took on many projects related to technical assistance, technical co-operation and research - with several immediate and longer term goals: first, to mitigate the accident's radiological, environmental and health consequences; second, to improve the overall safety of other RBMK reactors; and third, to understand and disseminate globally those lessons that could be learned from the Chernobyl experience. The projects executed between 1986 and 2005 covered the full range of topics: radiation, waste and nuclear safety; monitoring human exposure; environmental restoration of contaminated land; treatment of people living in the affected areas; and development of special measures to reduce exposure levels. The largest project took place in 1990. Over a two year period, the Agency coordinated the efforts of some 200 international experts over a two year period to complete an independent assessment of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Many missions to the three most affected countries were conducted and many meetings were held. The Agency has also organized or supported numerous international meetings to foster information exchange and to promote further assessment of the accident's radiological consequences. The Agency continues its ongoing activities regarding the mitigation of the accident's radiological consequences as part of the UN strategy 'Human Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident - A Strategy for Recovery' launched in 2002. Further IAEA commitment in continued Chernobyl-related activities, mainly in nuclear and radiation safety fields, may involve the following areas: Safety of Shelter decommissioning, Safety of radioactive waste management in the Chernobyl

Transfer of Chernobyl radionuclides in the aquatic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhukova, O.; Shiryaeva, N.; Shagalova, E.; Bakarykava, Zh.

2003-01-01

The data on radioecology of the rivers of Belarus, which catchment area is completely or partly situated in Russia and the Ukraine (the Sozh, the Iput, the Besed, the Braginka) are given. The radioactive contamination of lakes are represent. The article demonstrates, that nowadays Chernobyl radionuclides content in surface water depends on wash-off from contaminated territories, groundwater leakage, and composition of bottom sediments. Wash out by rain and melted water is considered to be the most permanent and hazardous. The accumulation of radioactive sediments before dams, in stagnant zones of rivers and reservoirs creates moving local cites of increased concentration. Today and for forthcoming decades the main input into water contamination will be Cs-137, Sr-90 and for the nearest Chernobyl PP zone - isotopes of plutonium as well as Am-241. The migration of radionuclides on the experimental watershed of the Iput river was investigated. The studies have shown that the contamination of the Iput river in the territory of Belarus was influenced by the transboundary transfer of radionuclides from the territory of Russia during first years after Chernobyl accident. According to our estimates, at the end of 1986, this contribution amounted to 30% for Cs-137 and 96% for Sr-90; as of-now, it is 86% and 65% for Cs-137 and Sr-90, respectively. The concentration of Cs-137 in bottom sediments on some sites in the Braginka river (12940 - 49760 Bq/kg), the Revuchee lake (10345 - 18260 Bq/kg) and the Svyatskoe lake (11618 - 16430 Bq/kg) are so great, that they can be attributed to low-level waste storage facilities (9630 Bq/kg). Such high levels of radioactive contamination of bottom sediments are secondary sources of pollution of surface water. (authors)

Chernobyl: Activities with children from contaminated areas by the accidental

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, O.; Llanes, R.

1996-01-01

In May 1990, Cuba set up a programme for the care of children from the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident, with the main aim of offering specialized medical assistance and developing a hospital-based rehabilitation programme. Over its first five years, this programme has tended care for over 15,000 children and adults. The paper explains the origins of the programme and its working, and shows the main medical, dosimetric and impact-on-health results. (Author) 5 refs

15 years after Chernobyl. Nuclear power and climate change?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, M.

2001-04-01

Fifteen years after two massive explosions and a subsequent fire released a giant radioactive cloud into the atmosphere over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located in what used to be the USSR, 388 farms with 230,000 sheep in Wales, England and Scotland are still subject to restriction orders. The contamination levels stand at several hundred Becquerels of cesium per kilogram of meat, too much to be consumed by human beings. The sheep have to be moved for some time to low or non-contaminated pastures in order to allow the bodies to loose some of their radioactivity before they can be slaughtered. For many countries the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe came a public turning point for the future of nuclear energy. (author)

From Chernobyl to Fukushima: the effect of low doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aurengo, A.

2011-01-01

This Power Point presentation describes the Fukushima's reactors, recalls some data about the earthquake and tsunami, and indicates their consequences for the operation of the power station (notably the loss of cooling means). It identifies some design errors for the Chernobyl's and Fukushima's power stations, outlines differences between these two cases. It gives assessment of doses receives by external irradiation around Fukushima, of the dose rate evolution, of the sea contamination. It gives some data about the Chernobyl accident (radioactivity evolution). After some data about health consequences of Chernobyl, health risks and more particularly biological risks associated to low doses are described. Protection measures are evoked, as well as psycho-social impacts

ReSCA: decision support tool for remediation planning after the Chernobyl accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Ulanovsky, A; Jacob, P; Fesenko, S; Bogdevitch, I; Kashparov, V; Sanzharova, N

2011-03-01

Radioactive contamination of the environment following the Chernobyl accident still provide a substantial impact on the population of affected territories in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Reduction of population exposure can be achieved by performing remediation activities in these areas. Resulting from the IAEA Technical Co-operation Projects with these countries, the program ReSCA (Remediation Strategies after the Chernobyl Accident) has been developed to provide assistance to decision makers and to facilitate a selection of an optimized remediation strategy in rural settlements. The paper provides in-depth description of the program, its algorithm, and structure. © Springer-Verlag 2010

Chromosome aberrations in Norwegian reindeer following the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Røed, K.H.; Jacobsen, M.

1995-01-01

Chromosome analyses were carried out on peripheral blood lymphocytes of semi-domestic reindeer in Norway which had been exposed to varying amounts of radiocesium emanating from the Chernobyl accident. The sampling was done in the period 1987-1990. The material included 192 reindeer, originating from four herds in central Norway, an area considerably affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident, and from three herds in northern Norway which was unaffected by fallout from the accident. Significant heterogeneity in the distribution of chromosome aberrations between herds was observed. The pattern of chromosome aberration frequencies between herds was not related to the variation in radiocesium exposure from the Chernobyl accident. Other factors than the Chernobyl accident appear therefore to be of importance for the distribution of aberration frequencies found among present herds. Within the most contaminated area the reindeer born in 1986 showed significantly more chromosome aberrations than those born both before and after 1986. This could suggest that the Chernobyl accident fallout created an effect particularly among calves, during the immediate post-accident period in the most exposed areas

Chernobyl, 16 years later; Tchernobyl, 16 ans apres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-04-01

This document on the Chernobyl site evolution is constituted around four main questions. What about the future of the Chernobyl site, the damaged reactor and the ''sarcophagus'' constructed around the reactor? What about the sanitary consequences of the accident on the liquidators asked to blot out the radiation and the around people exposed to radiation? What about the contaminated land around the power plant and their management? Concerning the France, what were the ''radioactive cloud'' sanitary consequences? (A.L.B.)

Radioactivity monitoring and import regulation of the contaminated foodstuffs in Japan following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izumo, Yoshiro

1997-01-01

Radioactivity monitoring and import regulation of the contaminated foodstuffs executed by Minstry of Health and Welfare following the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident were reviewed as follows; 1) background of socio-psychological effects and environmental radioactivity leading to the regulation (to may 3, 1986); 2) intial intervention for imported foodstuffs in Japan (may 8, '86), and 3) in european countries (to may 31, '86), immediately after the Accident, respectively; 4) determination of the interim driven intervention level for radionuclides in imported foodstuffs (( 134 Cs + 137 Cs): 370 Bq/Kg) and activation of the monitoring, 5) outline of the monitoring with elapsed time, number of foodstuffs monitored, number of foodstuffs exceeded radioactivity of the intervention level and re-exported; 6) guideline in international trade of radioactive contaminated foodstuffs adopted by CODEX Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO) and the intervention level recommended by ICRP following the Accident; 7) discussion for problems and scopes in future based on the results of monitoring. As the results, a number of imported foodstuffs (about 75,000 samples at present) has been monitored, 55 samples exceeding the interim intervention level were re-exported to each export's country, and socio-psychological doubts for radioactive contamination of imported foodstuffs have been dispersed. In addition, problems for several factors based on calculation of the interim intervention level, radioactivity level of foodstuffs exceeding about 50 Bq/Kg as radiocesiums and necessity of monitoring for the other radionuclides in foods except radiocesiums were also discussed. (author)

Radioactivity monitoring and import regulation of the contaminated foodstuffs in Japan following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izumo, Yoshiro [Institute of Public Health, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-03-01

Radioactivity monitoring and import regulation of the contaminated foodstuffs executed by Minstry of Health and Welfare following the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident were reviewed as follows; (1) background of socio-psychological effects and environmental radioactivity leading to the regulation (to may 3, 1986); (2) intial intervention for imported foodstuffs in Japan (may 8, `86), and (3) in european countries (to may 31, `86), immediately after the Accident, respectively; (4) determination of the interim driven intervention level for radionuclides in imported foodstuffs (({sup 134}Cs + {sup 137}Cs): 370 Bq/Kg) and activation of the monitoring, (5) outline of the monitoring with elapsed time, number of foodstuffs monitored, number of foodstuffs exceeded radioactivity of the intervention level and re-exported; (6) guideline in international trade of radioactive contaminated foodstuffs adopted by CODEX Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO) and the intervention level recommended by ICRP following the Accident; (7) discussion for problems and scopes in future based on the results of monitoring. As the results, a number of imported foodstuffs (about 75,000 samples at present) has been monitored, 55 samples exceeding the interim intervention level were re-exported to each export`s country, and socio-psychological doubts for radioactive contamination of imported foodstuffs have been dispersed. In addition, problems for several factors based on calculation of the interim intervention level, radioactivity level of foodstuffs exceeding about 50 Bq/Kg as radiocesiums and necessity of monitoring for the other radionuclides in foods except radiocesiums were also discussed. (author)

Contamination of the air and other environmental samples of the Ulm region by radioactive fission products after the accident of the Chernobyl reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivan, V.; Egger, K.P.; Hausbeck, R.; Schmid, W.

1986-01-01

Since April 30, 1986, the radioactivity of the fission products released by the accident of the Chernobyl reactor has been measured in the air of the city of Ulm. The airborne dust samples were collected with flow calibrated samplers on cellulose acetate membrane filters and counted with a high resolution gamma ray spectrometer. Later on, the radioactivity measurements were expanded to other relevant environmental samples contaminated by radioactive atmospheric precipitates including grass, spruce needles, mosses, lichens, various kinds of food, drinking water, asphalt and concrete surface layers, municipal sewage sludge and sewage sludge ash. This paper reports the obtained results. (orig.) [de

Forest and Chernobyl: forest ecosystems after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident: 1986-1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ipatyev, V.; Bulavik, I.; Baginsky, V.; Goncharenko, G.; Dvornik, A.

1999-01-01

This paper reports basic features of radionuclide migration and the prediction of the radionuclide redistribution and accumulation by forest phytocoenoses after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) accident. The current ecological condition of forest ecosystems is evaluated and scientific aspects of forest management in the conditions of the large-scale radioactive contamination are discussed. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Chernobyl health effects: radiation or stress?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grinkhal', G.

1996-01-01

Consideration is given to results of wide-scale examination of human population, subjected to the effect of radiation in result of Chernobyl accident. The examined contingents consisted of liquidators, evacuated from 30-km zone, people still living in contamination territories, children of irradiated parents and children, who received large radiation doses. High levels of respiratory system diseases, digestive system diseases, cardiovascular diseases and nervous system diseases were revealed for these people. It was revealed that stress, socio-economic and chemical factors played sufficient role in disease incidence. It is shown that fair of radiation may damage more, than radiation itself

Chernobyl'-88. Reports of the 1. All-Union scientific and technical meeting on results of accident effect elimination at the Chernobyl' NPP. V. 3. Part 2. Predictions of the variation in environmental radioactivity and radiation doses at the accidental zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatenko, E.I.

1989-01-01

Experimental and radiation-sanitary data on radiation situation in the 30-km accident zone at the Chernobyl' NPP are discussed. Doses of soil, vegetation and animals contamination in this region are estimated. Long-term predictions of radiation situation in the accident zone are made

Consequences in Guatemala of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez Sabino, J.F.; Ayala Jimenez, R.E.

1997-01-01

Because of the long distance between Guatemala and Chernobyl, the country did not undergo direct consequences of radioactive contamination in the short term. However, the accident repercussions were evident in the medium and long-term, mainly in two sectors, the economic-political and the environmental sectors

Infant mortality in the Federal Republic of Germany in the years after Chernobyl. Study into the influence of the Chernobyl reactor accident in April 1986 on infant mortality in lightly and heavily contaminated areas of the Federal Republic of Germany. Saeuglingssterblichkeit nach Tschernobyl in der BRD. Untersuchung der Auswirkungen des Reaktorunfalls von Tschernobyl im April 1986 auf die Saeuglingssterblichkeit in schwach- und hochbelasteten Gebieten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martini, W; Scholz, H; Hacker, C; Beushausen, S; Heydenreich, B; Platiel, G

1991-04-01

Study into the influence of the Chernobyl reactor accident in April 1986 on infant mortility in lightly and heavily contaminated areas of the Federal Republic of Germany. In connection with this scientific study, official quarterly reports on population developments released by the Wiesbaden-based Federal Office of Statistics were subjected to a time-dependent analysis. On the basis of generally applicable stastical laws infant mortality curves plotted after 1958 were examined for changes after Chernobyl. In view of regional differences in the effects from radioactive precipitations due to the Chernobyl ractor accident, the examinations were performed in subgroups that were largely derived from the results of a study covering all of the Federal territory. The analysis revealed the following links: The curve of the infant mortality rates for the first 7 days after delivery (7-day mortalities) pointed to a linear-exponential relationship between the point of time investigated and number of infants dying. In heavily contaminated areas the 7-day mortality rates determined after 1986 show statistically significant deviations from developments as expected from normal rates. (orig./MG).

Bodily activity measurements and estimation of dose by inner contamination during 1993-1994 in children from areas affected by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arado Lopez, Orquidea; Lopez Bejerano, Gladys; Cornejo Diaz, Nestor; Cruz Suarez, Rodolfo; Valdes Ramos, Maryzury

1996-01-01

At the whole body counter laboratory installed at the Jose Marti Pioneers City, measurements to determine inner contamination with Cesium 137 were taken of 463 Ukrainian children from areas affected by The Chernobyl accident. Starting from the measured activity, both the incorporated activity and the inner dose were estimated according to the ICRP latest recommendations, which take age into account. The results obtained showed that a 46,9 % of the measured children presented a bodily activity of cesium 137 higher to the minimal detectable activity. The highest valve that was calculated for the effective dose in this group of children was 9,2 mSv

Peculiarities of the contamination with radionuclides of the cultured pasture grass of the Lithuanian SSR after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nedvetskajte, T.N.; Filistovich, V.I.; Petrulis, R.A.; Dauskurdis, S.I.; Tamulenajte, O.P.; Chias, K.V.

1989-01-01

Data on the contamination of pastures in the Lithuanian SSR with 131 I after the Chernobyl accident are given on the basis of measuring the grass samples from the cultured pastures. The predominant radionculides on the grass in the north-eastern and central parts of Lithuanie were 1 31 I and 103 Ru, while in its western and southern parts the 141 Ce, 144 Ce, 134 Cs, 137 Cs and other radioisotopes as well as hot particles predominated. The value of the grass-milk transfer coefficient was specified. 2 refs.; 5 figs

Observations on the Chernobyl Disaster and LNT.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaworowski, Zbigniew

2010-01-28

The Chernobyl accident was probably the worst possible catastrophe of a nuclear power station. It was the only such catastrophe since the advent of nuclear power 55 years ago. It resulted in a total meltdown of the reactor core, a vast emission of radionuclides, and early deaths of only 31 persons. Its enormous political, economic, social and psychological impact was mainly due to deeply rooted fear of radiation induced by the linear non-threshold hypothesis (LNT) assumption. It was a historic event that provided invaluable lessons for nuclear industry and risk philosophy. One of them is demonstration that counted per electricity units produced, early Chernobyl fatalities amounted to 0.86 death/GWe-year), and they were 47 times lower than from hydroelectric stations ( approximately 40 deaths/GWe-year). The accident demonstrated that using the LNT assumption as a basis for protection measures and radiation dose limitations was counterproductive, and lead to sufferings and pauperization of millions of inhabitants of contaminated areas. The projections of thousands of late cancer deaths based on LNT, are in conflict with observations that in comparison with general population of Russia, a 15% to 30% deficit of solid cancer mortality was found among the Russian emergency workers, and a 5% deficit solid cancer incidence among the population of most contaminated areas.

Assessment of radiation dose formation due to hot particles of Chernobyl origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demchuk, V.; Lutkovsky, V.; Bondarenko, O.

1997-01-01

The necessity to apply original data about the size and the activity distributions of hot particles has been arising at many post-Chernobyl research. Such researches include first of all (i) studying of migration processes at soil-water complexes, (ii) retrospective inhalation dose reconstruction for the population, and (iii) validation different scenarios of the Chernobyl accident deployment. Results of this research show that the fuel matrix in soil can be considered as constant with accuracy 20-30% for transuranic nuclides and major of long-living fission products. Temporal stability of hot particles at the natural environment gives a unique possibility to use the hot particle size distribution data and the soil contamination data for retrospective restoring of doses even 10 years later the Chernobyl accident. In present research the value of the integral of hot particle activity deposited into the lung was calculated using a standard inhalation model which takes into account the hot particle size distribution. This value normalised on the fallout density is equal to 0.55 Bq/(Bq.m -2 ) for areas nearby the Chernobyl NPP. (author)

Chernobyl and the consequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raestrup, R.; Kundke, J.

1986-01-01

The brochure contains the texts of a broadcasting series with the following subjects: 1) Brighter than a thousand suns - what happened at Chernobyl; 2) Radical assault on the genetic material - the effect of radiation; 3) It's the dose that counts - slight radiation and human health; 4) Nuclear fallout - contamination levels of water, soil and air; 5) Safety against bombing - how safe are German nuclear power plants; 6) Practical advice for consumers. (HP) [de

The experience gives the Cuban program with children gives territories affected by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, O.; Llanes, R.

1998-01-01

From 1990 it works in Cuba a program destined to offer medical attention you specialize and to develop a plan sanatoria gives rehabilitation with children provided the different areas affected by the contamination radioactive resultant to the Chernobyl accident

Consequences of the Chernobyl accident in Russia: search for effects of radiation exposure in utero using psychometric tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryabukhin, Yu.S.; Ryabukhin, V.Yu.

2001-01-01

Psychometric indicators for mental development of children in towns distinguished by radioactive contamination resulting from the Chernobyl accident are studied. Using some radiological information obtained after the Chernobyl accident, values of expected intelligence quotient (IQ) reduction have been assessed as a result of brain exposure in utero due to various components of dose. Comparing the results of examinations in Novozybkov, Klintsy and Obninsk, no confident evidence has been obtained that radiation exposure of the developing brain exerts influence on indicators for mental development [ru

Gene signature of the post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Handkiewicz-Junak, Daria; Swierniak, Michal; Rusinek, Dagmara; Oczko-Wojciechowska, Małgorzata; Dom, Genevieve; Maenhaut, Carine; Unger, Kristian; Detours, Vincent; Bogdanova, Tetiana; Thomas, Geraldine; Likhtarov, Ilya; Jaksik, Roman; Kowalska, Malgorzata; Chmielik, Ewa; Jarzab, Michal; Swierniak, Andrzej; Jarzab, Barbara

2016-07-01

Following the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and later in Fukushima, the nuclear community has been faced with important issues concerning how to search for and diagnose biological consequences of low-dose internal radiation contamination. Although after the Chernobyl accident an increase in childhood papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) was observed, it is still not clear whether the molecular biology of PTCs associated with low-dose radiation exposure differs from that of sporadic PTC. We investigated tissue samples from 65 children/young adults with PTC using DNA microarray (Affymetrix, Human Genome U133 2.0 Plus) with the aim of identifying molecular differences between radiation-induced (exposed to Chernobyl radiation, ECR) and sporadic PTC. All participants were resident in the same region so that confounding factors related to genetics or environment were minimized. There were small but significant differences in the gene expression profiles between ECR and non-ECR PTC (global test, p Chernobyl PTC are associated with previous low-dose radiation exposure.

Radiation conditions in the Oryol region territory impacted by radioactive contamination caused by the Chernobyl NPP accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. L. Zakharchenko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Research objective is retrospective analysis of radiation conditions in the Oryol region during 1986- 2015 and assessment of efficacy of the carried out sanitary and preventive activities for population protection against radiation contamination caused by the Chernobyl NPP accident.Article materials were own memoirs of events participants, analysis of federal state statistic surveillance forms 3-DOZ across the Oryol region, f-35 “Data on patients with malignant neoplasms, f-12 “Report on MPI activities”. Risk assessment of oncological diseases occurrence is carried out on the basis of AAED for 1986- 2014 using the method of population exposure risk assessment due to long uniform man-made irradiation in small doses. Results of medical and sociological research of genetic, environmental, professional and lifestyle factors were obtained using the method of cancer patients’ anonymous survey. Data on "risk" factors were obtained from 467 patients hospitalized at the Budgetary Health Care Institution of the Oryol region “Oryol oncology clinic”; a specially developed questionnaire with 60 questions was filled out.The article employs the method of retrospective analysis of laboratory and tool research and calculation of dose loads on the Oryol region population, executed throughout the whole period after the accident.This article provides results of the carried out laboratory research of foodstuff, environment objects describing the radiation conditions in the Oryol region since the first days after the Chernobyl NPP accident in 1986 till 2015.We presented a number of activities aimed at liquidation of man-caused radiation accident consequences which were developed and executed by the experts of the Oryol region sanitary and epidemiology service in 1986-2015. On the basis of the above-stated one may draw the conclusions listed below. Due to interdepartmental interaction and active work of executive authorities in the Oryol region, the

Chernobyl accident. The radioactive contamination in the area of Lake Como and in other Northern Italy sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Capra, D.; Facchini, U.; Gianelle, V.; Ravasini, G.; Ravera, O.; Pizzala, A.; Bacci, P.

The radioactive cloud released during the Chernobyl accident reached the Po Plain and Lombardy in the night of April 30, 1986; the cloud remained in the Northern Italian skies for a few days and then disappeared either dispersed by winds or washed by rains. The evidence in the atmosphere of radionuclides as tellurium, iodine, cesium was promply observed by the Istituto di Fisica. The intense rain, in the first week of May, washed the radioactivity and the fallout contaminated the land, soil, grass and vegetables. The present work concerns the overall contamination of the Northern Italy territory and in particular the radioactive fallout in the Alpine region. Samples of soil have been measured at the gamma-spectroscope; a linear correlation is found between the radionuclide concentration in soil samples and the rain intensity, when appropriate deposition models are considered. A number of measurements has been done on Lake Como ecosystem: sediments, plankton, fishes and the overall fallout in the lake area have been investigated.

20 years after the Chernobyl catastrophe: the consequences in the Republic of Belarus and their overcoming. National report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shevchuk, V.E.; Gurachevskij, V.L.

2006-04-01

In the report there were used the results of the scientific research carried out on demand of the Chernobyl committee, the data of the National academy of sciences of Belarus, of the Ministry of natural resources and environment protection, the Ministries of health, agriculture and food, forestry, education and other authorities of management control, participating in the measures aimed at getting over the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe. It was written the Chernobyl NPP accident and radioactive contamination of territory of Belarus, radioecological consequences of the disaster, population exposure doses and health effect of the Chernobyl accident, economic and social damage. The State policy of the Republic of Belarus on overcoming of the accident consequences and outcomes of the countermeasures targeted at mitigation of the Chernobyl consequences were given. It was done analysis of the international cooperation in solving of the Chernobyl problems. The aim of the national report is to promote the distribution of the impartial information about the situation after the Chernobyl catastrophe in the Republic of Belarus

Rehabilitation of the living conditions in the contaminated territories after Chernobyl: the ETHOS Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heriard-Dubreuil, Gilles [Mutadis, Paris (France); Schneider, Thierry [CEPN, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France)

2001-07-01

European surveys undertaken in the context of the EU/CIS co-operation programme to evaluate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident (1991-1995), provided an extensive assessment of the social and psychological effects of the accident on liquidators, relocated populations and inhabitants of contaminated territories. Further investigations carried out in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia revealed strong social disturbance and stress phenomena amongst the populations of the contaminated areas. In these areas, the environmental contamination was a basic concern for most of the inhabitants and was creating a climate of widespread anxiety, focused on the health effects of the Chernobyl accident and especially that of the children. The inhabitants of the contaminated territories experienced an overall depreciation of many different types of values: social, economic, aesthetic, symbolic, ethical, political, etc. The quality of life was perceived as being irreversibly affected: some people expressed the situation by saying that 'Nothing will be the same again', when speaking about their lives 'before' and 'After' the accident. The feeling of insecurity, the lack of trust of the population in the scientific, medical and political authorities and the impression of being deprived of means to avoid radiological hazards perceived as all-pervasive in everyday life, created the general feeling of a loss of control over the situation. The ETHOS project ended in December 1998. Twelve missions representing about 600 man-days of the European participants have been performed. But the project also entailed a considerable involvement of the local population as well as from the local, regional and national authorities. The assessment of the outcomes of this project has been undertaken by the research team with its Belarussian partners. When considering globally the village of Olmany a first question was to determine to what extent some global objective changes

Chernobyl: what sanitary consequences?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aurengo, A.

2001-11-01

Because of its public health, ecological and industrial consequences, the Chernobyl accident has become a myth which serves as the focus of many fears, justified or not. no one can question the seriousness of the event, but after fifteen years there is still no agreement about the effect it has had or will have on public health. For example, the total number of deaths attributed to Chernobyl varies from less than a hundred to several millions and congenital malformations from negligible to cataclysmic. Effects on public health may be calculated from data on contamination, from the dose received and from the risk, all three of which are likely to be very roughly known; or they may be evaluated on the spot, either by epidemiological studies or by examining medical registers. This report makes an inventory of the different risks and takes stock on them. (N.C.)

Post-Chernobyl scientific perspectives: Social/psychological effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drottz-Sjoeberg, B.M.; Rumyantseva, G.M.; Nyagu, A.I.; Ageeva, L.A.

1996-01-01

Previous studies had shown that psychological problems associated with the Chernobyl accident were not decreasing with time. People experienced exposure to real risks, and resettled people often provided the highest risk ratings. Responses to a question about the ability to protect oneself from radioactive contamination were overall discouraging

Dynamics of faunistic complexes of parasitic organisms in the Chernobyl' NPP zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labetskaya, A.G.; Balashina, N.S.; Kireenko, K.M.; Bychkova, E.I.; Efremova, G.A.; Tereshkina, N.V.

1990-01-01

The results of studies made in the Chernobyl' NPP 30-km zone, which deal with estimation of species composition and number of parasites, mammals, birds, their nest inhabitants and blood-suching insects, are discussed. It is shown that parasite species variaty is higher on the contaminated territory as compared with the control one. Number of arthropoda is greater, and those of helmines and winged blood-suching insects are smaller on the contaminated territories. The main carriers of parasites among birds are starlings, larks and tomtits in contaminated regions and those are chiff-chaff and finches in the control areas. The level of nest contaminations for rodents and birds correlates with environment contamination level

PECULIARITIES OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION OF THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. V. Varfolomeeva

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Chernobyl accident has influenced greatly all spheres of life of the affected territories, changing the life-style of the local population. [1, 2]. Investigation of the radionuclides behavior in natural conditions becomes more and more important which is connected with the fact that radionuclides are drawn into substances rotation and are actively accumulated by the plants and animals, that means that they become integral link of the food chains and are of a great importance in the functioning of the ecosystems. Deposition of radionuclides in the forest system is often higher than in agricultural arrears. Specific ecological features of the forests often lead to the high degree of accumulation of contaminating radionuclides. Organic matter high content in the forest soil and its stability increase the transfer of radionuclides from soil into plans which lead to high content of radionuclides in lichens, mosses, mushrooms and berries. Radionuclides transfer to game in such conditions could bring to the situation when some people actively consuming game meet will be highly exposured.

The post-accident protective measures in the region of the Chernobyl catastrophe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasechnikov, A.

1993-01-01

The strategy of protective measures and the system of intervention levels are considered. It makes it possible to limit the region where post-accident measures must be taken. The concept of 'safe living' for life and surface contamination concept are discussed. The measurement results of a surface contamination are pointed out in the maps for series settlements of the 30 km zone. The features of severe accidents to nuclear power plants are that damage is caused not only by destruction and downtime of power installations, but also by radioactive contamination of the environment. Therefore, the term 'severe accident' is accepted to mean an accident with an off-site impact, which requires to perform large-scale and expensive work on elimination of the consequences of the accident. The whole off-site damage due to the Chernobyl accident is caused exclusively by contamination, as no destruction was observed beyond the site. As a result of the Chernobyl accident the greatest short-term releases of radioactive materials to the atmosphere occurred from a single source. Four elements from all the materials released from the core have determined the short-term and long-term radiological situation in the affected areas. These are iodine, cesium, strontium and plutonium. Moreover, in the releases there were highly - radioactive fragments of fuel (hot particles). 7 figs

CHERNOBYL HEALTH RADIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON THE POPULATION OF RUSSIA: DATA OF THE NATIONAL REGISTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. K. Ivanov

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Summarized radiation-epidemiological data on health effects of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP registered in the follow-up period 1986-2006 on the Russian population are reported. Two groups of population: Chernobyl Emergency accident workers and residents of the most contaminated with radionuclides territories are examined. Impact of radiation-associated risk of solid cancers and leukaemia in these groups is assessed. Prognostic estimates of health effects of the Chernobyl accident on the Russian population are offered in the article.

What did we learn from ecologic studies performed on the long term on fauna and flora of areas contaminated by the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-03-01

Based on several published studies, this report proposes a synthetic overview of observations made on the consequences of the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents on fauna and flora in contaminated areas. It is noticed that, due to the complexity of multidisciplinary approaches, results and conclusions are often contradictory among these publications. These publications may concern various animal and vegetal species. For examples, various studies noticed morphological anomalies on pine trees without establishing a clear dose-effects relationship. Studies on invertebrates depend on the studied species, and evolutions on both sites can be different. As far as birds are concerned, it seems that there is a correlation between a loss of abundance and the ambient dose rate. Apparently, the evacuation of human populations is the determining factor to explain the return of animals in contaminated areas

Cesium contamination of mosses in county Vas, Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golya, I.; Sebestyen, R.

1993-01-01

Two species of mosses were examined to assess radiocesium contamination of Vas county, and to analyse some aspects of mosses for use as indicator of radioactive contamination. Experimental results demonstrated that the distribution of contamination in a given region could be characterized by the cesium contamination of mosses. Sampling sites should be selected with special attention paid to spots with high contamination. Regression analysis proved that the contamination of mosses originated from Chernobyl fallout. (author) 4 refs.; 2 figs

Clinical and paraclinical aspects of children's health ten years after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukyanova, E.M.; Antipkine, Y.G.; Omelchenko, L.I.; Chernyshov, V.P.; Apuhovskaya, L.I.; Ossinskaya, L.F.

1997-01-01

These investigations are devoted to the problem of medical consequences of Chernobyl catastrophe to the children's population of Ukraine. Concerning different reports, Chernobyl accident negatively influenced to the children health indexes. Astonishing fact is that among children under radiation action only 2,1% have no functional deflexions (I group of health) and 28% have chronical diseases with frequent aggravation. Our previous investigation in children evacuated from 30 km zone showed unfavourable changes in immune system. We have shown the data of investigation carried out in the frames of National Program ''Children of Chernobyl''. We have studied the morbidity, some immune functional characteristics and metabolism indexes in 2700 children aged 0-15 years, continually living within radiation contaminated territories. The results were compared with the control indexes, obtained during examination of 980 children from relatively ''clean'' regions. 15 refs, 5 figs, 1 tab

Chernobyl 90Sr in bilberries from Poland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mietelski, J.W.; Vajda, N.

1997-01-01

As part of a detailed survey on the contamination of Polish forests 90 Sr activity concentrations were determined in bilberries. Elevated 90 Sr levels were found in several samples from north-eastern Poland. The calculated maximum 90 Sr surface contamination was 2 kBq*m -2 . The correlation between 90 Sr and 137 Cs concentrations in bilberries was good for two sets of samples originating from two geographical areas of Poland indicating the local differences in radionuclide depositions from Chernobyl fallout. (author)

A review on contamination and emergency response actions in USSR, European countries and Japan in the reactor accident at Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akaishi, Jun; Ohhata, Tsutomu

1987-01-01

The accident occurred in the Chernobyl No.4 reactor on April 26, 1986 became the largest accident of nuclear reactors so far as the quantity of release of radioactive substances was very much, and the wide area contamination over the whole Northern Hemisphere was brought about. Consequently, the revision over wide ranges, such as the desigh and operation of nuclear reactors and the response at the time of emergency, was to be urgently demanded. As to this accident, many reports have been already made. In this report, the contamination and the response carried out at the time of emergency including the state in Japan are mainly described. The contents of this report are based on the data sent from the international organizations, the results of measurement by the organizations in respective countries, the publication by USSR at the IAEA expert conference in August, 1986, and the data published in respective countries by research institutes. The state in respective countries after the accident, the radioactivity contamination due to the accident in USSR, European countries and Japan, the diffusion and move of radioactive substances, the countermeasures to the accident such as the estimation of exposure dose, scientific investigation, the evacuation of people and so on are reported. (Kako, I.)

Airborne Gamma-ray Measurements in the Chernobyl Plume

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grasty, R. L.; Hovgaard, Jens; Multala, J.

1997-01-01

On 29 April 1986, the Geological Survey of Finland (GSF) survey aircraft with a gamma ray spectrometer flew through a radioactive plume from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The aircraft became contaminated and the gamma spectrometer measured radioactivity in the plume as well as radioactivity...

Improvement of practical Countermeasures: Preventive medication. Post-Chernobyl action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, G.

1991-01-01

The Chernobyl accident, which occurred on 26 April 1986, presented major challenges to the European Community with respect to the practical and regulatory aspects of radiation protection, public information, trade, particularly in food, and international politics. The Chernobyl accident was also a major challenge to the international scientific community which had to evaluate rapidly the radiological consequences of the accident and advise on the introduction of any countermeasures. Prior to the accident at Chernobyl, countermeasures to reduce the consequences of radioactive contamination had been conceived largely in the context of relatively small accidental releases and for application over relatively small areas. Less consideration had been given to the practical implications of applying such measures in case of a large source term and a spread over a very large area

Legislation in Ukraine about the radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasvit, O.

1998-01-01

The paper describes the status and consequences of the principal laws of Ukraine concerning the problem of the Chernobyl catastrophe. The Ukrainian authorities have been giving a series of the laws after February, 1991. The system of Chernobyl Laws in Ukraine reflects the rather good intention of the Ukrainian authorities to help the people who suffered from the Chernobyl catastrophe. The system of the Laws includes more than that justified by the scientific base, that is, the combined effect of radioactive exposure and factors of non-radioactive synergism. However, after the Soviet Union collapse, it was found that the Laws were overloaded with social payments and compensations. A number of changes and additions to the Laws caused political struggles. In this situation, the radiological aspect of the problems stepped aside. The radiological survey system in Ukraine provides necessary information on annual doses to the population in the contaminated areas. Despite of the clearly observed reduction of the doses, allocation on the categories of contaminated zones has not been reviewed since 1991. According to the monitoring data, the level of radiation doses of about 50 % of all settlements does not correspond to their present status. What is very important in the present situation is to stop compulsory resettlement. It is necessary to stop to pay compensations for contaminated food products, and introduce a system of benefit to those who produce pure products on contaminated areas. It is expected that on approval of the Ukrainian Parliament it will became a new basis for reviewing of the Chernobyl Laws. The Laws and regulations of Ukraine on radiation protection are on the way to meet international basic safety standards. But there is no experience in the world of dealing with the consequences of such a wide-scale radiation catastrophe. Taking into account the fact that a certain part of the Ukrainian population have to live permanently on the radioactively

Conversion factors for a mobile survey method by car in the Chernobyl area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, R.; Saito, K.

2003-01-01

Conversion factors for the purpose of mobile survey by car in the Chernobyl area have been evaluated using simulation calculations. In the calculations, the width of road is assumed as being 4 m, 10 m and 20 m and the surrounding area is divided into ten zones contaminated homogeneously by 137 Cs with different depth profiles in the ground. The air kerma contribution from all zones to the road is simulated. A conversion factor is calculated by dividing the air kerma rate in typical land-use adjacent to the road by that on the road. Conversion factors in various land uses around the roads are examined. The calculated conversion factors agree with the conversion factors measured in the Chernobyl area within an accuracy of 20%. Further, basic data, needed for composing conversion factors appropriate to other contaminated regions with different depth distributions from the Chernobyl area, are also indicated. (author)

Contamination of soil and food with radionuclides from Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bikit, I.; Slivka, J.; Veskovic, M.; Conkic, Lj.; Krmar, M.

2004-01-01

The results of systematic gamma spectroscopic analyses of fission products performed on the territory of SAP Vojvodina after the Chernobyl accident are presented. Samples of soil grass and food were periodically taken at 5 representative locations and the regions of highest activity concentration are identified on the basis of the results obtained. In the controlled chain soil-plants (feeds)-cow's (milk) on three characteristic locations (soil with different physico-chemical and mechanical properties) the activity concentration of fission radionuclides was determined and transfer factors for soil-plants; feed-milk were calculated. At the territory of hunting sites of SAP Vojvodina, artificial radionuclides were determined in meat and bones of fallow-deer, deer, boar and wild hare; and the highest content of radionuclides was found in meat and bones of boar. (author)

Radioactive contamination in imported foods (II)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kan, Kimiko; Maki, Toshio; Hashimoto, Hideki; Kawai, Yuka; Nagayama, Toshihiro; Kobayashi, Maki; Shioda, Hiroko; Nishima, Taichiro

1991-01-01

Five years have elapsed since the Chernobyl accident, but the effect of radioactivity contamination to foods has continued. Also in Japan, the imported foods which were ordered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to be sent back due to radioactivity contamination do not cease. In fiscal year 1990, three cases occurred: tea from Albania, mushrooms from Yugoslavia and spices from france. If those are not checked at quarantines, it is feared that such foods are distributed in Japan. Among the foods which were ordered to be sent back in the past, there were those from Brazil and Hong Kong where the effect of the Chernobyl accident is little, and the foods contaminated with radioactivity spread worldwide through import and export. Therefore, attention must be paid to the foods from the countries where radioactivity contamination is little. Also it is feared that Japanese foods may be contaminated by being cultivated with imported feed, soil and fertilizer, for which there is no regulation. In this report, the radioactivity contamination of imported foods in fiscal year 1990 is described, and the experimental method and the results are reported. (K.I.)

Preliminary meteorological analysis of the radioactive contamination in Austria during and after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Diskussion meteorologischer Aspekte der radioaktiven Belastung in Oesterreich durch den Reaktorunfall in Tschernobyl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolb, H; Mahringer, G; Seibert, P; Sobitschka, W; Steinhauser, P; Zwatz-Meise, V

1986-01-01

Transport, diffusion and deposition of radioactive material released in Chernobyl were calculated using simple models. As far as possible, results were verified with available data. Predicted trajectories corresponded surprisingly well with measured increases in radioactivity in Austria, as well as in other countries in central and Southern Europe. Precipitation amounts might prove to be a very good indicator for longterm contamination of soil and plants in Austria. Ref.no. ZII 1.353/309.

Consequences and countermeasures in a nuclear power accident: Chernobyl experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirichenko, Vladimir A; Kirichenko, Alexander V; Werts, Day E

2012-09-01

Despite the tragic accidents in Fukushima and Chernobyl, the nuclear power industry will continue to contribute to the production of electric energy worldwide until there are efficient and sustainable alternative sources of energy. The Chernobyl nuclear accident, which occurred 26 years ago in the former Soviet Union, released an immense amount of radioactivity over vast territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, extending into northern Europe, and became the most severe accident in the history of the nuclear industry. This disaster was a result of numerous factors including inadequate nuclear power plant design, human errors, and violation of safety measures. The lessons learned from nuclear accidents will continue to strengthen the safety design of new reactor installations, but with more than 400 active nuclear power stations worldwide and 104 reactors in the Unites States, it is essential to reassess fundamental issues related to the Chernobyl experience as it continues to evolve. This article summarizes early and late events of the incident, the impact on thyroid health, and attempts to reduce agricultural radioactive contamination.

Early measurements in urban areas after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Likhtarev, I.

2000-01-01

This paper summarises the experience on the radioactive monitoring of the environment and population dose assessment provided in urban areas, mainly in Kiev, after the Chernobyl accident. It emphasises the need of several radiological teams, of the support from several institutions and of preparedness for a consistent database, dose assessment and criteria for decision making. Main results of measurements of gamma exposure rates, air, grass and food radioactive contamination are presented. (author)

Geographic information systems for the Chernobyl decision makers in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palko, S.; Glieca, M.; Dombrowski, A.

1997-01-01

Following numerous national and international studies conducted on the overall impact of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, decision-makers of the affected countries have oriented their efforts on environmental clean-up and population safety. They have focused on activities leading to a better understanding of radionuclide contamination and to the development of effective environmental rehabilitation programs. Initial developments involved the use of domestic USSR technologies consisting of mainframe IBM computers and DEC minicomputers. Later, personal computers with imported software packages were introduced into the decision-making process. Following the breakup of the former USSR, the Ministry of Chernobyl was created in Ukraine in 1991. One of the Ministry's mandate was the elimination of the environmental after-effects of the Chernobyl disaster

Chernobyl and our health. Tjernobyl och vaar haelsa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ragnarsson, P; Larsson, B; Johansson, K J; Walinder, G; Barnaby, F; Sjoeberg, L

1986-01-01

The health impacts in Sweden of the Chernobyl accident are discussed in this booklet. Five experts of different relevant fields (biology, radioecology, nuclear physics and psychology) give their views on probable radiation doses and health effects from these doses, contamination of food chains etc. (L.E.).

Belarus: Towards a new post-Chernobyl rehabilitation strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trofimchik, Z.

2004-01-01

Today, Belarus still has to deal with many problems that resulted owing to the extensive contamination of its territory after the Chernobyl accident. These problems remain omnipresent in everyday life of the affected population and have a continuous impact on the economic well being of the country. This paper describes the major changes that have been carried out in the rehabilitation strategies in Belarus since the Chernobyl accident. The evolution of the legal and administrative framework for rehabilitation and actions taken in this context over the past two decades are summarized. The continuing challenges faced by the population in the affected areas are discussed and the key principles underlying rehabilitation strategies (that are both practicable and accepted) are identified. The latter include openness, voluntary participation, collective decision-making and empowerment of local population and professionals. These principles have underpinned the development of recent national and international initiatives that are described. (authors)

Social and economic impact of Chernobyl in Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erturk, K.; Guven, C.; Onat, B.; Birol, E.

1997-01-01

The radiological impact of the Chernobyl accident in terms of doses to individuals in the various countries covered a wide range. The specific features of the release of radioactive material from the Chernobyl accident, particularly its relatively large duration and altitude reached by the radioactive plume, caused a widespread distribution of activity across Europe. Meteorological conditions and wind regimes during the period of release were the contributing factors. The varying distances from the source of release and long duration of the release in different directions resulted in uneven ground and foodchain contamination. Also, variable meteorological situation, characterized by frequent and localized heavy precipitation contributed to uneven deposition differs sometimes by one or two orders of magnitude between localities situated few tens of kilometers apart. In these circumstances, the doses to the individuals of critical groups appeared to be higher than the average individual dose over whole population

Radiation monitoring of conveyances, cargoes, passengers and crews on the UK following the Chernobyl accident: a preliminary review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hughes, J S; Shaw, K B

1986-01-01

A brief article presents monitoring results performed on ships, aircraft, cargo, passengers and crew arriving in the UK from areas which might have been affected by the radioactive plume from the Chernobyl accident. Contamination levels on aircraft surfaces were only marginally above background. Even on the most contaminated ships, thyroid uptake by crew and passengers was not detectable and the risks presented by the surface contamination were insignificant.

Analysis of external dose to the people living at the territory contaminated due to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondarenko, O.; Medvedev, S.; Kireev, S.; Proskura, M.

2004-01-01

Within the framework of international collaboration took place in 1996-1999 State Specialised Enterprise 'RADEC' (now it is SSSIE E cocentre ) and Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) measurements was performed of equivalent dose of people living at the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In 1997-1998, 273 people were chosen from 23 villages of the Chernobyl exclusion zone and each of them acquired three dosimeters Toshiba GD-400. The first dosimeter was assigned for the measurement of external individual dose, indoor dose inside dwellings and outdoor dose in yards. Exposition time varied from one to three months. Linear approximation of the obtained data gave possibility to find dependence of individual, home and outdoor doses on the surface density of 137 Cs contamination of village territory. This coefficient for the individual dose was found about 0.7μSv.year -1 /(kBq.m -2 ) that is agreed with literature data. Also a constant contribution of the natural external exposure to the individual dose was found about 0.9 mSv.year -1 . Availability of results for three types of doses (i.e. individual, home and outdoor) let calculate two other useful coefficients, namely, the shielding factor and the behaviour factor. These factors were found equal 4.8 and 0.39, correspondingly. Studying of variation of the experimental data around the approximated values let assess statistics uncertainties of the measurements. Having applied the 99% percentile to the distribution of the ratio of the measured dose to the approximation the safety factor was found about 3. Also the external radiation long-term series provided by the automated system of monitoring of radiation situation (ASMRS) at the Chernobyl exclusion zone were analysed. That analysis revealed that the dose rate is leveled off during the last 6 years (taking into account radioactive decay). However, our finding is not compliant to other authors according to whom the rate of diminishing of the environmental external

Contamination levels observed on the Belgian territory subsequent to the Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoof, J van [State University of Ghent, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gent (Belgium); Maghuin-Rogister, G [Universite de Liege, Brussels (Belgium)

1986-07-01

Contaminated air masses reached the Belgian territory from the South during the night of the first to the second of May. At this stage however the origin of this contamination was already identified through earlier observations over the Scandinavian area and the subsequent message about the reactor accident at the Chernobyl site. Later on radioactive clouds were also detected over the central part of Europe, demonstrating the persistent nature of the emissions from the damaged reactor. Consequently the influence on the Belgian territory was not unexpected. The authorities called on the SCK/CEN at Mol, and the IRE at Fleurus to assist the IHE at Brussels in collecting the necessary data for judging the radiological situation in our country. The KMI/IRM at Brussels was involved for the follow-up of meteorological conditions and analysis of the trajectories of contaminated air masses. Early detection possibilities for the arrival of contaminated air were provided by the continuous environmental monitoring apparatus for ambient {gamma}-dose rate or for {beta} activity of airborne dust, available at nuclear institutions and nuclear power plants. On detection of enhanced air radioactivity, the sampling period of routine air dust samplers was significantly shortened to allow for the hour to hour renewal of data for gross {beta} activity as a general indication of the evolution of the air contamination. {gamma}-spectrometric analysis of those filters provided the necessary data for the estimation of the dose equivalent due to inhalation. Ground deposition data at the location of the participating institutions were obtained by daily analysis of the radioactivity contents of a water container collecting both dust and rainwater. Field gamma spectrometry was used later on at a number of other locations, to estimate the integrated ground deposition of radioactivity and its distribution over the country. As the grazing season was just started or was about to be started in the

Contamination levels observed on the Belgian territory subsequent to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoof, J. van; Maghuin-Rogister, G.

1986-01-01

Contaminated air masses reached the Belgian territory from the South during the night of the first to the second of May. At this stage however the origin of this contamination was already identified through earlier observations over the Scandinavian area and the subsequent message about the reactor accident at the Chernobyl site. Later on radioactive clouds were also detected over the central part of Europe, demonstrating the persistent nature of the emissions from the damaged reactor. Consequently the influence on the Belgian territory was not unexpected. The authorities called on the SCK/CEN at Mol, and the IRE at Fleurus to assist the IHE at Brussels in collecting the necessary data for judging the radiological situation in our country. The KMI/IRM at Brussels was involved for the follow-up of meteorological conditions and analysis of the trajectories of contaminated air masses. Early detection possibilities for the arrival of contaminated air were provided by the continuous environmental monitoring apparatus for ambient γ-dose rate or for Β activity of airborne dust, available at nuclear institutions and nuclear power plants. On detection of enhanced air radioactivity, the sampling period of routine air dust samplers was significantly shortened to allow for the hour to hour renewal of data for gross Β activity as a general indication of the evolution of the air contamination. γ-spectrometric analysis of those filters provided the necessary data for the estimation of the dose equivalent due to inhalation. Ground deposition data at the location of the participating institutions were obtained by daily analysis of the radioactivity contents of a water container collecting both dust and rainwater. Field gamma spectrometry was used later on at a number of other locations, to estimate the integrated ground deposition of radioactivity and its distribution over the country. As the grazing season was just started or was about to be started in the following days for

Health effects of the Chernobyl accident and special health care programmes. Report of the UN Chernobyl Forum Expert Group 'Health'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, B.; Repacholi, M.; Carr, Z.

2006-01-01

Twenty years have passed since the worst nuclear reactor accident in the world occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The radioactive contamination which resulted from the explosion and fire in the first few days spread over large areas of neighbouring Belarus and the Russian Federation, with most of the fallout in Belarus. While national and local authorities did not immediately disclose the scale of the accident, the mitigation measures, such as distribution of potassium iodine pills, food restriction, and mass evacuation from areas where the radioactive contamination was greatest, undoubtedly reduced the health impact of the radiation exposure and saved many lives. The accident caused severe social and economic disruption and had significant environmental and health impact. This was aggravated by the political and economical changes in the three affected states related to the break-down of the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the accident the international scientific and medical community collaborated closely with national experts dealing with health effects of the accident in the affected countries. There is a substantial body of international collaborative projects on the situation, which should lead to advancement in radiation sciences. However, considerable speculation and disinformation remains about the possible health impact of the accident for the millions of affected people. To address the health, environmental and socioeconomic consequences of the Chernobyl accident, the United Nations in 2003 launched an Inter-Agency initiative, the Chernobyl Forum. The Forum's Secretariat, led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and several other international organizations collaborated with the governments of the affected countries. The purpose of the Chernobyl Forum was to review the consequences of the accident, issue technical reports and, based

Women in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balashevska, Y.; Kireev, S.; Navalikhin, V.

2015-01-01

Today, 29 years after the Chernobyl accident, the Exclusion Zone still remains an areal unsealed radiation source of around 2600 km"2. It is not just a gigantic radioactive waste storage facility (the amount of radioactive waste accumulated within the Zone, except for the Shelter, is estimated at about 2.8 million m"3), but also a unique research and engineering platform for biologists, radiologists, chemists and physicists. Taking into account the amount of the radionuclides released during the accident, it becomes quite understood that the radiological environment in the Exclusion Zone is far from favorable. However, among the Exclusion Zone personnel who numbers 5000, there are female workers. The poster represents the results of the research performed among the female employees of the largest enterprise of the Exclusion Zone, “Chornobyl Spetskombinat”. The survey was performed with the view to knowing what makes women work in the most radioactively contaminated area in Europe, and what their role is, to revealing their fears and hopes, and to estimating the chances of the brave women of Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to succeed in their careers. (author)

Radioactive contamination of environment and food in Poland in 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabowski, D.; Kurowski, W.; Muszynski, W.; Rubel, B.; Smagala, G.; Swietochowska, J.

1999-01-01

The analysis of the level of radioactive contamination in environmental and food samples was carried out in Poland in 1998. The results were compared to the data from the period 1985-1997. Since the Chernobyl accident gradual decrease of contamination level has been observed. The gamma dose rate and the contamination of air, fallout, tape and surface water were at the level of 1985. The only contamination enhanced in relation to pre-Chernobyl period was the content of cesium isotopes in soil and as a consequence food contamination was higher particularly milk and meat. At present, the source of additional dose is ingestion of artificial isotopes with food as a result of food contamination. No significant regional differences in the distribution of the level of cesium in food over the territory of Poland has been registered. Milk can be assumed as the main contributor of cesium to the diet, its share is about 33% of annual intake of cesium. The average effective dose, resulting from the contaminated food consumption, was estimated to be at the level of 13 μSv per capita of the Polish population in 1998. (author)

Radioactive contamination of environment and food in Poland in 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabowski, D.; Kurowski, W.; Muszynski, W.; Rubel, B.; Smagala, G.; Swietochowska, J.; Wilgos, J.

1998-01-01

The analysis of the level of radioactive contamination in environmental and food samples was carried out in Poland in 1997. The results were compared to the data from the period 1985-1996. Since the Chernobyl accident gradual decrease of contamination level has been observed. The gamma dose rate and the contamination of air, fallout, tape and surface water were at the level of 1985. The only contamination enhanced in relation to pre-Chernobyl period was the content of cesium isotopes in soil and as a consequence food contamination was higher particularly milk and meat. At present, the source of additional dose is ingestion of artificial isotopes with food as a result of food contamination. No significant regional differences in the distribution of the level of cesium in food over the territory of Poland has been registered. Milk can be assumed as the main contributor of cesium to the diet, its share is about 35% of annual intake of cesium. The average effective dose equivalent, resulting from the contaminated food consumption, was estimated to be at the level of 13 μSv per capita of the Polish population in 1997. (author)

Radioactive contamination of environment and food in Poland in 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabowski, D.; Kurowski, W.; Muszynski, W.; Rubel, B.; Smagala, G.; Swietochowska, J.; Wilgos, J.

1997-01-01

The analysis of the level of radioactive contamination in environmental and food samples was carried out in Poland in 1996. The results were compared to the data from the period 1985-1995. Since the Chernobyl accident gradual decrease of contamination level has been observed. The gamma dose rate and the contamination of air, fallout, tape and surface water were at the level of 1985. The only contamination enhanced in relation to pre-Chernobyl period was the content of cesium isotopes in soil and as a consequence food contamination was higher particularly milk and meat. At present, the source of additional dose is ingestion of artificial isotopes with food as a result of food contamination. No significant regional differences in the distribution of the level of cesium in food over the territory of Poland has been registered. Milk can be assumed as the main contributor of cesium to the diet, its share is about 40% of annual intake of cesium. The average effective dose equivalent, resulting from the contaminated food consumption, was estimated to be at the level of 14 μSv per capita of the Polish population in 1996. (author)

Impact of fallout from Chernobyl on Saclay site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-07-01

The fallout from Chernobyl accident have been monitored at Saclay Nuclear Research Center. The initial results from external irradiation measurement and analysis of environmental samples: air, fallout deposits, surface water, drinking water, underground water, food chain, are presented. The population radiation doses from external exposure to the plume, inhaled radioactivity and consumption of meat, milk and vegetables have been estimated. Special monitoring of internal contamination by iodine 131, cesium 134 and cesium 137 has been carried out using whole body counting [fr

Iodine-131 thyroid uptake results in travelers returning from Europe after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castronovo, F.P. Jr.

1987-01-01

Thyroid screening measurements for 131 I were performed on 58 travelers returning from Eastern and Western Europe to Boston after the Chernobyl reactor accident on April 26, 1986. The travelers consisted of both Americans arriving home after business or vacation and European nationals visiting relatives in the Boston area. For purposes of dosimetry the population was divided into three subpopulations--adult (greater than 18 yr old), children (less than or equal to 18 yr old), and two individuals, 17 and 26 wk pregnant. Seventy-four percent of the population had detectable quantities of 131 I thyroid burdens, ranging from 1 nCi (37 Bq) to 900 nCi (33,300 Bq). The highest adult radiation dose equivalent was 5.18 mrem (51.8 mSv). The children, however, had considerably higher dose equivalents with one infant receiving 37 rem (370 mSv). Several other children were above 1 rem (10 mSv). The fetal dose equivalents were less than 14 mrem (140 mu Sv). The presence of rain dominated those testing positive for 131 I. Radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident contaminated a wide range of Europe and a large population subsequently ingested radioactivity. The children exhibited the highest thyroid radiation dose equivalents of the individuals monitored in the present study. The significance of this is presently unknown

Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capra, D.; Facchini, U.; Gianelle, V.; Ravasini, G.; Bacci, P.

1988-01-01

The radioactive cloud released during the Chernobyl accident reached the Padana plain and Lombardy in the night of April 30th 1986; the cloud remained in the northern Italian skies for a few days and then disappeared either dispersed by winds and washed by rains. The evidence in atmosphere of radionuclides as Tellurium, Iodine, Cesium, was promptly observed. The intense rain, in first week of may, washed the radioactivity and fall-out contamined the land, soil, grass. The present work concerns the overall contamination of the Northern Italy territory and in particular the radioactive fall-out in the Lakes region. Samples of soil have been measured at the gamma spectroscope; a correlation is found between the radionuclides concentration in soil samples and the rain intensity, when appropriate deposition models are considered. A number of measurements has been done on the Como'lake ecosystem: sediments, plankton, fishes and the overall fall-out in the area has been investigated

Observations on the Chernobyl Disaster and LNT

Science.gov (United States)

Jaworowski, Zbigniew

2010-01-01

The Chernobyl accident was probably the worst possible catastrophe of a nuclear power station. It was the only such catastrophe since the advent of nuclear power 55 years ago. It resulted in a total meltdown of the reactor core, a vast emission of radionuclides, and early deaths of only 31 persons. Its enormous political, economic, social and psychological impact was mainly due to deeply rooted fear of radiation induced by the linear non-threshold hypothesis (LNT) assumption. It was a historic event that provided invaluable lessons for nuclear industry and risk philosophy. One of them is demonstration that counted per electricity units produced, early Chernobyl fatalities amounted to 0.86 death/GWe-year), and they were 47 times lower than from hydroelectric stations (∼40 deaths/GWe-year). The accident demonstrated that using the LNT assumption as a basis for protection measures and radiation dose limitations was counterproductive, and lead to sufferings and pauperization of millions of inhabitants of contaminated areas. The projections of thousands of late cancer deaths based on LNT, are in conflict with observations that in comparison with general population of Russia, a 15% to 30% deficit of solid cancer mortality was found among the Russian emergency workers, and a 5% deficit solid cancer incidence among the population of most contaminated areas. PMID:20585443

Consequences in Sweden of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haegg, Conny.

1990-01-01

The radiation doses to man in Sweden due to the Chernobyl accident originate mainly from external irradiation from deposited radionuclides and internal irradiation from consumption of radioactively contaminated food stuffs. Inhalation and external irradiation from the passing cloud give only a minor contribution to the total dose. As an average for the Swedish population the individual radiation dose during the first year amounts to about 0.1 mSv, i.e. 10% of the natural background radiation. In the most contaminated areas, however, the individual dose may become 30 times higher than the average dose. The dose committed over 50 years has estimated to be about six times as high as the first year dose. The collective dose for the Swedish population has been estimated to about 1300 manSv the first year after the accident and the corresponding dose over 50 years to 5000 to 7000 manSv. This could lead to 100 to 200 extra fatal cancers. Furthermore, no damages on man that can be related to Chernobyl fallout, e.g. pre-natal effects, have so far been observed in Sweden. Shortly after the accident, several research projects were initiated in Sweden in order to follow the distribution of radionuclides in the aquatic and terrestrial environment. The results which in many cases are preliminary, shows that the recovery of the ecosystem will take several decades. (author)

Chernobyl: 30 years after - Proceedings of the technical meeting of the French Society of Radiation Protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Champion, Didier; Chouha, Michel; Damette, Guy; Durand, Vanessa; Besnus, Francois; Renaud, Philippe; Adam-Guillermin, Christelle; Laurier, Dominique; Chabrier, Patrick; Chauveau, Thomas; Thiry, Yves; Menetrier, Florence; Chevillard, Sylvie; Lesueur, Fabienne; Schneider, Thierry

2016-03-01

The French Society of Radiation Protection (SFRP) organized a technical meeting on the present day situation of the Chernobyl site, 30 years after the accident of the nuclear power plant. The review deals with the situation of the facility and of its safety works, the environment, the management of wastes, the workers and populations exposure, and the health monitoring of the exposed populations. This document brings together the abstracts and the presentations (slides) of the different talks given at the meeting: 1 - The main highlights 30 years after the Chernobyl accident (Didier CHAMPION, SFRP); 2 - Circumstances, progress and consequences of the Chernobyl accident - Lessons and experience feedback for the other RBMK reactors (Michel CHOUHA, IRSN); 3 - Chernobyl, a confinement arch for 100 years (Patrick CHABRIER, Thomas CHAUVEAU - BOUYGUES); 4 - The reactor wastes management and the dismantling operations (Guy DAMETTE - IRSN); 5 - Environment contamination in the vicinity of the site (Yves THIRY - ANDRA); 6 - Impact of the accident on agriculture (Vanessa DURAND - IRSN); 7 - The fate of remediation wastes (Francois BESNUS - IRSN); 8 - Chernobyl fallouts in France (Philippe RENAUD - IRSN); 9 - The ecological consequences of the Chernobyl accident (Christelle ADAM-GUILLERMIN - IRSN); 10 - Results of liquidators and populations exposure (Florence MENETRIER - CEA); 11 - Thyroid cancers monitoring in the Chernobyl area and the role of modifying genetic factors (Fabienne LESUEUR - Institut Curie); 12 - Results of the Chernobyl accident health impact studies (Dominique LAURIER - IRSN); 13 - Impact on populations living condition (Thierry SCHNEIDER - CEPN); 14 - Molecular signature of radiation induced thyroid tumors (Sylvie CHEVILLARD - CEA)

How to manage forest environments after a nuclear accident? Lessons learned from the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-03-01

Based on several published studies, this report proposes a synthetic overview of observations made on the fate of radionuclides in contaminated forests, like in forest environments which represent a great part of highly contaminated areas about Chernobyl and Fukushima. It appears that the main characteristics of forest ecosystems impacted by radioactive fallouts are different (there is no 'red' (dead) forest around Fukushima), that processes governing the fate of radionuclides in forest ecosystems imply a high remanence of radioactive contamination in these environments. It also appears that the interception of radioactive fallouts by the canopy and radionuclide transfers towards the litter and the soil are the most important processes during the early phase and during the first months after the accident. Thus, the soil becomes the main reservoir in which radio-caesium can be found. Some studies outline that the management of contaminated forest ecosystems after the Fukushima accident differs from that applied in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Others notice that the fire risk is higher in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Thyroid Nodularity and cancer in Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurjane, N.; Farbtuha, T.; Matisane, L.

2004-01-01

The Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident on April 26, 1986, resulted in massive radioactive contamination of the surrounding area. Radiation exposure was from rapidly decaying radioactive iodines, as well as from 137 CS and other long-lived radioisotopes. About 6000 clean-up workers of the Chernobyl Power Plant accident were from Latvia. External radiation exposure was defined for 40% of them and the doses were 0.01-0.5 Grey (Gy). Although according to conclusions of authoritative experts of different countries, the actual doses of radiation might be at least 3-4 times higher. Because the thyroid is highly susceptible to cancer induction by ionizing radiation, our examination was conducted in 2001 to determine the prevalence of thyroid tumors in 1990-2000 and other nodular thyroid disease 14 years after the accident in Latvia's Chernobyl clean-up workers. The Latvian State Register for persons who have received ionising radiation in Chernobyl and Latvia's Cancer Register were used in this work as well as 1000 Chernobyl accident clean-up workers medical ambulatory cards were analysed. We have received that occurrence of thyroid cancer in Chernobyl clean-up workers was 10,6 times higher than in Latvia's population (men) in 1990-2000 and also it occurs at earlier age in comparison with population data (40-50 and 55-65 accordingly). This can be explained in two ways: either due to effect of the short-term or long-term external and internal radiation exposure (including, from the incorporated 131 I) on the thyroid tissue, or due to a better dispensarisation (obligatory thyroid ultrasound examination once per year) of the examined group. The first thyroid cancer was discovered in 1996 -after ten years of latent period. The relative risk of thyroid cancer in Chernobyl clean-up workers in 1996 was 33.27, and in 1997 -42.64. Then, the morbidity of the thyroid cancer exhibits tendency to decrease (RR 18.27 in 1998, and 9.42 in 1999). The presence of thyroid benign nodules was

Chernobyl and its consequences for Austria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoenhofer, F.; Ecker, W.; Hojesky, H.; Junger, W.; Kienzl, K.; Nowak, H.; Riss, A.; Vychytil, P.; Zechner, J.

1986-11-01

First there is a short version of 16 pages. Then a detailed account is given mainly on the activities of the Federal Environment Office and the radiation burden to the population. The chapter headings are 1) The Chernobyl reactor accident 2) The meteorological situation 3) Monitoring of the radioactive contamination in Austria 4) Aims of the radiation measurement activities 5) Initial situation in Austria and first measurements 6) Environmental control 7) Food control 8) Fodder 9) Measures taken to minimise the radiation burden - a chronology 10) Comparison with nuclear tests fallout 11) Dose estimation 12) Radioactive contamination in other European countries. (G.Q.)

The Chernobyl murder. The nuclear Goulag

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tchertkoff, W.

2006-01-01

The authors of this book are the Chernobyl victims of the 26 April 1986 nuclear accident: millions of poor farmers, contaminated young mothers and children which eat every days radionuclides; ''Liquidators'', sacrificed to stop the fire of the power plants; invalids and also doctors and scientists which refuse the nuclear lobby. This book presents the two Byelorussian scientists which have risk their career and their health to help the contaminated populations. This book takes stock on the today nuclear policy and becomes alarm in seeing the development of the nuclear program in many countries. (A.L.B.)

Lessons learnt from clean-up of urban area after Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zlobenko, Borys

2008-01-01

The accident at Chernobyl NPP showed that huge territories including densely populated areas can be exposed to contamination as a result of unforeseen circumstances. The Chernobyl accident forced reconsidering of many regulations in the field of population protection and was a powerful incentive to development of many applied sciences. In 1992-1996, an international team of scientists carried out investigations on ECP-4 project 'Strategies of Decontamination'. Including of an independent sub-project 'Urban environment and countermeasures' into the project of French-German initiative on Chernobyl 'Radioecology' was the extension of work on study of urban environment contamination. The aim of the projects ware to synthesize the large body of experimental data received during elimination of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident and in the course of special studies carried out in former USSR and later in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, and prediction on this basis of radionuclide behavior in the urban environment. In 2003 the EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) project was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Urban Remediation Working Group of the EMRAS has focused on the assessment of the effectiveness of countermeasures employed in urban settings after releases of radioactivity. This review considers results of principally Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarus researchers who worked on these projects. Over the 20-year period a number of publications have reviewed the effectiveness of countermeasures, particularly those used after the Chernobyl accident. The general principles of radiological protection are based on radiation doses, intervention levels and effective countermeasures. Decontamination of densely built-up cities constructed of various building materials with total surface area significantly exceeding the administrative city area is an extremely difficult task. In the Late-Phase Response, 'classical' radiological

Clinical and paraclinical aspects of children`s health ten years after the Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukyanova, E M; Antipkine, Y G; Omelchenko, L I; Chernyshov, V P; Apuhovskaya, L I; Ossinskaya, L F [Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kiev (Ukraine)

1997-09-01

These investigations are devoted to the problem of medical consequences of Chernobyl catastrophe to the children`s population of Ukraine. Concerning different reports, Chernobyl accident negatively influenced to the children health indexes. Astonishing fact is that among children under radiation action only 2,1% have no functional deflexions (I group of health) and 28% have chronical diseases with frequent aggravation. Our previous investigation in children evacuated from 30 km zone showed unfavourable changes in immune system. We have shown the data of investigation carried out in the frames of National Program ``Children of Chernobyl``. We have studied the morbidity, some immune functional characteristics and metabolism indexes in 2700 children aged 0-15 years, continually living within radiation contaminated territories. The results were compared with the control indexes, obtained during examination of 980 children from relatively ``clean`` regions. 15 refs, 5 figs, 1 tab.

Radiological passports as a decision support technique for post Chernobyl dose reduction in contaminated settlements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grebenkov, A.; Mansoux, H.; Yakushau, A.; Antsipov, G.; Averin, V.; Zhouchenko, Y.; Minenko, V.; Tirmarche, M.

2004-01-01

In 2000, IRSN and GRS initiated a support for collecting, securing and validating of existing data in the field of Chernobyl accident consequences and establishing a database including a detailed documentation in order to make available all reliable and objective information for decision makers, for planning of actions, for information of the public and for further scientific work. Three projects as a part of French/German Initiative (FGI) for humanitarian and technical assistance in favour of the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia have been established. The authors represent sub-project 3.9.1, which objectives are as follows: (i) develop and replenish the database for the Radiological-Hygienic Passports (RHP) and perform additional investigation of the target settlements in Belarus where comprehensive information has not been acquired yet, (ii) establish conditions and communication infrastructure for database availability, (iii) provide data analysis involving data on individual effective dose monitoring and results of countermeasures applied, and (iii) formulate the wider recommendations for the target settlements located in contaminated areas, concerning radiation, health, sanitary and social protection, countermeasures, industrial infrastructure development and reviving the local economy. During implementation of the project, 96 settlements with total population of 25 thousand were investigated and their RHPs were compiled. Every RHP consisted of 13 separate forms grouped under three principal headings: Statistics (societal and demographic structure of population, housing, land used and predominant soil type); Economical infrastructure and public utilities (farms, industries, schools, hospitals, shops, service, etc.); Radiological data and doses (total area subdivided vs. level of contamination, Cs-137 content in human body, contamination of agricultural products, contamination of households, annual effective dose). Every RHP was concluded with proposals as to the

Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

This leaflet has been prepared by the Central Electricity Generating Board. Following the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union people are concerned about the safety of the UK's nuclear power stations. This leaflet explains that Chernobyl is unlike any nuclear station operating or planned in the UK and under the CEGB's stringent safety rules it could not have been built in the UK. The leaflet explains what happened at Chernobyl and compares the RBMK design and British reactors. The bodies concerned with reactor safety are noted. The containment of radioactivity and emergency procedures are explained. The PWR design for Sizewell-B is stated to be much safer than the RBMK Chernobyl design. (UK)

Experience of rehabilitation of territories contaminated during Chernobyl NPP accident in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeleznyak, M.

2003-01-01

Full text: Significant part of Ukraine territory, including agricultural lands, was subjected to radioactive contamination as a result of ChNPP emergency. In the initial period of emergency the main attention was given to averting of radioactivity propagation and irradiation of the population. Irradiation of the thyroid gland for a large contingent of human, especially children, became the hardest consequence of the emergency. The main problem of minimization of the emergency consequences consisted in a complete rehabilitation of contaminated areas. Resettlement of residents of contaminated territories was appeared effective only in cases, when expected effective dose of irradiation could exceed levels of interference. In the remote terms after emergency this measure was accompanied by an unjustifiable psychological stress for the population and considerable material expenses. The adopted organizational and technological countermeasures allowed to reduce significantly a dose of irradiation for thyroid gland, especially for population of Kiev urban agglomeration - about 4 mln. persons. The efficiency of countermeasures was insufficient due to hiding of the emergency firstly, and then because of the late announcement of a danger, after iodine attack already. The program of reconstruction of irradiation doses for different groups of population was realized, i.e. the liquidators of emergency, children, inhabitants of the contaminated zone. The sharp increase of thyroid gland cancer frequency and other types of pathologies was observed. The network of specialized medical entities for consulting and clinical examination of victims was created. Iodine radionuclides entered into human organism per os with foodstuffs predominantly. Prevention of milk contamination and its processing was the most effective measures of population protection. The big part of the territory of Ukraine was subjected to radioactive contamination with fallout predominantly the area of Ukrainian

Monitoring of congenital malformations in Belarus after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazjuk, G.I.; Kirillova, I.A.; Nikolaev, D.L.; Novikova, I.V.

1993-01-01

An investigation of over 21,000 embryos and fetuses from medically-induced abortions was conducted from 1980 through 1991 in the Republic of Belarus. More than half of the abortions studied were carried out after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, including 1176 from districts with 137 Cs soil contamination levels over 0.6 TBq/km 2 (15 Ci/km 2 ). Congenital malformations (CM's) in 7325 newborn children also were analyzed. The data on these children were obtained from a genetic monitoring program. It was shown that in the 5 years after the Chernobyl accident the frequency of abnormal developments in aborted fetuses from contaminated areas was significantly higher than in aborted fetuses from Minsk, which was relatively uncontaminated. Additionally, the CM incidence in newborn children increased in Belarus compared to the CM incidences before the accident; the increase was most significant in the heavily contaminated areas. The increases were attributed primarily to CMS characterized by dominant mutations. These increases could have been partially caused by factors unrelated to radiation dose, including defective nourishment, chemical contaminants, and psychological stresses. A correlation between CM increase and the parents' dose has not been established. 17 refs., 6 tabs

The enduring lessons of Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2005-01-01

The major impacts of the Chernobyl accident fall into three categories: the physical impacts, in terms of health and environmental effects; the psycho-social impacts on the affected populations; and the influence of the accident on the nuclear industry worldwide. The physical impacts mark Chernobyl as the site of the most serious nuclear accident in history. The explosions that destroyed the Unit 4 reactor core released a cloud of radionuclides that contaminated large areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of workers participated in efforts to mitigate the consequences of the accident, and many of these individuals were exposed to substantial radiation doses. The psycho-social impacts were also devastating. Over 100 000 people were evacuated immediately after the accident, and the total number of evacuees from severely contaminated areas eventually reached 350 000 people. While these resettlements helped to reduce the collective dose of radiation, it was deeply traumatic for those involved. The third impact I mentioned is the enormous influence of the Chernobyl accident on the nuclear industry. A decade earlier, the accident at Three Mile Island had already cast doubt on the ability of nuclear power plant operators to prevent severe accidents. Chernobyl had far greater impact; the accident emblazoned itself on public consciousness as proof positive that nuclear safety was an oxymoron. Some countries decided to reduce or terminate further construction of nuclear facilities, and the expansion of nuclear capacity came to a near standstill. It has taken nearly two decades of strong safety performance to repair the industry's reputation. From the time of the accident, the IAEA has been continuously involved in technical assistance and research projects to mitigate the environmental and health consequences in affected areas. Since 1990, more than $15 million has been disbursed through the IAEA technical cooperation programme on a broad range of these

Health consequences [of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramoutar, S.

1996-01-01

The World Health Organisation Conference on the Health Consequences of the Chernobyl and Other Radiological Accidents, held in Geneva last November, is reported. The lack of representation from the civil nuclear industry led often to one-sided debates instigated by the anti-nuclear lobbies present. Thyroid cancer in children as a result of the Chernobyl accident received particular attention. In Belarus, 400 cases have been noted, 220 in Ukraine and 60 in the Russian Federation. All have been treated with a high degree of success. The incidence of this cancer would be expected to follow the fallout path as the main exposure route was ingestion of contaminated foods and milk products. It was noted that the only way to confirm causality was if those children born since the accident failed to show the same increased incidence. Explanations were offered for the particular susceptibility of children to thyroid cancer following exposure to radiation. Another significant cause of concern was the health consequences to clean-up workers in radiological accidents. The main factor is psychological problems from the stress of knowing that they have received high radiation doses. A dramatic increase in psychological disorders has occurred in the Ukraine over the past ten years and this is attributed to stress generated by the Chernobyl accident, compounded by the inadequacy of the public advice offered at the time and the socio-economic uncertainties accompanying the breakup of the former USSR. (UK)

Radiation health effects. Experience from Chernobyl to Fukushima

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekitani, Yui; Takamura, Noboru; Yamashita, Shunichi

2012-01-01

The accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 led to a high level of radioactive contamination over wide area in Europe. High radiation-dose exposure to 134 power plant staff and emergency personnel resulted in acute radiation syndrome. The internal radiation exposure by radioactive iodine-131 caused operated thyroid cancer among more than 6000 children at the time of the accident until 2010. The low dose irradiation by radioactive cesium-137 continues even today, and evacuation and relocation proved a deeply traumatic experience to many people. Since the Chernobyl accident, WHO and IAEA have established a global assistance system to strengthen the activities related to radiation emergency medical preparedness and response network. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011 has also caused many people to evacuate, and great suffering, hardship, and anxiety to the residents of Fukushima Prefecture. Therefore the Fukushima Prefectural Government is now conducting the 'The Fukushima Health Management Survey' to alleviate residents' concerns about radiation and to facilitate suitable healthcare in the future. It is necessary to continue scientific research around Chernobyl and provide accurate information on radiation health effects not only to the Fukushima residents but also toward all over the world. (author)

The German Chernobyl project: Lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, P.; Hille, R.

1999-01-01

This report presents results and lessons learned by one of the so far largest assessments of a post-accidental situation. Funded by the Federal Republic of Germany the German Chernobyl Project investigated in the years 1991-1993 the radiological situation in contaminated regions of the Russian Federation, Belarus and Ukraine. Measurements included a mass screening of the population in order to determine the Cesium body burdens of 250,000+ individuals in more than 240 settlements as well as the evaluation of external doses in selected settlements with soil contaminations varying from less than 74 kBq/m 2 to about 3700 kBq/m 2 including some, where decontamination measures had previously been taken. Also in many settlements environmental monitoring was undertaken. For most individuals doses did not exceed the international annual limits set for the general population. Open and comprehensive communication of results was favourably accepted by the public. In a few settlements the radiological situation has been followed up till to date. (author)

Ground deposition of long-lived gamma emitters in Poland from the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krolas, K.; Kubala, M.; Sciezor, T.

1986-12-01

Activity composition was measured for the soil contaminated with the fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Soil samples were collected at various areas of Poland. A map showing the 137 Cs deposit distribution was drawn for the most contaminated southern part of Poland. 9 refs., 5 figs. (author)

Main principles of the Chernobyl' NPP zone development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatenko, E.I.; Komarov, V.I.; Zverkov, V.V.; Proskuryakov, A.G.

1989-01-01

It is suggested to divide the Chernobyl' NPP zone into two parts, which are the alienation and evacuation (buffer) zones. The alienation zone includes the areas with greatest contamination around the Chernobyl' NPP. The population residence in this zone is forbidden. The watching method of working with short-time personnel residence is suggested to be used in this zone. The buffer zone is the territory out of the alienation zone boundaries including all settlements, from which the population is evacuated. Constant residence is permitted in the buffer zone for persons 50 and more years old with introduction of restrictions for diet and residence organization. The production activity in this zone includes operation of three units of the Chernobyl' NPP, works with the Ukrytie object and researches. Operations connected with radioactive waste processing and redisposal from places of storage is not recommended to be done. It is suggested to develop methods for local radioactive waste processing

The consequences of Chernobyl accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion Chioșilă

2016-12-01

Full Text Available These days marks 30 years since the Chernobyl nuclear accident, followed by massive radioactive contamination of the environment and human in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, and resulted in many deaths among people who intervened to decrease the effects of the nuclear disaster. The 26 April 1986 nuclear accident contaminated all European countries, but at a much lower level, without highlighted consequences on human health. In special laboratories, the main radionuclides (I-131, Cs-137, Cs-134 and Sr-90 were also analyzed in Romania from environmental samples, food, even human subjects. These radionuclides caused the population to receive a low dose of about 1 mSv in 1986 that is half of the dose of the natural background radiation (2.4 mSv per year. As in all European countries (excluding Ukraine, Belarus and Russia this dose of about 1 mSv fell rapidly by 1990, reaching levels close to ones before the accident at the nuclear tests.

Treatment and biological dosimetry of exposed persons. Post-Chernobyl action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chadwick, K.; Gerber, G.

1991-01-01

The Chernobyl accident, which occurred on 26 April 1986, presented major challenges to the European Community with respect to the practical and regulatory aspects of radiation protection, public information, trade, particularly in food, and international politics. The Chernobyl accident was also a major challenge to the international scientific community which had to evaluate rapidly the radiological consequences of the accident and advise on the introduction of any countermeasures. Prior to the accident at Chernobyl, countermeasures to reduce the consequences of radioactive contamination had been conceived largely in the context of relatively small accidental releases and for application over relatively small areas. Less consideration had been given to the practical implications of applying such measures in case of a large source term and a spread over a very large area

Elevated mortality among birds in Chernobyl as judged from skewed age and sex ratios.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anders Pape Møller

Full Text Available Radiation has negative effects on survival of animals including humans, although the generality of this claim is poorly documented under low-dose field conditions. Because females may suffer disproportionately from the effects of radiation on survival due to differences in sex roles during reproduction, radiation-induced mortality may result in male-skewed adult sex ratios.We estimated the effects of low-dose radiation on adult survival rates in birds by determining age ratios of adults captured in mist nets during the breeding season in relation to background radiation levels around Chernobyl and in nearby uncontaminated control areas. Age ratios were skewed towards yearlings, especially in the most contaminated areas, implying that adult survival rates were reduced in contaminated areas, and that populations in such areas could only be maintained through immigration from nearby uncontaminated areas. Differential mortality in females resulted in a strongly male-skewed sex ratio in the most contaminated areas. In addition, males sang disproportionately commonly in the most contaminated areas where the sex ratio was male skewed presumably because males had difficulty finding and acquiring mates when females were rare. The results were not caused by permanent emigration by females from the most contaminated areas because none of the recaptured birds had changed breeding site, and the proportion of individuals with morphological abnormalities did not differ significantly between the sexes for areas with normal and higher levels of contamination.These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the adult survival rate of female birds is particularly susceptible to the effects of low-dose radiation, resulting in male skewed sex ratios at high levels of radiation. Such skewed age ratios towards yearlings in contaminated areas are consistent with the hypothesis that an area exceeding 30,000 km(2 in Chernobyl's surroundings constitutes an

The Chernobyl catastrophe consequences in the Republic of Belarus. National report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konoplya, E.F.

1996-03-01

The estimation of radioecological, medico-biological, economic and social consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe has shown that unimaginable damage was incurred on Belarus and its territory became the zone of ecological calamity. The Chernobyl NPP catastrophe has led to the contamination of almost the fourth part of the territory of Belarus where there lived 2,2 million people. The damage caused to the republic by the catastrophe makes up 32 annual budgets of the republic of the pre-accident period in account for the 30-years period for its overcoming. Radioecological situation in Belarus is characterized by complexity and heterogeneous contamination of the territory by different radionuclides and their presence on all the components of the environment. It stipulates the plurality of ways of external and internal irradiation of the population and jeopardizes its health. There is registered the worsening of the population's health, of evacuated and inhabiting the contaminated areas as well, with increase of a number of somatic diseases, including oncological diseases, there are disorders in the metabolic processes and functions of the main systems of the organism. The demographic indices are decreasing. Particular concern causes the children's morbidity growth and genetic consequences of the accident. The contamination of agricultural lands has stipulated in the neighboring the Chernobyl NPP zone the impossibility of their use for food production. On the other lands it has been required to re-profile the farms and create new technologies of the agricultural production. There have been revealed the destructive tendencies in all spheres of the life activity of people who experienced radiation effects. The processes of social adaptation and socio-psychological support of the population require considerable optimization. In spite of that for ten years passed after the catastrophe the discrepancy of its estimations has not been overcome completely. At the same time

Radiation ecology issues associated with murine rodents and shrews in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaschak, Sergey P; Maklyuk, Yulia A; Maksimenko, Andrey M; Bondarkov, Mikhail D; Jannik, G Timothy; Farfán, Eduardo B

2011-10-01

This article describes major studies performed by the Chernobyl Center's International Radioecology Laboratory (Slavutich, Ukraine) on radioecology of murine rodents and shrews inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The article addresses the long-term (1986-2005) and seasonal dynamics of radioactive contamination of animals and reviews interspecies differences in radionuclide accumulations and factors affecting the radionuclide accumulations. It is shown that bioavailability of radionuclides in the "soil-to-plant" chain and a trophic specialization of animals play key roles in determining their actual contamination levels. The total absorbed dose rates in small mammals significantly reduced during the years following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. In 1986, the absorbed dose rate reached 1.3-6.0 Gy h(-1) in the central areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (the "Red Forest"). In 1988 and 1990, the total absorbed dose rates were 1.3 and 0.42 Gy h(-1), respectively. In 1995, 2000, and 2005, according to the present study, the total absorbed dose rates rarely exceeded 0.00023, 0.00018, and 0.00015 Gy h(-1), respectively. Contributions of individual radiation sources into the total absorbed dose are described.

RADIATION ECOLOGY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH MURINE RODENTS AND SHREWS IN THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farfan, E.; Jannik, T.

2011-10-01

This article describes major studies performed by the Chernobyl Center's International Radioecology Laboratory (Slavutich, Ukraine) on radioecology of murine rodents and shrews inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The article addresses the long-term (1986-2005) and seasonal dynamics of radioactive contamination of animals, and reviews interspecies differences in radionuclide accumulations and factors affecting the radionuclide accumulations. It is shown that bioavailability of radionuclides in the 'soil-to-plant' chain and a trophic specialization of animals play key roles in determining their actual contamination levels. The total absorbed dose rates in small mammals significantly reduced during the years following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. In 1986, the absorbed dose rate reached 1.3-6.0 Gy hr{sup -1} in the central areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (the 'Red Forest'). In 1988 and 1990, the total absorbed dose rates were 1.3 and 0.42 Gy hr{sup -1}, respectively. In 1995, 2000, and 2005, according to the present study, the total absorbed dose rates rarely exceeded 0.00023, 0.00018, and 0.00015 Gy hr{sup -1}, respectively. Contributions of individual radiation sources into the total absorbed dose are described.

Chernobyl's lengthening shadow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marples, D.

1993-01-01

This article reviews the April 26, 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. The information presented was gathered through talks between the author and scientists, citizens, and hospital workers in Belarus and Ukraine, as well as from library research. What is currently believed to have occurred at the time of the accident is related. The short and long term health effects of the accident as they are now understood are analyzed. The numbers of people evacuated and the location and severity of land contamination are described. Political and economic consequences of the accident are also explored. 2 refs

Chernobyl'-92. Reports of the 3. All-Union scientific and technical meeting on results of accident effect elimination at the Chernobyl' NPP. V. 2. Part 1. Methods for decontamination, dust suppression. Development and applicability of techniques for the accident effect elimination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senin, E.V.

1992-01-01

The means of decontamination have been considered. The requirements on radiation protection of equipment during radioactive contamination have been presented. New efficient methods for decontamination of technological equipment, units and systems of the Chernobyl' NPP were demonstrated. The variations and postects for burial of radioactive wastes and materials, radioactive water processing and application of polymer coatings were presented

Chernobyl and its effects in terms of food contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diehl, J.F.

1986-01-01

The contamination of plant surfaces and roots is gone into. There is a continuous decrease in contamination as a result of washout and dilution from plant growth. In animals, contamination decreases as a result of biological secretion. The isotopes I-131, Cs-137, and Sr-90 were investigated. To avoid high radiation, the author recommends to banish mushrooms, game, goat's meat, and mutton from the table. (PW) [de

Validity of thyroid cancer incidence data following the Chernobyl accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Jargin, Sergei V

2011-12-01

The only clearly demonstrated cancer incidence increase that can be attributed to radiation from the Chernobyl accident is thyroid carcinoma in patients exposed during childhood or adolescence. Significant increases in thyroid disease were observed as soon as 4 y after the accident. The solid/follicular subtype of papillary carcinoma predominated in the early period after the accident. Morphological diagnosis of cancer in such cases, if no infiltrative growth is clearly visible, depends mainly on the nuclear criteria. Outdated equipment and insufficient quality of histological specimens impeded reliable evaluation of the nuclear criteria. Access to foreign professional literature has always been limited in the former Soviet Union. The great number of advanced tumors observed shortly after the accident can be explained by the screening effect (detection of previously neglected cancers) and by the fact that many patients were brought from non-contaminated areas and registered as Chernobyl victims. It is also worth noting that exaggeration of the Chernobyl cancer statistics facilitated the writing of dissertations, financing of research, and assistance from outside the former Soviet Union. "Chernobyl hysteria" impeded nuclear energy production in some countries, thus contributing to higher prices for fossil fuel. The concluding point is that since post-Chernobyl cancers tend on average to be in a later stage of tumor progression, some published data on molecular or immunohistochemical characteristics of Chernobyl-related cancers require reevaluation.

Chernobyl, what happened. [Netherlands; contamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zwigt, A

1986-01-01

In this article a description is given of the accident in the Chernobylsk-4 reactor and the resulting effects in the Netherlands. The Chernobylsk-4 reactor is described and the cause of the accident is followed step by step. The contamination of the Netherlands is mapped. The absorbed doses for the Dutch people are calculated. In the discussion the author recommends agreements about uniformity for sampling, activity measurements and follow-up studies. (Auth.). 5 refs.; 7 figs.; 1 table.

Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mould, R.F.

1988-01-01

This book brings together a comprehensive history of the first 18 months of the accident at Chernobyl and the complete pictorial record of the disaster, including many photographs never seen in the West. It also gives a unique record of subsequent events in the USSR involving the evacuation and re-housing of a population of 135,000, the building of the 400,000 tonne concrete sarcophagus over the damaged reactor and the decontamination of the environment which may take years to complete. The human dimension of radiation injuries is recreated in the cast histories and hospital photographs of the firemen who brought the blaze under control. The problems of contamination of the food chain for various countries is included, and recommendations for safe levels of activity in milk are described

Geochemical consequences of the Chernobyl accident.; Geokhimicheskie posledstviya Chernobyl`skoj katastrofy.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kopejkin, V A [VNIIGEOLNERUD, Kazan` (Russian Federation)

1994-12-31

Geochemical features of Cs, Sr, U, Pu behaviour in the zone of their hypergenesis are presented in the article. Necessary conditions for these elements filtration on the natural geochemical barriers are shown. Data of radionuclide composition of water for five years of observation in << Ryzhiy Les >> and dissolved forms of radionuclides are described. Geologic and hydrogeologic conditions of the Chernobyl NPP site are shortly characterized. Radionuclide composition in the ground water of contaminated water pools is analyzed. It is proposed to cover by the law all {alpha}-elements (Pu, Am, Np) and not only plutonium as it currently takes place.

Seeds in Chernobyl: the database on proteome response on radioactive environment

Science.gov (United States)

Klubicová, Katarína; Vesel, Martin; Rashydov, Namik M.; Hajduch, Martin

2012-01-01

Two serious nuclear accidents during the last quarter century (Chernobyl, 1986 and Fukushima, 2011) contaminated large agricultural areas with radioactivity. The database “Seeds in Chernobyl” (http://www.chernobylproteomics.sav.sk) contains the information about the abundances of hundreds of proteins from on-going investigation of mature and developing seed harvested from plants grown in radioactive Chernobyl area. This database provides a useful source of information concerning the response of the seed proteome to permanently increased level of ionizing radiation in a user-friendly format. PMID:23087698

THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT, THE MALE TO FEMALE RATIO AT BIRTH AND BIRTH RATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Grech

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The male:female ratio at birth (male births divided by total live births – M/T has been shown to increase in response to ionizing radiation due to gender-biased fetal loss, with excess female loss. M/T rose sharply in 1987 in central-eastern European countries following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. This study analyses M/T and births for the former Soviet Republics and for the countries most contaminated by the event. Methods: Annual birth data was obtained from the World Health Organisation. The countries with the highest exposure levels (by 137Cs were identified from an official publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency. All of the former Soviet states were also analysed and the periods before and after 1986 were compared. Results: Except for the Baltic States, all regions in the former USSR showed a significant rise in M/T from 1986. There were significant rises in M/T in the three most exposed (Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The birth deficit in the post-Soviet states for the ten years following Chernobyl was estimated at 2,072,666, of which 1,087,924 are accounted by Belarus and Ukraine alone. Discussion: Chernobyl has resulted in the loss of millions of births, a process that has involved female even more than male fetuses. This is another and oft neglected consequence of widespread population radiation contamination.

Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anspaugh, L.R.

2005-01-01

The explosion on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant located just 100 km from the city of Kyiv in what was then the Soviet Union and now is Ukraine, and consequent ten days' reactor fire resulted in an unprecedented release of radiation and unpredicted adverse consequences both for the public and the environment. Indeed, the IAEA has characterized the event as the 'foremost nuclear catastrophe in human history' and the largest regional release of radionuclides into the atmosphere. Massive radioactive contamination forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from the affected region during 1986, and the relocation, after 1986, of another 200,000 from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Some five million people continue to live in areas contaminated by the accident and have to deal with its environmental, health, social and economic consequences. The national governments of the three affected countries, supported by international organizations, have undertaken costly efforts to remedy contamination, provide medical services and restore the region's social and economic well-being. The accident's consequences were not limited to the territories of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine but resulted in substantial transboundary atmospheric transfer and subsequent contamination of numerous European countries that also encountered problems of radiation protection of their populations, although to less extent than the three more affected countries. Although the accident occurred nearly two decades ago, controversy still surrounds the impact of the nuclear disaster. Therefore the IAEA, in cooperation with FAO, UNDP, UNEP, UNOCHA, UNSCEAR, WHO and The World Bank, as well as the competent authorities of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, established the Chernobyl Forum in 2003. The mission of the Forum was - through a series of managerial and expert meetings to generate 'authoritative consensual statements' on the environmental consequences and

Chernobyl related research and radiological protection activities in Ireland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rafferty, B; Cunningham, J D [Radiological Protection Inst. of Ireland (Ireland)

1996-10-01

Following the Chernobyl accident a programme of monitoring and research was initiated in the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland to address questions concerning the immediate and longer term impact of the fallout. Prior to the Chernobyl accident the scientific literature contained limited information on the behaviour of radionuclides in the environment and their entry into food-chains. In response to this lack of information the monitoring programme assessed the contamination status following the accident, while the research programme was aimed at gaining a fuller understanding of the processes of radionuclide transfer. Investigations were undertaken into the pathways through which Chernobyl radionuclides may be transferred to man i.e. via agricultural crops, meat and milk production. The results showed that the behaviour of the fallout radionuclides is complex and highly variable, being influenced by weather, topography, season, crop type, land management etc. The research continues today and its aim is to identify pathways of radiation dose transfer to man and to determine strategies for minimising risk and cost to man and the environment. Examination of the factors which control radionuclide behaviour has revealed practical strategies for dealing with contaminated lands and foods. A significant factor controlling the behaviour of radionuclides in ecosystems is the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil. These physico-chemical characteristics have proved to be useful parameters which can be manipulated to reduce the transfer of radionuclides in agricultural systems. In semi-natural ecosystems (peatlands and commercial forests) the controls on the behaviour of radionuclides are generally more complicated and intervention is more difficult. These ecosystems present a challenge in terms of the identification of possible practical rehabilitation measures. (Abstract Truncated)

Community centers of UNESCO-Chernobyl programme-psychological support model for population in a post-catastrophe crisis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnets, O.

1998-01-01

Community Centers for Psycho-social Rehabilitation created within UNESCO - Chernobyl Programme (Project no 64) is aimed at providing psychological support to population suffered from the catastrophe. Centers are located in communities that in different ways suffered from Chernobyl - people evacuated and relocated from the contaminated territories, people who are still living in contaminated regions, employees of the nuclear power plant etc. Centres are providing psychological support to people suffered from Chernobyl catastrophe, trough developing adaptive behavior models under living conditions that changed - both ecological and social and economic crises, developing of personal and social responsibility in community members. The professionals of Community Centers implement activities aimed on coping victimization, on community interaction and communities restructuring. They are working with all age and social groups in the communities, with acute crises and suicide prevention, creating mutual support mechanisms. Centres performance results in decrease of psycho-social tension and anxiety in population. Centers present successfully functioning model of social and psychological support under complicated ecological and social conditions in post soviet countries. They have accumulated unique professional and organizational experience of efficient work in, a post-catastrophe period under social and economic crisis. (author)

Community centers of UNESCO-Chernobyl programme-psychological support model for population in a post-catastrophe crisis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garnets, O. [UNESCO-Chernobyl Programme Project (Ukraine)

1998-07-01

Community Centers for Psycho-social Rehabilitation created within UNESCO - Chernobyl Programme (Project no 64) is aimed at providing psychological support to population suffered from the catastrophe. Centers are located in communities that in different ways suffered from Chernobyl - people evacuated and relocated from the contaminated territories, people who are still living in contaminated regions, employees of the nuclear power plant etc. Centres are providing psychological support to people suffered from Chernobyl catastrophe, trough developing adaptive behavior models under living conditions that changed - both ecological and social and economic crises, developing of personal and social responsibility in community members. The professionals of Community Centers implement activities aimed on coping victimization, on community interaction and communities restructuring. They are working with all age and social groups in the communities, with acute crises and suicide prevention, creating mutual support mechanisms. Centres performance results in decrease of psycho-social tension and anxiety in population. Centers present successfully functioning model of social and psychological support under complicated ecological and social conditions in post soviet countries. They have accumulated unique professional and organizational experience of efficient work in, a post-catastrophe period under social and economic crisis. (author)

Radioactivity measurements in Krakow surroundings in the aftermath of Chernobyl reactor accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cywicka-Jakiel, T.; Grychowski, P.; Hajdas, I.; Jasinska, M.; Kolakowski, L.; Loskiewicz, J.; Mazgaj, Z.; Mikulski, J.; Ochab, E.

1988-01-01

A team from different laboratories of the Institute of Nuclear Physics was formed to set a crash program of measurement of water and food contamination after the Chernobyl reactor accident. The main contaminants in the first days were 131 I and 132 Te which were superseded later on by 104 Ru, 137 Cs and 134 Cs. The highest value of contamination of surface waters by 131 I was attained in the Vistula river on the 2-nd of May with 530 Bq/dm 3 . Also measurements of food contamination by 131 I, 134 Cs, 137 Cs and 137 Te were carried out. The additional effective dose equivalent related to Chernobyl accident received by the population of Krakow region in May 1986 was estimated at 0.45 mSV (45 rem). Another rise of 134 Cs + 137 Cs content up to 46 Bq/dm 3 in cows milk was observed during March and April 1987 and was probably explicable by the use of hay harvested in June 1986. (author)

Down syndrome clusters in Germany after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkart, W.; Grosche, B.; Schoetzau, A.

1997-01-01

In two independent studies using different approaches and covering West Berlin and Bavaria, respectively, highly significant temporal clusters of Down syndrome were found. Both sharp increases occurred in areas receiving relatively low Chernobyl fallout and concomitant radiation exposures. Only for the Berlin cluster was fallout present at the time of the affected meiosis, whereas the Nuremberg cluster preceded the radioactive contamination by 1 month. Hypotheses on possible causal relationships are compared. Radiation from the Chernobyl accident is an unlikely factor, because the associated cumulative dose was so low in comparison with natural background. Microdosimetric considerations would indicate that fewer than 1 in 200 oocyte nuclei would have experienced an ionizing event from Chernobyl radioactivity. Given the lack of understanding of what causes Down syndrome, other than factors associated with increased maternal age, additional research into environmental and infectious risk factors is warranted. 23 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Consequences of the Chernobyl accident in France. Thematic sheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This document proposes a set of commented maps, graphs and drawings which illustrate and describe various consequences of the Chernobyl accident in France, such as air contamination (scattering of radioactive particles emitted by the reactor explosion by the wind over thousands of kilometres, evolution of air contamination between April 30 and May 5 1986), ground deposits (influence of rain, heterogeneity of these deposits), contamination of farm products (relationship between the accident date and the deposit characteristics, variable decrease rate of contamination, faster decrease of farm product contamination that caesium radioactive decay since 1987, particular cases of some more sensitive products), health effects (low doses received by the French population, concerns about thyroid cancers)

Chernobyl-what do we need to know?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Following a succession of technical malfunctions and human errors, reactor No.4 of Chernobyl nuclear power plant explodes on April 26, 1986. Radioactive dust, aerosols, and gases (including iodine and caesium) are ejected into the atmosphere. The regions worst hit are in the immediate vicinity of the plant (Belarus, Ukraine) but deposits are very uneven, producing a 'leopard spot' type of pattern (Russian Federation). In Europe, propelled by easterly winds, the radioactive cloud disperses increasingly, scattering deposits over the whole Europe. At the beginning of May, the cloud arrives over France. The eastern portion of the country is most strongly affected. For the contamination, ground, water, and agriculture are contaminated by caesium deposits in Belarus, Ukraine and Russian Federation. In France, ground contamination is slight, fourteen years later, however, it is still detectable. It is hard to assess the impact on health in the vicinity of the Chernobyl plant; among children in southern Belarus, the number of thyroid cancers has risen one hundred-fold. The doses delivered in France represent generally less than 1% of the average annual dose from radioactivity of natural origin. But some of the doses received were higher. Today, the protective sarcophagus covering the damaged reactor is fragile. Reactor No.3, still in operation, continues to pose a risk but the shutdown is provide for december 2000. (N.C.)

Chernobyl-what do we need to know?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

Following a succession of technical malfunctions and human errors, reactor No.4 of Chernobyl nuclear power plant explodes on April 26, 1986. Radioactive dust, aerosols, and gases (including iodine and caesium) are ejected into the atmosphere. The regions worst hit are in the immediate vicinity of the plant (Belarus, Ukraine) but deposits are very uneven, producing a 'leopard spot' type of pattern (Russian Federation). In Europe, propelled by easterly winds, the radioactive cloud disperses increasingly, scattering deposits over the whole Europe. At the beginning of May, the cloud arrives over France. The eastern portion of the country is most strongly affected. For the contamination, ground, water, and agriculture are contaminated by caesium deposits in Belarus, Ukraine and Russian Federation. In France, ground contamination is slight, fourteen years later, however, it is still detectable. It is hard to assess the impact on health in the vicinity of the Chernobyl plant; among children in southern Belarus, the number of thyroid cancers has risen one hundred-fold. The doses delivered in France represent generally less than 1% of the average annual dose from radioactivity of natural origin. But some of the doses received were higher. Today, the protective sarcophagus covering the damaged reactor is fragile. Reactor No.3, still in operation, continues to pose a risk but the shutdown is provide for december 2000. (N.C.)

Information support for analysing the radiological impact of areas affected by the Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shershakov, V.M.; Baranov, A.Yu.; Borodin, R.V.; Golubenkov, A.V.; Godko, A.M.; Kosykh, V.S.; Korenev, A.I.; Meleshkin, M.A. [SPA `Typhoon`, Obninsk (Russian Federation)

1996-09-01

The organisation and management of data banks generated using data from monitoring the radiological situation after the Chernobyl accident is of key importance to health care and rehabilitation in the contaminated areas. Measures following the accident were based on large scale studies involving analysis and prediction of radioactive contamination. These studies included measurements of radioactivity in air, soil and water, modelling and prediction of radionuclides transport and transformation. This required the development of a computer system RECASS (RadioEcological Analysis Support System) which is currently being developed in SPA ``Typhoon``. The main tasks of RECASS are to integrate data on existing characteristics of the environment, and data on air, soil, water and biota-contamination with numerical models that account for radionuclide behaviour in all environmental media, and with radiation dose formations that are based on geographic information system (GIS) principles. The data bank of the system includes the following data bases: a data base with measurement of radioactive contamination levels in environmental media (soil, air, water); a meteorological data base; and a data base with administrative and demographic data. A set of models for radionuclide transfer in various environments incorporated in the chain permits short or long-term predictions to be made. The results of implementing RECASS to reconstruct the time and space picture of contamination in the first days after the Chernobyl accident are presented. (Author).

Informatics support for analysing the radiological impact of areas affected by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shershakov, V.M.; Baranov, A.Yu.; Borodin, R.V.; Golubenkov, A.V.; Godko, A.M.; Kosykh, V.S.; Korenev, A.I.; Meleshkin, M.A.

1996-01-01

The organisation and management of data banks generated using data from monitoring the radiological situation after the Chernobyl accident is of key importance to health care and rehabilitation in the contaminated areas. Measures following the accident were based on large scale studies involving analysis and prediction of radioactive contamination. These studies included measurements of radioactivity in air, soil and water, modelling and prediction of radionuclides transport and transformation. This required the development of a computer system RECASS (RadioEcological Analysis Support System) which is currently being developed in SPA ''Typhoon''. The main tasks of RECASS are to integrate data on existing characteristics of the environment, and data on air, soil, water and biota-contamination with numerical models that account for radionuclide behaviour in all environmental media and with radiation dose formations that are based on geographic information system (GIS) principles. The data bank of the system includes the following databases: a data base with measurement of radioactive contamination levels in environmental media (soil, air, water); a meteorological data base; and a data base with administrative and demographic data. A set of models for radionuclide transfer in various environments incorporated in the chain permits short or long-term predictions to be made. The results of implementing RECASS to reconstruct the time and space picture of contamination in the first days after the Chernobyl accident are presented. (Author)

Information support for analysing the radiological impact of areas affected by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shershakov, V.M.; Baranov, A.Yu.; Borodin, R.V.; Golubenkov, A.V.; Godko, A.M.; Kosykh, V.S.; Korenev, A.I.; Meleshkin, M.A.

1996-01-01

The organisation and management of data banks generated using data from monitoring the radiological situation after the Chernobyl accident is of key importance to health care and rehabilitation in the contaminated areas. Measures following the accident were based on large scale studies involving analysis and prediction of radioactive contamination. These studies included measurements of radioactivity in air, soil and water, modelling and prediction of radionuclides transport and transformation. This required the development of a computer system RECASS (RadioEcological Analysis Support System) which is currently being developed in SPA ''Typhoon''. The main tasks of RECASS are to integrate data on existing characteristics of the environment, and data on air, soil, water and biota-contamination with numerical models that account for radionuclide behaviour in all environmental media, and with radiation dose formations that are based on geographic information system (GIS) principles. The data bank of the system includes the following data bases: a data base with measurement of radioactive contamination levels in environmental media (soil, air, water); a meteorological data base; and a data base with administrative and demographic data. A set of models for radionuclide transfer in various environments incorporated in the chain permits short or long-term predictions to be made. The results of implementing RECASS to reconstruct the time and space picture of contamination in the first days after the Chernobyl accident are presented. (Author)

Fungi as bioindicators of radiocaesium contamination: pre-and post-Chernobyl activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haselwandter, K.; Berreck, M.; Brunner, P.

1988-01-01

Mean 137 Cs content of basidiocarps 1n is 3.0-4.8 x higher than before the accident at Chernobyl. Patterns of accumulation of 137 Cs are species specific with the pileus more radioactive than the stipe. (author)

Lessons from Chernobyl post-accident management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, T.

2012-01-01

The Chernobyl accident has shown that the long-term management of its consequences is not straightforward. The management of the consequences has revealed the complexity of the situation to deal with. The long-term contamination of the environment has affected all the dimensions of the daily life of the inhabitants living in affected territories: health, environment, social life, education, work, distribution of foodstuffs and commodities... The experience from the Chernobyl accident shows 4 key issues that may be beneficial for the populations living in territories affected by the Fukushima accident: 1) the direct involvement of the inhabitants in their own protection, 2) the radiation monitoring system and health surveillance at the local level, 3) to develop a practical radiation protection culture among the population, and 4) the setting up of economic measures to favour the local development. (A.C.)

Uav-Based Detection of Unknown Radioactive Biomass Deposits in Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Briechle, S.; Sizov, A.; Tretyak, O.; Antropov, V.; Molitor, N.; Krzystek, P.

2018-05-01

Shortly after the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) in 1986, radioactive fall-out and contaminated trees (socalled Red Forest) were buried in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ). These days, exact locations of the buried contaminated material are needed. Moreover, 3D vegetation maps are necessary to simulate the impact of tornados and forest fire. After 30 years, some of the so-called trenches and clamps are visible. However, some of them are overgrown and have slightly settled in the centimeter and decimeter range. This paper presents a pipeline that comprises 3D vegetation mapping and machine learning methods to precisely map trenches and clamps from remote sensing data. The dataset for our experiments consists of UAV-based LiDAR data, multi-spectral data, and aerial gamma-spectrometry data. Depending on the study areas overall accuracies ranging from 95.6 % to 99.0 % were reached for the classification of radioactive deposits. Our first results demonstrate an accurate and reliable UAV-based detection of unknown radioactive biomass deposits in the ChEZ.

Chernobyl, fifteen years after

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-04-01

This work has been constituted around four questions: the future of the Chernobyl site, the damaged reactor, and the sarcophagus around it; the health consequences of the accident on the persons that have worked on the damaged reactor and on the population in the countries the most exposed to fallout,; the situation of contaminated territories around the power plant and their management today; the last question concerns especially the France with the consequences of the radioactive cloud and what we know about the health risks induced by this event. (N.C.)

Chernobyl accident and Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-12-01

The report describes the Chernobyl accident and its consequences for Denmark in particular. It was commissioned by The Secretary of State for the Environment. The event at the accident site, the release and dispersal of radioactive substances into the atmosphere and over Europe, is described. A discussion of the Danish organisation for nuclear emergencies, how it was activated and adapted to the actual situation, is given. A comprehensive description of the radiological contamination in Denmark following the accident and the estimated health effects, is presented. The situation in other European countries is mentioned. (author)

Rehabilitation of the living conditions in the contaminated territories after Chernobyl: the ETHOS Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heriard-Dubreuil, Gilles; Schneider, Thierry

2001-01-01

European surveys undertaken in the context of the EU/CIS co-operation programme to evaluate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident (1991-1995), provided an extensive assessment of the social and psychological effects of the accident on liquidators, relocated populations and inhabitants of contaminated territories. Further investigations carried out in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia revealed strong social disturbance and stress phenomena amongst the populations of the contaminated areas. In these areas, the environmental contamination was a basic concern for most of the inhabitants and was creating a climate of widespread anxiety, focused on the health effects of the Chernobyl accident and especially that of the children. The inhabitants of the contaminated territories experienced an overall depreciation of many different types of values: social, economic, aesthetic, symbolic, ethical, political, etc. The quality of life was perceived as being irreversibly affected: some people expressed the situation by saying that 'Nothing will be the same again', when speaking about their lives 'before' and 'After' the accident. The feeling of insecurity, the lack of trust of the population in the scientific, medical and political authorities and the impression of being deprived of means to avoid radiological hazards perceived as all-pervasive in everyday life, created the general feeling of a loss of control over the situation. The ETHOS project ended in December 1998. Twelve missions representing about 600 man-days of the European participants have been performed. But the project also entailed a considerable involvement of the local population as well as from the local, regional and national authorities. The assessment of the outcomes of this project has been undertaken by the research team with its Belarussian partners. When considering globally the village of Olmany a first question was to determine to what extent some global objective changes have been observed with regard

Interview-survey of farmers. Experiences after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karlen, G.

1994-01-01

71 farm households in contaminated areas of Sweden were interviewed at visits to farms, where measurements of the contamination of pastures and fields had been made. The aim of the survey was to find out what remedial actions had been taken by the farmers, what their appreciation of the information from authorities was, how the Chernobyl accident had affected their situation, and if they were prepared to take similar actions in case of a new accident. 15 refs

The Chernobyl accident, the male to female ratio at birth and birth rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Grech, Victor

2014-01-01

The male:female ratio at birth (male births divided by total live births - M/T) has been shown to increase in response to ionizing radiation due to gender-biased fetal loss, with excess female loss. M/T rose sharply in 1987 in central-eastern European countries following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. This study analyses M/T and births for the former Soviet Republics and for the countries most contaminated by the event. Annual birth data was obtained from the World Health Organisation. The countries with the highest exposure levels (by ¹³⁷Cs) were identified from an official publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency. All of the former Soviet states were also analysed and the periods before and after 1986 were compared. Except for the Baltic States, all regions in the former USSR showed a significant rise in M/T from 1986. There were significant rises in M/T in the three most exposed (Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation). The birth deficit in the post-Soviet states for the ten years following Chernobyl was estimated at 2,072,666, of which 1,087,924 are accounted by Belarus and Ukraine alone. Chernobyl has resulted in the loss of millions of births, a process that has involved female even more than male fetuses. This is another and oft neglected consequence of widespread population radiation contamination.

Determination of radioactive fallout after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindahl, I.; Haabrekke, H.

1986-09-01

After the Chernobyl accident, a coarse-meshed all-over picture of the radioactive ground deposition on Norway's land area was obtained by radiometric scanning from car. The measurements were carried out by the Geological Survey of Norway in the period 5 May - 6 June, 1986. High-concentration areas in the central part of the country were in addition surveyed by aerial scanning. By combining the scanning results with in situ background measurements, it was possible to calculate the distribution of some dominant radionuclides on the ground. The measured data are presented on contamination maps

Results of special radiation measurements resulting from the Chernobyl accident and regional analysis of environmental radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-07-01

This report of the SCPRI exposes an interpretation of the results concerning the monitoring of the environmental radioactivity in France following Chernobyl accident. Atmospheric dusts, milk and milk products, vegetables, water and various beverages are analyzed. More than 1500 additional food samples are presented. Regional analysis of radioactivity and human gamma-spectrometric investigations are included [fr

Assessment of the radionuclide fluxes from the Chernobyl shelter and cooling pond into pripyat river and groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheleznyak, M.; Onishi, Y.; Kivva, S.; Dzjuba, N.; Dvorzhak, A.

2004-01-01

The destroyed Chernobyl Unit 4 under the constructed 'shelter' and the Chernobyl Cooling Pond are potentially most hazardous object in the Chernobyl zone. The model based assessment of the consequences of the Shelter collapse on surface water contamination was provided in the frame of the Environmental Impact Assessment of New Safe Confinement (NSC), designed above the Shelter. For the conservative worst hydrological scenario the wind direction was taken to deposit the maximum amount of radionuclides directly on the Pripyat River surface and flood plain upstream the Chernobyl NPP. Assuming the atmospheric dispersion of 8 kg of reactor fuel due to the Shelter collapse, it was assessed that 2.4 TBq of 137 Cs and 1.1 TBq of 90 Sr will be released into the Pripyat River within 3 days. The 1-D model RIVTOX was used to simulate the propagation of released radionuclides through Dniper reservoir cascade. It was shown that the concentrations of 137 Cs and 90 Sr in Dnieper reservoirs for the simulated scenario will not be higher than during last high spring flood 1999. The impact of the NSC on the diminishing of the surface water and groundwater contamination was simulated. Most of the initial contamination of the Chernobyl Cooling Pond (CCP) by long lived radionuclides, such as 137 Cs, 90 Sr and transuranics, has accumulated in its bottom sediments. The water elevation in the CCP is at 6 m higher than in the neighbouring Pripyat river. The scenario of a collapse of CCP's dam, has been considered, which hypothetical cause can be earthquake, dam score during high flood, terrorist attack. The propagation of contaminated water and sediments from the CCP dam breach through the Pripyat River flood plain, downstream river and than through the Dnieper reservoirs was modelled by the chain of 2-D and 1-D models. (author)

An assessment of cumulative external doses from Chernobyl fallout for a forested area in Russia using the optically stimulated luminescence from quartz inclusions in bricks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramzaev, V.; Bøtter-Jensen, Lars; Thomsen, Kristina Jørkov

2008-01-01

. The area was significantly contaminated by Chernobyl fallout with initial (CS)-C-137 ground deposition level of similar to 1.1 MBq m(-2). The accumulated OSL doses in sections of the bricks varied from 141 to 207 mGy, of which between 76 and 146 mGy are attributable to Chernobyl fallout. Using the OSL...... depth-dose profiles obtained from the exposed bricks and the results from a gamma-ray-survey of the area, the Chernobyl-related cumulative gamma-ray dose for a point detector located in free air at a height of 1 m above the ground in the study area was estimated to be ca. 240 mGy for the time period...... starting on 27 April 1986 and ending on 31 July 2004. This result is in good agreement with the result of deterministic modelling of the cumulative gamma-ray dose in free air above undisturbed ground from the Chernobyl source in the Bryansk Region. Over the same time period, the external Chernobyl...

Measurement of the radioactivity of the channel DTD before Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bikit, I.; Slivka, J.; Veskovic, M.; Conkic, Lj.; Marinkov, L.

1987-01-01

The activity concentration of long loved fission and corrosion products and natural radionuclides has been measured in a selected part of the Danube-Tisa-Danube channel system which is not receiving liquid effluents from nuclear power plants. The comparison with the activities measured in the river danube did not show statistically significant differences. The results obtained describe the reference level of radioactivity for the evaluation of the contamination of the system caused by the Chernobyl accident. (author)

Has fallout from the Chernobyl accident caused childhood leukaemia in Europe? An update on epidemiologic evidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, W.

2001-01-01

Background: According to radiation risk estimates uniformly adopted by various official organizations, exposure to Chernobyl fallout is unlikely to have caused any measurable health risk in central Europe. Methods and Results: A reevaluation of ECLIS (European Childhood Leukaemia and Lymphoma Incidence Study), a large IARC-coordinated project revealed a slightly higher leukaemia incidence in the most contaminated European regions, and an increasing trend with estimated cumulative excess radiation dose. The excess corresponds to 20 cases of childhood leukaemia in the study area until 1991. Recent evidence from Greece and Germany indicate significantly higher risks in the cohort of children in utero at the time of the initial fallout. In Greece, a positive trend was observed over three regions of increasing average fallout contamination (p=0.005). Conclusion: Chernobyl fallout could well have caused a small, but significant excess of childhood leukaemia cases in Europe. The etiologic mechanism might include an induction of chromosome aberrations in early pregnancy. Increased risks in the birth cohort exposed in utero correspond to 11 excess cases in Greece and another 11.4 excess cases in Germany alone. Exposure misclassification and underascertainment of incident cases render post-Chernobyl risk estimates probably too low. If indeed Chernobyl fallout has caused childhood leukaemia cases in Europe, we would also expect an increased incidence for other childhood cancers and excess malignancies in adults as well as non-malignant diseases of all ages. Neither of these endpoints have as yet been systematically studied. (orig.)

Accidents - Chernobyl accident; Accidents - accident de Tchernobyl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This file is devoted to the Chernobyl accident. It is divided in four parts. The first part concerns the accident itself and its technical management. The second part is relative to the radiation doses and the different contaminations. The third part reports the sanitary effects, the determinists ones and the stochastic ones. The fourth and last part relates the consequences for the other European countries with the case of France. Through the different parts a point is tackled with the measures taken after the accident by the other countries to manage an accident, the cooperation between the different countries and the groups of research and studies about the reactors safety, and also with the international medical cooperation, specially for the children, everything in relation with the Chernobyl accident. (N.C.)

Radiation-sanitary essessment of surface and ground water sources in the Chernobyl' NPP 30-km zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prokopov, V.A.; Karachev, I.I.; Nagovitsina, L.I.; Borovikova, N.M.; Tolstopyatova, G.V.; Gelts, V.I.; Malenko, N.D.; Dan'ko, O.P.

1992-01-01

The quality of drinking water in artesian water-lines of the Pripyat' and Chernobyl' settlements fro the period of 1987-1991 is estimated. The flood-lands territory within the north trace boundaries, where Sr 90 activity amounts to approximately 10000 Ci, contributes most importantly into water contamination of the Pripyat' river and its tributaries. The portion of contaminated drains from flood-lands territory amounts to 40% and more of the 90 Sr intake from all sources of the Pripyat' river contamination. Essessment of the artesian water quality shows that drinking water is innocuous for health in respect to its composition. 90 Sr and 137 Cs content in artesian water in the Pripyat' and Chernobyl' settlements is lower than the maximum permissible concentration. 5 refs.; 1 tab

Results of experimental radiobiological studies made within ten-kilometer zone of Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelevina, I.I.; Ryabov, I.N.; Ryabtsev, I.A.; Gulev, B.F.; Gotlib, V.Ya.; Afanas'ev, G.G.; Vasilenko, S.N.; Gumenyuk, M.L.; AN SSSR, Moscow; AN SSSR, Moscow; Institut Biofiziki, Moscow; Akademiya Meditsinskikh Nauk SSSR, Obninsk

1991-01-01

A study was made of the effect of high radioactive contamination on the animal organism (C57BL/6 mice) and Hela cell culture within the ten-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl A.P.S. accident. The total radiation dose, as calculated by γ-component, was 0.09 to 2 Gy. A long-term exposure of mice within the zone (cumulative dose of 1.18 to 2 Gy) caused a significant decrease in bone marrow stem potencies and changes in the brain vascular system; subsequent acute exposure of animals increased interferon titres in the serum to a much greater extent than a single acute exposure did. As to Hela cells, irradiation there of with doses of 0.09 to 0.4 Gy during 15-20 postirradiation generations caused a decrease in the proliferative activity, an emergence of cells with micronuclei and of giant cells

Dose estimates from protracted external exposure of inhabitants living in contaminated area of Russia after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonehara, H.; Sahoo, S.K.; Kurotaki, K.; Uchiyama, M.; Ramzaev, V.P.; Barishkov, N.; Mishin, A.; Barkovski, A.

2000-01-01

With respect to the radiation risk assessment, it is important to estimate the accurate doses of inhabitants, due to protracted exposure after the Chernobyl accident as well as the high doses just after the accident. We used a model for estimation of the dose with a long-term temporal change using information of dose rate on the ground and profile of the activity depth distribution in soil. A value C t [μSv h -1 /(MBq m -2 )], which is dose rate in air corresponding to the initial deposition of 137 Cs on the ground just after the accident, was analyzed using the results of the measurements of dose rate in air and activity in soil samples in the contaminated area of Bryansk region in Russia. From the analysis, the value, C 12 at 12 years after the accident can be predicted by categorizing usage of the land. The values obtained from the results of the actual measurement were 1.5 for forest, 1.0 for pasture, 0.6 for yard, and 0.45 for arable or kitchen garden. Temporal change of C t was estimated with a vertical migration model of activity in soil developed by Golikov et al. Annual dose due to 137 Cs and 134 Cs contamination in the period from 1987 to 1999 in farmers, and forest workers were estimated by the model using above values. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by using the personal dose monitoring. The cumulative doses of the inhabitants estimated by the model range from 10 to 60 mSv. (author)

Social aspects of the Chernobyl activity in Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malko, M.V.

1998-01-01

The Chernobyl accident has caused heavy impact on the environment in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine. It has also resulted in a significant worsening of the economic situation in the affected republics of the former USSR, as well as in disruption of social life in large territories, growing anxiety and fears among the people living in contaminated areas and significant medical effects on all categories of the people affected by the accident. The USSR authorities knew about the seriousness of the radiological situation caused by the Chernobyl accident from the very beginning. However, at the time of the accident, the Soviet Union was in a state of deep economic crisis and was unable to implement necessary measures to mitigate the radiological consequences of the accident. That was one of the reasons for the USSR to conceal the true information about the accident and its consequences from the Soviet people. The traditional Soviet policy of concealing all data on any unpleasant event happening in the Soviet Union had played a very important role too. The collapse of the USSR created the formal possibility to develop appropriate policy aimed at mitigation of the Chernobyl consequences in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine. However, implementation of this policy has been limited due to lack of necessary material and financial means. These and other problems are the subject of the present report. (J.P.N.)

Risk of thyroid cancer among Chernobyl liquidators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evrard, Anne-Sophie; Kesminiene, Ausrele; Tenet, Vanessa; Cardis, Elisabeth; Ivanov, Viktor K.; Chekin, Sergei; Malakhova, Irina V.; Polyakov, Semion; Kurtinaitis, Juozas; Stengrevics, Aivars; Tekkel, Mare; Drozdovitch, Vladimir; Gavrilin, Yuri; Golovanov, Ivan; Krjuchkov, Viktor P.; Tukov, Aleksandr R.; Maceika, Evaldas; Mirkhaidarov, Anatoly K.

2008-01-01

Full text: While the increased risk of thyroid cancer is well demonstrated in people exposed to radioactive iodines in childhood and adolescence in the most contaminated areas around the Chernobyl power plant, following the accident which took place on 26 April 1986, the effect of exposure on adults remains unclear. A collaborative case-control study of thyroid cancer was set-up, nested within cohorts of Belarus, Russian and Baltic countries liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, to evaluate the radiation-induced risk of this disease among liquidators, and to assess the roles of screening and of radiation exposures in the observed increased thyroid cancer incidence among liquidators. The study population consisted of the cohorts of approximately 66,000 Belarus, 65,000 Russian and 15,000 Baltic countries liquidators who took part in the clean-up activities on the reactor site and in the 30-km zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant between 26 April 1986 and 31 December 1987. The liquidators were mainly exposed to external radiation, although substantial dose to the thyroid from iodine isotopes may have been received by liquidators who worked in May-June 1986 and by those who resided in the most contaminated territories of Belarus. Information was collected on study subjects by use of a standardized questionnaire that was administrated during a face-to-face interview with the study subject and/or a proxy (a relative or a colleague). The interview included questions on demographic factors, time, place and conditions of work as a liquidator and on potential risk and confounding factors for thyroid cancer. A method of analytical dose reconstruction, entitled RADRUE (Realistic Analytical Dose Reconstruction with Uncertainty Estimation) was developed within the study and applied to estimate individual doses to the thyroid from external radiation and related uncertainties for each subject. Approaches to derive individual thyroid dose estimates from inhaled and

Thyroid exposure in Ukrainian and White Russian children following the Chernobyl disaster and the resultant risk of acquiring thyroid cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, P.

2005-01-01

After a presentation of the main strong and weak points of various studies on the risk of acquiring thyroid cancer after the Chernobyl disaster this study summarises the results of a recent ecological study. 175,800 measurements of 1 31I activity in the human thyroid gland performed in the contaminated regions of the Ukraine and White Russia during the first weeks after the Chernobyl disaster served as a starting point for this study on thyroid exposure in Ukrainian and White Russian children following the Chernobyl disaster and the resultant risk of acquiring thyroid cancer. More than 10 measurements were performed in each of altogether 1,114 locations. Age and sex-specific doses were calculated for each of these locations within the 1968-85 birth cohort. 95% of all dose values were within the range of 0.017 to 0.69 Gy. Since 1990 the incidence of thyroid cancer within the study area has increased at a markedly higher rate than one would expect on the basis of the cohort members' growing age. In the period from 1990 to 2001 1,091 cases of surgery for thyroid cancer were reported. The additional absolute risk per 10 4 PY Gy was calculated as 2.5 (95% CI: 2.3;2.9). The additional relative risk per dose was calculated as 10 (95% CI: 8;12) Gy -1 . These results are consistent with risk values found for thyroid cancer after external exposure during childhood. Assuming that the calculated risk values also apply for the intervention level of 0.05 Gy at which iodine tablets are distributed in the event of a major release of radioiodide this means that within the period of 4 to 15 years following the exposure 3 additional cases of thyroid cancer are expected to occur within a collective of 20,000 children and adolescents. This is equivalent to a 50% increase in the spontaneous incidence of the disease

Health consequences of Chernobyl. 25 years after the reactor catastrophy; Gesundheitliche Folgen von Tschernobyl. 25 Jahre nach der Reaktorkatastrophe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pflugbeil, Sebastian; Schmitz-Feuerhake, Inge [Gesellschaft fuer Strahlenschutz e.V., Berlin (Germany); Paulitz, Henrik; Claussen, Angelika [Internationale Aerzte fuer die Verhuetung des Atomkrieges, Aerzte in sozialer Verantwortung e.V. (IPPNW), Berlin (Germany). Deutsche Sektion

2011-04-15

The report is an evaluation of studies indicating health effects as a consequence of the reactor catastrophe in Chernobyl. The most exposed population include the cleaning personnel (liquidators), the population evacuated from the 30 km zone, the populations in highly contaminated regions in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the European population in lass contaminated regions. The following issues are discussed: the liquidators, infant mortality, genetic and teratogenic damages, thyroid carcinoma and other thyroid diseases, carcinogenic diseases and leukemia, other diseases following the Chernobyl catastrophe.

Chernobyl. Review of consequences after years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koeteles, Gy.J.

1996-01-01

Ten years after the nuclear power plant accident in Chernobyl the experts and the public turned again their attentions to the lesson leaned. Several international and national conferences were held to summarize data and to draw conclusions. The present review is based on this experience including that of the Hungarian scientists with special attention to the extent of contamination, early and late health effects and further problems. (author). 17 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

Thirty years after the Chernobyl accident: What lessons have we learnt?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beresford, N.A.; Fesenko, S.; Konoplev, A.; Skuterud, L.; Smith, J.T.; Voigt, G.

2016-01-01

April 2016 sees the 30 th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As a consequence of the accident populations were relocated in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and remedial measures were put in place to reduce the entry of contaminants (primarily 134+137 Cs) into the human food chain in a number of countries throughout Europe. Remedial measures are still today in place in a number of countries, and areas of the former Soviet Union remain abandoned. The Chernobyl accident led to a large resurgence in radioecological studies both to aid remediation and to be able to make future predictions on the post-accident situation, but, also in recognition that more knowledge was required to cope with future accidents. In this paper we discuss, what in the authors' opinions, were the advances made in radioecology as a consequence of the Chernobyl accident. The areas we identified as being significantly advanced following Chernobyl were: the importance of semi-natural ecosystems in human dose formation; the characterisation and environmental behaviour of ‘hot particles'; the development and application of countermeasures; the “fixation” and long term bioavailability of radiocaesium and; the effects of radiation on plants and animals. - Highlights: • A review of 30 years of radioecological studies following the 1986 Chernobyl accident. • Key contributions to radioecology from post-Chernobyl research are discussed.

Chernobyl: the effects on public health?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aurengo, A. [Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere, Dept. Nucleaire Medecine, 75 - Paris (France)

2003-07-01

Because of its public health, ecological and industrial consequences, the Chernobyl accident has become a myth which serves as the focus of many fears, justified or not. no one can question the seriousness of the event, but after fifteen years there is still no agreement about the effect it has had or will have on public health. For example, the total number of deaths attributed to Chernobyl varies from less than a hundred to several millions and congenital malformations from negligible to cataclysmic. Effects on public health may be calculated from data on contamination, from the dose received and from the risk, all three of which are likely to be very roughly known; or they may be evaluated on the spot, either by epidemiological studies or by examining medical registers. This report makes an inventory of the different risks and takes stock on them. (N.C.)

Chernobyl: the effects on public health?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aurengo, A.

2003-01-01

Because of its public health, ecological and industrial consequences, the Chernobyl accident has become a myth which serves as the focus of many fears, justified or not. no one can question the seriousness of the event, but after fifteen years there is still no agreement about the effect it has had or will have on public health. For example, the total number of deaths attributed to Chernobyl varies from less than a hundred to several millions and congenital malformations from negligible to cataclysmic. Effects on public health may be calculated from data on contamination, from the dose received and from the risk, all three of which are likely to be very roughly known; or they may be evaluated on the spot, either by epidemiological studies or by examining medical registers. This report makes an inventory of the different risks and takes stock on them. (N.C.)

Aquatic environment impacts of the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-04-01

Washout of 137 Cs and 90 Sr in the contaminated area around the Chernobyl power plant occurs mainly during intense rainfalls and snow-melts when up to 900 km 2 of highly contaminated soils can be flooded, like in 1988 and 1991, contributing to the contamination of Pripyat river. Flood barriers were built on the left bank and their efficiency was proven during the 1993, 1994 and 1999 floods. Flood barriers were also built on the right bank between 1999 and 2002 but the works have never been completed so far. Downstream, the Dnieper river flow is regulated by a series of dams the management of which has been optimized to limit the transfer of radionuclides to the Black Sea

Chernobyl, 17 after

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-04-01

This information document takes stock on the Chernobyl accident effects, 17 years after the reactor accident. The domains concerned are: the Chernobyl power plant, the sanitary consequences of the accident in the most exposed countries, the Chernobyl environment and the polluted regions management, the Chernobyl accident consequences in France; Some data and technical sheets on the RBMK reactors and the international cooperation are also provided. (A.L.B.)

Chernobyl: the true, the possible and the false

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This report discusses the health consequences of the Chernobyl accident. It also highlights the misunderstanding associated with the use by the media of different radioactivity measurement units. It comments some figures about casualties, and the fact that some much higher figures are often stated. It evokes the issue of thyroid cancer in children of the region, discusses other possible public health consequences, the issue of congenital anomalies, the opinion of French physicists on the increase of thyroid cancers in France, and the question of the discrimination between spontaneous and radio-induced cancers. A second part discusses the risk of cancer and its perception in France: validity of the soil contamination assessment, possibility of an accident like Chernobyl and Fukushima in France

Results of ten years monitoring health effects among Chernobyl child victims

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korol, N.

1998-01-01

Evacuated children, children exposed during Chernobyl accident in utero and children who were born to cleaning workers were investigated in the 1986 - 1996 period. During this period the number of children with chronic diseases (digestive diseases, blood diseases and nervous system diseases) increased. Manifestation of somatic diseases cannot be linked biologically to exposure to ionizing radiation. Vegetative dystonia assumes the first place among psychosomatic diseases and represents a major risk factor for peptic disorders and cardiovascular disorders. The non-radiation hazard of the Chernobyl accident (anxiety, psycho-social stress) has more significant health impacts than the radiation-induced cancer outcomes. (M.D.)

Abundance of adult ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exclusion zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Movila, A; Deriabina, T; Morozov, A; Sitnicova, N; Toderas, I; Uspenskaia, I; Alekhnovici, A

2012-08-01

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster resulted in contamination of vast areas in Europe. To date, there is little knowledge about the effects of radioactive contamination on tick species. We sampled ticks from vegetation and large-sized wild mammals belonging to orders Carnivora and Artiodactyla at sites with 0.76, 1.91, and 4.50 mSv/hr ionizing radiation background values in the Polesky State Radio-Ecological Reserve of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster zone in spring 2010. Altogether, 122 questing ticks were collected from vegetation. Among collected ticks, Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) was, by far, the most abundant species (99.2%), followed by Ixodes ricnus (L.) (0.8%), which was collected only at the 0.76 mSv/hr site. The average sex ratio female∶male was 2.9∶1.0. In parallel with the present study, we examined 3 Sus scrofa (L.), 2 Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray), and 1 Alces alces (L.) at the 4.50 mSv/hr site; 96 D. reticulatus ticks were found on 2 N. procyonoides specimens. The mean density and the intensity of infestation were 16 ticks per animal and 48 ticks per infested animal, respectively. Future investigations are warranted to further characterize the role of various tick vectors, vertebrate reservoirs, and diversity of tick-borne pathogens in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

The major regularities of the air radioactive contamination of Belarus territory after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konoplya, E. F.; Mironov, V. P.; Drugachenok, M. A.; Kudryashov, V.P; Grushevich, L.E; Adamovich, A.A.

2001-01-01

In the first days after the Chernobyl accident the radioactivity of surface air in different regions of Belarus has increased in tens and hundred thousand time. The regular control of air radioactive contamination in the zone of alienation and nearest to it is carried out from the end 1989. The radioactive air monitoring carried out in territories with various contamination density (from 0,2 up to 9,6 MBq/m 2 on Cs-137). The measurements of the Cs-137 contents in ashes of air sampler filters were carried out by gamma - spectrometer ADCAM-300 MCA. The measurement of the Pu-240,239 and Sr-90 contents was carried out by usual radiochemical techniques. The used techniques and equipment allow to define in a sample of the minimal activity: Pu-239,240 - 0,001 Bq, Cs-137 - 0,5 Bq, Sr-90 - 0,1 Bq. The initial contamination of ground happened a near zone within approximately first 2 weeks after accident. Since the end of May, 1986 till present time the air radioactive contamination is formed under action of processes of secondary wind rise and carry of radioactive particles with contaminated territories, which depends from a number factors of both natural and anthropogenous origin. The relations of Pu-238/Pu-239 and Sr-90/Pu-239 in aerosol particles practically coincide with the same relations in fuel blown up reactor. The ratio of Cs-137/Pu-239 activities in aerosols considerably exceeds the resettlement ratio for fuel. Strontium and plutonium are in structure of fuel particles, and cesium aerosol have other origin. The analysis of changes annual radioisotopes concentration in air of towns of Belarus specifies existence of the tendency to slow decrease of contamination of atmosphere by radioisotopes of industrial origins. The basic tendency of formation of air radioactive contamination is determined by the contents of a dust at surface layer of an atmosphere and its specific activity. Annual average dust content of air in a zone resettlement was least and made about 10 mk g

90Sr and 137Cs contamination of wheat produced in Japan. Survey and analysis during the years 1959 through 1995 including the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komamura, Misako; Tsumura, Akito; Kihou, Nobuharu; Kodaira, Kiyoshi

2002-01-01

This paper attempts to discuss the influences of global-scale radioactive fallout on wheat produced in Japan. For this purpose, a set of wheat samples was collected annually from sixteen National and Prefectural Experimental Farms during the years from 1959 to 1995. According to the graph presenting year-to-year variations in the nationwide averages of 90 Sr and 137 Cs contents (mBq/kg) in wheat kernels, the sharp peak was first marked in 1963 with 12300 for 90 Sr and 43600 for 137 Cs. In 1966, however, the nuclide contents dropped drastically to 2360 for 90 Sr and 2870 for 137 Cs respectively. In the years following, both nuclides continued to decrease slowly although there were minor fluctuations. It is noticeable that low-level 137 Cs contamination was caused in Japan's wheat in 1981, the year after the nuclear testing in China. It is also noticeable that 137 Cs contents in wheat kernels increased to 5960 in 1986 when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident happened, although it dropped back to its normal level of 40 in the year after. The following are also discussed in this paper: Year to year variations in the ratio of 90 Sr to 137 Cs contents in wheat kernels and wheat flour. Regional differences in 90 Sr and 137 Cs contents in wheat kernels. Comparison of 90 Sr and 137 Cs contents in wheat kernels and unpolished rice. Direct and indirect pathways of 90 Sr and 137 Cs that contaminate wheat. Influence of the Chernobyl power plant accident. Suggestions about the ways of estimating the level of 137 Cs contamination in case of nuclear accidents, if any. (author)

Chernobyl and its consequences - no reason left to worry anymore?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billen-Girmscheid, G.

1986-01-01

It is difficult to predict the evolution of radioactive contamination in food. Knowledge is scarce concerning the exposure levels in different regions, the behaviour of different plant species and the interactions with other pollutants. Hence, we need to continuously monitor by measurements, to ban the use of highly contaminated foods and feedstuffs and to identify radiation contents on all food commodities accurately. The author gives and demands recommendations for diets and political consequences after Chernobyl. (DG) [de

Meteorological circumstances during the 'Chernobyl-period'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivens, R.; Lablans, W.N.; Wessels, H.R.A.

1987-01-01

The progress of the meteorological circumstances and air flows in Europe from 26th April up to 8th May 1986, which caused the spread of contaminated air originating from Chernobyl is outlined and mapped out. Furthermore a global survey is presented of the precipitation in the Netherlands during the period 2nd May to 10th May based on observations of various observation stations of the Royal Dutch Meteorologic Institute (KNMI). 11 figs.; 1 table (H.W.)

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in regions of Russia affected by Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerasimov, G.; Alexandrova, G.; Arbuzova, M.

1996-01-01

The present article provides an update on IDD in the Western regions of Russia (Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula and Orel) which were contaminated by radioactive fallout after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. These surveyed areas meet the criteria of ICCIDD/UNICEF/WHO for mild and moderate IDD. Higher iodine excretion and smaller goiter prevalence (mild level of IDD) were more typical for urban sites, while lower iodine levels and higher goiter endemicity (moderate level of IDD) were found in rural areas. IDD control programmes should be developed and implemented in Chernobyl areas and iodine excretion should be monitored continuously to minimize future thyroid abnormalities

Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe and the high risk potential for mental retardation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holowinsky, I.Z.

1993-01-01

The nuclear explosion at Chernobyl nuclear reactor on April 26, 1986, continues to have wide political, social, and medical ramifications. Hot debris from the Chernobyl reactor covered an area of more than 5,000 square kilometers with nearly 20 million curies of radionuclides. Eleven regions with a population of nearly 17 million people, of whom 2.5 million were children below the age of 5 years, suffered some degree of radioactive contamination. These children are currently of elementary school age. One of the tragedies of the explosion is that thousands of these children are at high risk for mental retardation and learning disorders

Radionuclide localization at the Chernobyl' NPP territory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamaev, L.A.; Galkin, G.A.; Khrabrov, S.L.; Polyakov, A.S.; Mikhejkin, S.V.

1989-01-01

Experience is generalized of using different dust suppression (DS) compounds during Chernobyl' accident consequence elimination. Polymer DS compounds were used at the NPP operating site; the compounds kept dust-like radioactive contaminations during 1-2 months. DS at the country was realized by means of the compound on base of latex. The conclusion is made that the DS measures improved radiation situation in the NPP zone. 7 refs

Aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuramoto, Atsushi

1992-01-01

International Atomic Energy Agency organized the International Advisory Committee in April 1990 with the purpose of starting the international Chernobyl project. Twelve Japanese investigators participated in this project. This article introduces changes in hematopoietic findings in inhabitants as of August 1991. The subjects enrolled in the present project were 853 inhabitants living in 7 contaminated villages exposed to 15 Ci/km 2 or more (the contaminated group) and 803 inhabitants living in 6 villages exposed to 1 Ci/km 2 or less (the not contaminated group). According to age, the subjects were divided into 6 groups. Hematopoietic findings were analyzed on the international basis. Regarding hemoglobin levels, there was no significant difference between the contaminated and not contaminated groups. Nor was there significant difference in red blood cell counts, size and mean corpuscular volume between the groups. In none of the other hematopoietic findings, including whight blood cell counts, the ratio of neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils and monocytes, lymphocyte counts, and blood platelet counts, was there significant difference between the two groups. (N.K.)

Comparison of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents: A review of the environmental impacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steinhauser, Georg, E-mail: georg.steinhauser@colostate.edu; Brandl, Alexander; Johnson, Thomas E.

2014-02-01

The environmental impacts of the nuclear accidents of Chernobyl and Fukushima are compared. In almost every respect, the consequences of the Chernobyl accident clearly exceeded those of the Fukushima accident. In both accidents, most of the radioactivity released was due to volatile radionuclides (noble gases, iodine, cesium, tellurium). However, the amount of refractory elements (including actinides) emitted in the course of the Chernobyl accident was approximately four orders of magnitude higher than during the Fukushima accident. For Chernobyl, a total release of 5300 PBq (excluding noble gases) has been established as the most cited source term. For Fukushima, we estimated a total source term of 520 (340–800) PBq. In the course of the Fukushima accident, the majority of the radionuclides (more than 80%) was transported offshore and deposited in the Pacific Ocean. Monitoring campaigns after both accidents reveal that the environmental impact of the Chernobyl accident was much greater than of the Fukushima accident. Both the highly contaminated areas and the evacuated areas are smaller around Fukushima and the projected health effects in Japan are significantly lower than after the Chernobyl accident. This is mainly due to the fact that food safety campaigns and evacuations worked quickly and efficiently after the Fukushima accident. In contrast to Chernobyl, no fatalities due to acute radiation effects occurred in Fukushima. - Highlights: • The environmental effects of Chernobyl and Fukushima are compared. • Releases of radionuclides from Chernobyl exceeded Fukushima by an order of magnitude. • Chernobyl caused more severe radiation-related health effects. • Overall, Chernobyl was a much more severe nuclear accident than Fukushima. • Psychological effects are neglected but important consequences of nuclear accidents.

Assessing 137/134Cs contamination from Chernobyl across Europe using available data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ApSimon, H.M.; Mahadeva, N.; Wilson, J.J.N.

1989-05-01

This study was carried out by the Air Pollution Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London for Environmental Modelling and Assessment Group at Harwell Laboratory. The distribution of radiocaesium deposition across the whole of Europe arising from the Chernobyl accident is assessed using modelling studies, rainfall data and the results of published radiological assessment from several countries. The large amount of data on activity in foodstuffs presented for importation into the United Kingdom is analysed to identify products and sources which may require monitoring in relation to regulatory limits. (author)

Airborne mapping of radioactive contamination. Results from a test in Finland, RESUME95

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roenning, S.; Smethurst, M.A. [Geological Survey of Norway (Norway)

1997-12-31

The Geological Survey of Norway participated in the exercise RESUME95 (Rapid Environmental Surveying Using Mobile Equipment 95) in Finland, during August 1995. The purpose of the exercise was to 1) test preparedness in the Nordic countries for accidents involving the release and dispersal of radioactive material, 2) compare results from the different teams participating in the exercise, 3) establish routines for the exchange of data and 4) investigate the possibility of international assistance in the event of nuclear accidents. The Geological Survey of Norway carried out a survey over three test areas (area I, II and III). All three areas were contaminated with man made radionuclides in the days following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. The Cesium-137 contamination level was reported to be about 50 kBq/m{sup 2} in area I, and this area was used for calibration. In area II mapping of Cesium-137 ground concentration was carried out. Detection of hidden artificial radiation sources were the main purpose in area III. This report describes the exercise - RESUME95, field operations, calibration, mapping of Cesium-137 ground concentration and detection of hidden point sources. Results are presented as colour maps. (au).

Airborne mapping of radioactive contamination. Results from a test in Finland, RESUME95

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roenning, S; Smethurst, M A [Geological Survey of Norway (Norway)

1998-12-31

The Geological Survey of Norway participated in the exercise RESUME95 (Rapid Environmental Surveying Using Mobile Equipment 95) in Finland, during August 1995. The purpose of the exercise was to 1) test preparedness in the Nordic countries for accidents involving the release and dispersal of radioactive material, 2) compare results from the different teams participating in the exercise, 3) establish routines for the exchange of data and 4) investigate the possibility of international assistance in the event of nuclear accidents. The Geological Survey of Norway carried out a survey over three test areas (area I, II and III). All three areas were contaminated with man made radionuclides in the days following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. The Cesium-137 contamination level was reported to be about 50 kBq/m{sup 2} in area I, and this area was used for calibration. In area II mapping of Cesium-137 ground concentration was carried out. Detection of hidden artificial radiation sources were the main purpose in area III. This report describes the exercise - RESUME95, field operations, calibration, mapping of Cesium-137 ground concentration and detection of hidden point sources. Results are presented as colour maps. (au).

10 years from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident: consequences and lesson learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Published jointly by the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety and the Czech National Radiation Protection Institute, the publication gives a succinct account of the cause of the Chernobyl accident and its impact on the former Soviet Union, and concentrates on the effects of the accident on the Czech Republic. The topics dealt with in this respect include, among others: radionuclide contents of foods with particular emphasis on milk products for babies, assessment of surface contamination of the Czech Republic due to the accident, internal contamination of the population as determined by whole-body measurements, assessment of the effective dose equivalents from external irradiation and effective dose equivalent commitments from internal irradiation, cesium radioisotopes in natural ecosystems, and the use of post-Chernobyl monitoring to test radionuclide migration models within the IAEA VAMP programme. (P.A.). 12 tabs., 30 figs., 64 refs

Reindeer husbandry, the Swedish market for reindeer meat, and the Chernobyl effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bostedt, G

1998-12-31

Reindeer husbandry in Sweden is an exclusive right for the Sami, northern Scandinavia`s indigenous people, and a cornerstone in the Sami culture. During the latest decades reindeer husbandry has however been under significant pressure for different reasons, among them low profitability. Part of the explanation for the low profitability lies in the effects of the Chernobyl accident. Due to the prevailing winds at the time of the accident northern Sweden, and consequently the grazing areas for the reindeer husbandry, was relatively heavily affected by radioactive fallout. This meant that reindeer meat suffered from a relatively high level of contamination. This has had effects both on the supply, since large numbers of reindeer had to be discarded, and on the demand, since the problem with contamination induced preference shifts away from reindeer meat. The purpose of this paper is to present an economic model of the Swedish reindeer husbandry and the market for reindeer meat, and to report some econometric results based on a data set from 1973/74 to 1995/96 on prices, quantities and other variables connected to the Swedish reindeer herding industry. The time period covers the main aftermath of the Chernobyl accident. In the theoretical section a model for the reindeer herder`s supply of reindeer meat is presented. The model is based on the fact that most reindeer herders only receive part of their income from reindeer husbandry. In the econometric section the demand and supply curves that are relevant for the reindeer herding industry are identified, using two-stage least squares regression. The most striking feature of the empirical results is a `backward-bending` supply function for the number of slaughtered reindeer, which is consistent with the theoretical model. The results also show a strong negative demand effect on reindeer meat after the Chernobyl accident 8 refs, 10 figs. Arbetsrapport 268

Reindeer husbandry, the Swedish market for reindeer meat, and the Chernobyl effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bostedt, G.

1998-01-01

Reindeer husbandry in Sweden is an exclusive right for the Sami, northern Scandinavia's indigenous people, and a cornerstone in the Sami culture. During the latest decades reindeer husbandry has however been under significant pressure for different reasons, among them low profitability. Part of the explanation for the low profitability lies in the effects of the Chernobyl accident. Due to the prevailing winds at the time of the accident northern Sweden, and consequently the grazing areas for the reindeer husbandry, was relatively heavily affected by radioactive fallout. This meant that reindeer meat suffered from a relatively high level of contamination. This has had effects both on the supply, since large numbers of reindeer had to be discarded, and on the demand, since the problem with contamination induced preference shifts away from reindeer meat. The purpose of this paper is to present an economic model of the Swedish reindeer husbandry and the market for reindeer meat, and to report some econometric results based on a data set from 1973/74 to 1995/96 on prices, quantities and other variables connected to the Swedish reindeer herding industry. The time period covers the main aftermath of the Chernobyl accident. In the theoretical section a model for the reindeer herder's supply of reindeer meat is presented. The model is based on the fact that most reindeer herders only receive part of their income from reindeer husbandry. In the econometric section the demand and supply curves that are relevant for the reindeer herding industry are identified, using two-stage least squares regression. The most striking feature of the empirical results is a 'backward-bending' supply function for the number of slaughtered reindeer, which is consistent with the theoretical model. The results also show a strong negative demand effect on reindeer meat after the Chernobyl accident

Delayed and late impact of the Chernobyl accident on the Greek environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kritidis, P.; Papanicolaou, E. (National Centre for Scientific Research ' Democritos' , Athens (Greece)); Florou, H. (National Centre for Marine Research, Athens (Greece))

1990-01-01

The impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident on the Greek environment during and after the winter 1986-87 and the estimated long-term doses to the population are discussed. This includes the delayed peak of caesium concentrations observed in animal products, the contamination of pastry and bread, the additional external exposure in areas of peak caesium deposition, the soil-to-plant transfer of caesium, the contamination of marine and lake fish and the residual contamination in air, deposition and surface waters. (author).

Delayed and late impact of the Chernobyl accident on the Greek environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kritidis, P.; Papanicolaou, E.; Florou, H.

1990-01-01

The impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident on the Greek environment during and after the winter 1986-87 and the estimated long-term doses to the population are discussed. This includes the delayed peak of caesium concentrations observed in animal products, the contamination of pastry and bread, the additional external exposure in areas of peak caesium deposition, the soil-to-plant transfer of caesium, the contamination of marine and lake fish and the residual contamination in air, deposition and surface waters. (author)

Main investigation results on the forest radioecology in the Kyshtym and Chernobyl accident zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tikhomirov, F.A.; Shcheglov, A.I.

1994-01-01

As a result of the long-term studies of radionuclide migration in forest ecosystems in zones of radioactive contamination after the Kyshtym and Chernobyl accidents, the following trends were revealed: (1) High retention capacity of stand canopy with respect to radioactive fallout. This leads to high doses absorbed by apical and leaf meristems, β-radiation giving the main part of the dose; (2) Fast self-decontamination of crowns during the growth period and relatively slow decontamination in the phase of physiological rest, regardless of amount of atmospheric precipitation. The rate of crown decontamination determines the value and duration of radiation stress on woody plants; (3) Accumulation not less than 95% of the total radionuclide amount in the forest litter 1-2 years after the cessation of radioactive fallout; (4) Relatively slow migration of strontium and cesium radionuclides along the forest soil profile; (5) High capacity of the forest when serving as a biogeochemical barrier to the routes of horizontal and vertical radionuclide migration and export out of the zone of initial contamination, including migration into the river water; (6) Considerable difference between strontium and cesium when migrating in forest soils and in the soil-plant system; (7) Broad variations in transfer factors for uptake of cesium-137 from soil into forest plants depending on the plant species and soil type. The primary radiobiological effects connected with irradiation of organisms are considered and secondary disturbances due to changes of ecological bonds between the components of irradiated forest ecosystem are discussed

Chernobyl accident. Exposures and effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, B.; Bouville, A.; Hall, P.; Savkin, M.; Storm, H.

2000-01-01

The Chernobyl accident that occurred in Ukraine in April 1986 happened during an experimental test of the electrical control system as the reactor was being shut down for routine maintenance. The operators, in violation of safety regulations, had switched off important control systems and allowed the reactor to reach unstable, low-power conditions. A sudden power surge caused a steam explosion that ruptured the reactor vessel and allowed further violent fuel-steam interactions that destroyed the reactor and the reactor building. The Chernobyl accident was the most serious to have ever occurred in the nuclear power industry. The accident caused the early death of 30 power plant employees and fire fighters and resulted in widespread radioactive contamination in areas of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine inhabited by several million people. Radionuclides released from the reactor that caused exposure of individuals were mainly iodine-131, caesium-134 and caesium-137. Iodine-131 has a short radioactive half-life (8 days), but it can be transferred relatively rapidly through milk and leafy vegetables to humans. Iodine becomes localized in the thyroid gland. For reasons of intake of these foods, size of thyroid gland and metabolism, the thyroid doses are usually greater to infants and children than to adults. The isotopes of caesium have relatively long half-lives (caesium-134: 2 years; caesium-137: 30 years). These radionuclides cause long-term exposures through the ingestion pathway and from external exposure to these radionuclides deposited on the ground. In addition to radiation exposure, the accident caused long-term changes in the lives of people living in the contaminated regions, since measures intended to limit radiation doses included resettlements, changes in food supplies, and restrictions in activities of individuals and families. These changes were accompanied by major economic, social and political changes in the affected countries resulting

Chernobyl's living legacy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mettler, F.

2006-01-01

Twenty years later, the April 1986 Chernobyl accident lives on in different ways: in fact and fiction. Today, national and international experts from eight United Nations agencies including the IAEA are working to sift fact from fiction. They are teamed with Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine to evaluate, document and report the accident's true scale. Known as the Chernobyl Forum, the group issued its comprehensive report in September 2005. It covers health and environmental consequences, and includes recommendations to channel assistance to where it is most needed. Dr. Fred Mettler is a member of the Forum, and a Chernobyl veteran researcher who served as the health team leader in an IAEA-led international project that first presented on-site assessments of Chernobyl's effects in the early 1990s, and participated in the International Chernobyl Conference in 1996 that summed up what was scientifically known then. In this essay, he revisits Chernobyl's health picture from personal and professional perspectives

Scientific provision of the problems of overcoming the Chernobyl catastrophe consequences. Chapter 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konoplya, E.F.; Rolevich, I.V.; Gurachevskij, V.L.; Poplyko, I.Ya.; Semeshko, A.V.

1998-01-01

At present in the Republic of Belarus the research works on the problems of overcoming of the Chernobyl accident consequences are carried out in the following directions: radiation protection of the population; health of the population affected by the Chernobyl NPP accident; complex radiation-ecological estimation of the environment and conditions of the life activity of the population; rehabilitation of the contaminated territories; instrumental and methodical provision of the radiation control. The experience of the scientific approach to the decision of wide-scale and multiple-discipline tasks of overcoming of the Chernobyl accident consequences promotes for transformation of separate knowledge about radiation safety in holistic conception of safety and protection of the population in emergency caused by industrial accidents, catastrophes, natural disasters

Exploding Chernobyl myths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnott, D.

1991-01-01

Misconceptions about the way thermal reactors really work, and the use of misleading terminology, have allowed the western nuclear industry to claim that the accident at the RBMK (water cooled, graphite moderated) type reactor at Chernobyl would not be possible in western type pressurized water reactors. The author contends that control of thermal reactors is only possible because a small but consistent fraction of the secondary neutrons are delayed. If the delayed neutron reaction is overridden by the prompt neutron reaction, control is irretrievably lost and a nuclear explosion, such as at Chernobyl, results. Parallels between the PWR and RBMK are drawn. The consequences of the Chernobyl explosion are discussed and the question is asked: can any combination of circumstances, however improbable, produce a prompt neutron explosion in any western reactors? (UK)

Chernobyl accident: lessons learned for radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenigsberg, Jacov

2008-01-01

Full text: The long-term nature of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was a major technological catastrophe in terms of its scope and complexity and created humanitarian, environmental, social, economic and health consequences. After more than twenty years we can conclude that Chernobyl accident was requested the big efforts of the national governments and international organisations for improvement new approaches to radiation safety, radiation protection, health care, emergency preparedness and response. During first years after accident some response actions did more harm than good because not based on international radiation protection principles, based on criteria developed during emergency and associated with mistrust, emotions, political pressure. As a result was inappropriate government reaction: unjustified relocation and decontamination - loss jobs, homes, billions of $ cost; unjustified compensation (high portion of annual national budgets). Non-radiological (e.g. detrimental economic, social and psychological) consequences was worse than direct radiological consequences. Psychological effects do not correlate with real exposure but with perception of risk. The affected people believe in threat to their health, doubt what has been reported about accident and resulted doses, got modification in life style, have somatic complains, got substance abuse (alcohol, tranquilizers, sleeping pills). The lack of accurate information and misperception of real radiation risk is believed also to have lead to change in behavior of some affected people. Possible long-term health effect due to the accidental exposure remains an issue. There is no doubt that excess thyroid cancer incidence results from exposure to radioactive iodines, mainly by iodine-131. Radiation induced thyroid cancer could easily be prevented by timely warning, effective thyroid blocking, timely restriction of consumption for contaminated food. The

Incidence Probability of Delayed Health Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Ghani, A.H.; El-Naggar, A.M.; El-Kadi, A.A.

2000-01-01

During the first international Conference on the long -term consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in 1995 at Kiev, and also during the 1996 International Conference at Vienna, Summing up the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, the data regarding the delayed health consequences were mainly related to thyroid cancer, hereditary disorders, general morbidity, mortality and psychological disturbances. Contrary to expectations, the incidences of Leukemia and Soft Tissue tumors were similar to the spontaneous incident. The expected delayed effects, however, among the accident survivors, the liquidators and populations resident in contaminated areas would show higher incidence probability to Leukemia. These population groups have been continuously exposed to low level radiation both externally and internally. Application of the new ICRP concept of radiation-induced Detriment, and the Nominal Probability Coefficient for Cancer and hereditary effects for both workers and populations are used as the rationale to calculate the incidence probability of occurrence of delayed health effects of the Chernobyl accidents

The Chernobyl cloud: comments on a non-suit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This article comments the non-suit decision taken by a Paris court at the benefit of Pierre Pellerin after a trial about his declarations concerning the Chernobyl cloud. It recalls the great number of controls of radioactive contamination levels performed in France at this time by the SCRPI with Mr Pellerin at its head. It states that French authorities behaved like other European authorities with respect to the contamination brought by the cloud, that no epidemiological study has ever revealed pathologies which could be due to the cloud, and that the increase of cancers in Corsica is not proved

Plankton as an indicator of the temporal variation of the Chernobyl fallout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravera, O.; Giannoni, L.

1995-01-01

Here we describe the pattern of radionuclide activities (iodine-131; cesium-134; cesium-137; ruthenium-106) in net-plankton and water samples collected from two lakes in Northern Italy (Lake Monate and Lake Comabbio) during and after the presence in the area of the radioactive cloud from the Chernobyl accident: from 30 April to 3 September 1986. The results show that, because of its short lifespan, plankton is a good indicator of daily variations of environmental contamination. The contamination level of plankton depends on various factors, such as the speciation and biological role of the radionuclide, the community structure and chemical characteristics of the water

The radioecological consequences of the Kyshtym and Chernobyl radiation accidents for forest ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tikhomirov, F.A.; Shcheglov, A.I.

1991-01-01

Following the Urals and Chernobyl accidents 60 to 90% of the radioactive fallout was retained by the above-ground part of forest stands. In the Urals the period for semi-removal of contamination from crowns ranged from 6 to 8 months, compared to around one month in the Chernobyl region - due to different seasonal conditions during the fallout period. The bulk of the dose burden in woody plants' critical organs built up over one to six months. The minimum lethal dose for pine tree needles in the Urals was around 50 Gy, and 25 Gy for the apical meristem; the corresponding figures for Chernobyl were 100 Gy and 25-30 Gy. At lower doses we observed morphological disturbances, reduced growth and suppressed reproductive capability in pines. The resistance to radioactive contamination of deciduous forest was 10-20 times greater than that of conifers. We studied the irradiation doses of the different groups of organisms living in the various forest storeys, and the effects of irradiation (changes in species composition, prevalence and productivity) in communities of herbaceous plants and soil invertebrates. Specific examples are given to highlight the secondary changes in these communities stemming from radiation damage in species sensitive to radioactive contamination. We studied the dynamics of dispersion and migration of the long-lived radionuclides 90 Sr and 137 Cs in the various components of the biogeocenoses and in the network of geochemically interconnected forest landscapes, and their content in forestry produce. Some six to ten years after the deposition of radioactive fallout in forest ecosystems the radionuclides were more or less evenly spread throughout the soil-woody plant system. Thus, overall 90 Sr content in the arboreal storey amounts to 1-2% in coniferous forests, and 5-10% in deciduous forests (Urals accident), while the corresponding figures for 137 Cs (Chernobyl accident) are 2 to 3 times higher. (author)

The French-German initiative for Chernobyl. Programme 3 study of the health effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, S.; Kellerer, A.; Pott-Born, R.; Gagniere, B.; Mansoux, H.; Rutschkowsky, N.; Valenty, M.; Calmont, I.; Brun-Yaba, Ch.; Verger, P.; Franc, B.; Robert-Gnansia, E.; Briend, A.

2006-03-01

The results of the French-German Initiative Health Effects project, conducted over a period of four years, were presented to the international authorities at a congress held in October 2004 in Kiev and are summarised below. Thyroid cancer increase in children and young adults seems clearly related to exposure at young ages in 1986. For the other cancers sites, the observed results do not add any decisive elements that would make it possible to quantify the impact of post-Chernobyl irradiation: the trend observed in time is similar in both exposed and non-exposed areas in most situations. These observations do not exclude the fact that an increase of leukaemia may exist for those exposed as children; it may be too low to be detectable in a statistically significant way. Similarly, the higher rate of congenital malformations observed during recent years cannot be attributed to radiation, because the same trend over time is observed both in contaminated and non-contaminated areas in Belarus. Reliable and up-to-date knowledge has been collected in a H.E.D.A.C. database, it should facilitate communication concerning the health impact of the Chernobyl accident. The main results published at national or international level, will be made available to the public and the international scientific community via modern distribution methods and will contribute to the development of a necessary cohesion between international research programmes and work carried out locally. Contact the web site: www.fgi.icc.gov.ua For detailed information, final reports are available: contact with mentioned investigators is proposed (see authors of final reports) or contact scientific coordinator M. Tirmarche at I.R.S.N. (France) D. Bazyka at R.C.R.M., Kiev in charge of the database and communication of scientific results at Chernobyl Center

The French-German initiative for Chernobyl. Programme 3 study of the health effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, S.; Kellerer, A.; Pott-Born, R. [Munich Univ., Radiobiological Institute (Germany); Gagniere, B. [CIRE Ouest, 35 - Rennes (France); Mansoux, H.; Rutschkowsky, N.; Valenty, M.; Calmont, I.; Brun-Yaba, Ch. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, 92 - Fontenay-aux-Roses (France); Verger, P. [ORS PACA, 13 - Marseille (France); Franc, B. [Hopital Ambroise-Pare, 92 - Boulogne (France); Robert-Gnansia, E. [European Instituteof Genomutations, 69 - Lyon (France); Briend, A. [Scientific and Technical Institute of Nutrition and Alimentation/CNAM, 75 - Paris (France)

2006-03-15

The results of the French-German Initiative Health Effects project, conducted over a period of four years, were presented to the international authorities at a congress held in October 2004 in Kiev and are summarised below. Thyroid cancer increase in children and young adults seems clearly related to exposure at young ages in 1986. For the other cancers sites, the observed results do not add any decisive elements that would make it possible to quantify the impact of post-Chernobyl irradiation: the trend observed in time is similar in both exposed and non-exposed areas in most situations. These observations do not exclude the fact that an increase of leukaemia may exist for those exposed as children; it may be too low to be detectable in a statistically significant way. Similarly, the higher rate of congenital malformations observed during recent years cannot be attributed to radiation, because the same trend over time is observed both in contaminated and non-contaminated areas in Belarus. Reliable and up-to-date knowledge has been collected in a H.E.D.A.C. database, it should facilitate communication concerning the health impact of the Chernobyl accident. The main results published at national or international level, will be made available to the public and the international scientific community via modern distribution methods and will contribute to the development of a necessary cohesion between international research programmes and work carried out locally. Contact the web site: www.fgi.icc.gov.ua For detailed information, final reports are available: contact with mentioned investigators is proposed (see authors of final reports) or contact scientific coordinator M. Tirmarche at I.R.S.N. (France) D. Bazyka at R.C.R.M., Kiev in charge of the database and communication of scientific results at Chernobyl Center.

Comparison of transcriptomic signature of post-Chernobyl and postradiotherapy thyroid tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ory, Catherine; Ugolin, Nicolas; Hofman, Paul; Schlumberger, Martin; Likhtarev, Illya A; Chevillard, Sylvie

2013-11-01

We previously identified two highly discriminating and predictive radiation-induced transcriptomic signatures by comparing series of sporadic and postradiotherapy thyroid tumors (322-gene signature), and by reanalyzing a previously published data set of sporadic and post-Chernobyl thyroid tumors (106-gene signature). The aim of the present work was (i) to compare the two signatures in terms of gene expression deregulations and molecular features/pathways, and (ii) to test the capacity of the postradiotherapy signature in classifying the post-Chernobyl series of tumors and reciprocally of the post-Chernobyl signature in classifying the postradiotherapy-induced tumors. We now explored if postradiotherapy and post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) display common molecular features by comparing molecular pathways deregulated in the two tumor series, and tested the potential of gene subsets of the postradiotherapy signature to classify the post-Chernobyl series (14 sporadic and 12 post-Chernobyl PTC), and reciprocally of gene subsets of the post-Chernobyl signature to classify the postradiotherapy series (15 sporadic and 12 postradiotherapy PTC), by using conventional principal component analysis. We found that the five genes common to the two signatures classified the learning/training tumors (used to search these signatures) of both the postradiotherapy (seven PTC) and the post-Chernobyl (six PTC) thyroid tumor series as compared with the sporadic tumors (seven sporadic PTC in each series). Importantly, these five genes were also effective for classifying independent series of postradiotherapy (five PTC) and post-Chernobyl (six PTC) tumors compared to independent series of sporadic tumors (eight PTC and six PTC respectively; testing tumors). Moreover, part of each postradiotherapy (32 genes) and post-Chernobyl signature (16 genes) cross-classified the respective series of thyroid tumors. Finally, several molecular pathways deregulated in post-Chernobyl

Secondary contamination of 30-km zone of the Chernobyl atomic electric plant and adjacent territory due to radionuclides carried by ascending wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garger, E.K.; Gavrilov, V.P.

1992-01-01

The territory contaminated with radionuclides as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl atomic electric plant is a surface source of radioactive aerosols carried into the atmosphere by ascending winds. In this connection, a number of problems arise whose solution is important for assessment of the radiation conditions in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface: (1) calculation of the volume concentration of radionuclides and their fallout on the contaminated and neighboring territory and on this basis determine the potentially dangerous contaminated regions; (2) assessment of the secondary contamination of deactivated territories due to ascending winds and transfer of radionuclides; and (3) determination of the size of the protective (buffer) zones around or near populated areas to ensure low volume concentrations of radionuclides during strong winds. In order to calculate the transfer of radionuclides from a surface source, it is necessary to know its dust intensity, which is the vertical turbulent flux of the radionuclides in the atmosphere layer near the ground Q (Ci · m -2 sec -1 ). A quantity frequently used in practice is Q referred to the contamination density of the surface layer c (Ci/m 2 ) and called the wind ascent intensity α = Q/c. As a rule, the radionuclide wind ascent intensity for a plane source with a nonuniform surface and contamination density may depend on the physical characteristics of the surface as well as on those of the radionuclides and also on the space coordinates x, y and on time. In the present study, the wind ascent intensity was determined by gradient measurements of the mean radionuclide concentration, the wind velocity and air temperature; the conditions during the measurements were assumed to correspond to the case of a plane homogeneous, stationary source of a nondepositing admixture

The role of bioindicators in assessing radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marovicj, G.

1990-01-01

The paper is a survey of investigations into radioactive contamination of selected plant and animal species (bioindicators) which have the capacitr for multiple accumulation of fission products. Literature data on the contamination of bioindicators are compared with special reference to the accumulation of 131 I, 137 Cs and 90 Sr as a result of atmospheric nuclear experiments and the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. (author) 52 refs.; 3 figs [sh

Soil nematode assemblages as bioindicators of radiation impact in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lecomte-Pradines, C.; Bonzom, J.-M.; Della-Vedova, C.; Beaugelin-Seiller, K.; Villenave, C.; Gaschak, S.; Coppin, F.; Dubourg, N.; Maksimenko, A.; Adam-Guillermin, C.; Garnier-Laplace, J.

2014-01-01

In radioecology, the need to understand the long-term ecological effects of radioactive contamination has been emphasised. This requires that the health of field populations is evaluated and linked to an accurate estimate of received radiological dose. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of current radioactive contamination on nematode assemblages at sites affected by the fallout from the Chernobyl accident. First, we estimated the total dose rates (TDRs) absorbed by nematodes, from measured current soil activity concentrations, Dose Conversion Coefficients (DCCs, calculated using EDEN software) and soil-to-biota concentration ratios (from the ERICA tool database). The impact of current TDRs on nematode assemblages was then evaluated. Nematodes were collected in spring 2011 from 18 forest sites in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) with external gamma dose rates, measured using radiophotoluminescent dosimeters, varying from 0.2 to 22 μGy h −1 . These values were one order of magnitude below the TDRs. A majority of bacterial-, plant-, and fungal-feeding nematodes and very few of the disturbance sensitive families were identified. No statistically significant association was observed between TDR values and nematode total abundance or the Shannon diversity index (H′). The Nematode Channel Ratio (which defines the relative abundance of bacterial- versus fungal-feeding nematodes) decreased significantly with increasing TDR, suggesting that radioactive contamination may influence nematode assemblages either directly or indirectly by modifying their food resources. A greater Maturity Index (MI), usually characterising better soil quality, was associated with higher pH and TDR values. These results suggest that in the CEZ, nematode assemblages from the forest sites were slightly impacted by chronic exposure at a predicted TDR of 200 μGy h −1 . This may be imputable to a dominant proportion of pollutant resistant nematodes in all sites. This might

Soil nematode assemblages as bioindicators of radiation impact in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lecomte-Pradines, C., E-mail: catherine.lecomte-pradines@irsn.fr [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, LECO, Building 186, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France); Bonzom, J.-M. [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, LECO, Building 186, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France); Della-Vedova, C. [Magelis, 6, rue Frederic Mistral, 84160 Cadenet (France); Beaugelin-Seiller, K. [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, LM2E, Building 159, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France); Villenave, C. [ELISOL Environment, Building 12, Campus de la Gaillarde, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier cedex 2 (France); Gaschak, S. [Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, 07100 Slavutych (Ukraine); Coppin, F. [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, L2BT, Building 186, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France); Dubourg, N. [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, GARM Building 186, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France); Maksimenko, A. [Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, 07100 Slavutych (Ukraine); Adam-Guillermin, C. [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, LECO, Building 186, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France); Garnier-Laplace, J. [Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN/PRP-ENV/SERIS, Building 159, Cadarache 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex (France)

2014-08-15

In radioecology, the need to understand the long-term ecological effects of radioactive contamination has been emphasised. This requires that the health of field populations is evaluated and linked to an accurate estimate of received radiological dose. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of current radioactive contamination on nematode assemblages at sites affected by the fallout from the Chernobyl accident. First, we estimated the total dose rates (TDRs) absorbed by nematodes, from measured current soil activity concentrations, Dose Conversion Coefficients (DCCs, calculated using EDEN software) and soil-to-biota concentration ratios (from the ERICA tool database). The impact of current TDRs on nematode assemblages was then evaluated. Nematodes were collected in spring 2011 from 18 forest sites in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) with external gamma dose rates, measured using radiophotoluminescent dosimeters, varying from 0.2 to 22 μGy h{sup −1}. These values were one order of magnitude below the TDRs. A majority of bacterial-, plant-, and fungal-feeding nematodes and very few of the disturbance sensitive families were identified. No statistically significant association was observed between TDR values and nematode total abundance or the Shannon diversity index (H′). The Nematode Channel Ratio (which defines the relative abundance of bacterial- versus fungal-feeding nematodes) decreased significantly with increasing TDR, suggesting that radioactive contamination may influence nematode assemblages either directly or indirectly by modifying their food resources. A greater Maturity Index (MI), usually characterising better soil quality, was associated with higher pH and TDR values. These results suggest that in the CEZ, nematode assemblages from the forest sites were slightly impacted by chronic exposure at a predicted TDR of 200 μGy h{sup −1}. This may be imputable to a dominant proportion of pollutant resistant nematodes in all sites

The rehabilitation strategies in agriculture in the long term after the Chernobyl NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fesenko, S.V.

2002-01-01

The experience gained in the aftermath of the severe radiation accidents shows that in the case of large-scaled radionuclide contamination the limitation of internal radiation doses to people by means of restoration of agricultural lands is more realistic than reduction of levels of external irradiation. Therefore, the problems connected with the optimal restoration strategies of agricultural land subjected to radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl accident are of crucial importance. The justification of the approach for the estimation of the effectiveness of countermeasure strategies in the long term after the Chernobyl accident, based on the classification of farms by contamination density and risk of the exceeding of radiological standards, restricting the use of agricultural products, is presented. For each class of the farms the ranking of rehabilitation options and the time periods when their application would be of importance are given. Comparative analysis of the rehabilitation strategies, which are different in their effectiveness and cost, is provided. (author)

Problems of Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shcherbyin, V.M.

1998-01-01

The collection comprises the materials of working meeting 'The Development of Technologies of the 'Ukrytie' Radioactive Waste Management', held on May 20-21, 1997 in Chernobyl. The results of research work of the experts of Ukraine and other countries directed on solving problems, concerning removal of fuel containing materials and other radioactive waste from destroyed Unit 4 of Chernobyl NPP are given. The data on waste quantities, their location and classification, strategy of waste management and some technologies are described

Wildfires in Chernobyl-contaminated forests and risks to the population and the environment: a new nuclear disaster about to happen?

Science.gov (United States)

Evangeliou, Nikolaos; Balkanski, Yves; Cozic, Anne; Hao, Wei Min; Møller, Anders Pape

2014-12-01

Radioactive contamination in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia after the Chernobyl accident left large rural and forest areas to their own fate. Forest succession in conjunction with lack of forest management started gradually transforming the landscape. During the last 28 years dead wood and litter have dramatically accumulated in these areas, whereas climate change has increased temperature and favored drought. The present situation in these forests suggests an increased risk of wildfires, especially after the pronounced forest fires of 2010, which remobilized Chernobyl-deposited radioactive materials transporting them thousand kilometers far. For the aforementioned reasons, we study the consequences of different forest fires on the redistribution of (137)Cs. Using the time frequency of the fires that occurred in the area during 2010, we study three scenarios assuming that 10%, 50% and 100% of the area are burnt. We aim to sensitize the scientific community and the European authorities for the foreseen risks from radioactivity redistribution over Europe. The global model LMDZORINCA that reads deposition density of radionuclides and burnt area from satellites was used, whereas risks for the human and animal population were calculated using the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model and the computerized software ERICA Tool, respectively. Depending on the scenario, whereas between 20 and 240 humans may suffer from solid cancers, of which 10-170 may be fatal. ERICA predicts insignificant changes in animal populations from the fires, whereas the already extreme radioactivity background plays a major role in their living quality. The resulting releases of (137)Cs after hypothetical wildfires in Chernobyl's forests are classified as high in the International Nuclear Events Scale (INES). The estimated cancer incidents and fatalities are expected to be comparable to those predicted for Fukushima. This is attributed to the fact that the distribution of radioactive fallout after the

Wildfires in Chernobyl-contaminated forests and risks to the population and the environment: A new nuclear disaster about to happen?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evangeliou, Nikolaos; Balkanski, Yves; Cozic, Anne

2014-01-01

Radioactive contamination in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia after the Chernobyl accident left large rural and forest areas to their own fate. Forest succession in conjunction with lack of forest management started gradually transforming the landscape. During the last 28 years dead wood and litter have dramatically accumulated in these areas, whereas climate change has increased temperature and favored drought. The present situation in these forests suggests an increased risk of wildfires, especially after the pronounced forest fires of 2010, which re-mobilized Chernobyl-deposited radioactive materials transporting them thousand kilometers far. For the aforementioned reasons, we study the consequences of different forest fires on the redistribution of 137 Cs. Using the time frequency of the fires that occurred in the area during 2010, we study three scenarios assuming that 10%, 50% and 100% of the area are burnt. We aim to sensitize the scientific community and the European authorities for the foreseen risks from radioactivity redistribution over Europe. The global model LMDZORINCA that reads deposition density of radionuclides and burnt area from satellites was used, whereas risks for the human and animal population were calculated using the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model and the computerized software ERICA Tool, respectively. Depending on the scenario, whereas between 20 and 240 humans may suffer from solid cancers, of which 10-170 may be fatal. ERICA predicts insignificant changes in animal populations from the fires, whereas the already extreme radioactivity background plays a major role in their living quality. The resulting releases of 137 Cs after hypothetical wildfires in Chernobyl's forests are classified as high in the International Nuclear Events Scale (INES). The estimated cancer incidents and fatalities are expected to be comparable to those predicted for Fukushima. This is attributed to the fact that the distribution of radioactive fallout after the

The Chernobyl Forum: major findings and recommendations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balonov, M.I.

2007-01-01

The accident at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986 was the most severe in the history of the nuclear industry, causing a huge release of radionuclides over large areas of Europe. The recently completed Chernobyl Forum concluded that after a number of years, along with reduction of radiation levels and accumulation of humanitarian consequences, severe social and economic depression of the affected regions and associated psychological problems of the general public and the workers had become the most significant problem to be addressed by the authorities. The majority of the affected land is now safe for life and economic activities. However, in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and in some limited areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine some restrictions on land-use should be retained for decades to come. Most of the 600,000 emergency and recovery operation workers and five million residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine received relatively minor radiation doses which are comparable with the natural background levels. Apart from the dramatic increase in thyroid cancer incidence among those exposed at a young age and some increase of leukaemia and solid cancer in most exposed workers, there is no clearly demonstrated increase in the somatic diseases due to radiation

Comparison of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents: a review of the environmental impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhauser, Georg; Brandl, Alexander; Johnson, Thomas E

2014-02-01

The environmental impacts of the nuclear accidents of Chernobyl and Fukushima are compared. In almost every respect, the consequences of the Chernobyl accident clearly exceeded those of the Fukushima accident. In both accidents, most of the radioactivity released was due to volatile radionuclides (noble gases, iodine, cesium, tellurium). However, the amount of refractory elements (including actinides) emitted in the course of the Chernobyl accident was approximately four orders of magnitude higher than during the Fukushima accident. For Chernobyl, a total release of 5,300 PBq (excluding noble gases) has been established as the most cited source term. For Fukushima, we estimated a total source term of 520 (340-800) PBq. In the course of the Fukushima accident, the majority of the radionuclides (more than 80%) was transported offshore and deposited in the Pacific Ocean. Monitoring campaigns after both accidents reveal that the environmental impact of the Chernobyl accident was much greater than of the Fukushima accident. Both the highly contaminated areas and the evacuated areas are smaller around Fukushima and the projected health effects in Japan are significantly lower than after the Chernobyl accident. This is mainly due to the fact that food safety campaigns and evacuations worked quickly and efficiently after the Fukushima accident. In contrast to Chernobyl, no fatalities due to acute radiation effects occurred in Fukushima. © 2013.

The weeping cow: impact of countermeasures on daily life in Chernobyl contaminated regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mays, C.; Avetova, E.; Murphy, M.; Allen, P.

1998-01-01

Twelve years after the Chernobyl catastrophe, what is the daily life of rural dwellers in contaminated regions of Belarus and the Ukraine? Over the years, protective countermeasures have been applied or withdrawn, and radiation protection advice is still in effect concerning e.g. the consumption of milk or of forest food products. How is that advice regarded by villagers? To what extent do they comply or not comply, and what is their reasoning? How are countermeasures woven into the fabric of social life? In the goal of optimisation, radiation protection countermeasures may be evaluated as the sum of individual dose averted, cost, and distress. A detailed formula exists for calculating dose, but social and economic costs, and individual distress, are in need of modelling.. Twelve focus groups (10 in Belarus, 2 in Ukraine; six groups each of men or of women) were consulted in an effort to develop a convincing and workable definition of distress experienced by members of the rural communities affected by Chernobyl. Stresses introduced by countermeasures, or linked to other aspects of the post-accidental situation, were identified. A systematic content analysis was carried out, bearing on the benefits or satisfactions linked to focus behaviours (e.g, milk consumption, forest visits...), distress experienced, attitudes towards countermeasures, impacts and management of information, etc. The focus group transcripts contain telling, humorous or poignant representations of how people carry on living in the face of threat, uncertainty, and absurdity. This presentation explores social representations of milk, and some of the reported impacts in the Belarus settlements of the post-accident restrictions on milk production and consumption. SPARPA or Social psychological aspects of radiation protection after accidents, is a European Commission part-funded project (F14C-CT96-0010) involving U. Surrey European Institute of Health an Medical Science, Symlog, and UK National

Relation between natural and anthropogenic factors in the redistribution of radionuclides on the 30 km Chernobyl NPP territory, including the result of countermeasures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazakov, S.V.; Sukhoruchkin, A.K.; Arkhipov, N.P.; Arkhipov, A.N.; Loginova, L.S.; Meshalkin, G.S.

1997-01-01

Before the accident natural and anthropogenic ecosystems occupied about 90% of 30-km zone area, including 36% of forest ecosystem, ploughed lands -28%, meadows and bogs - 18%. About 10% of total areas were occupied by ameliorated lands, separate water reservoirs - 2.8% relatively large area. Ten years after the Chernobyl accident the lands structure was changed: Areas of forest territories became larger (up to 12-13%). Areas of territories occupied by different technical constructions, roads were increased too. Contamination of different objects of 30-km zone territory is very uneven, for instance variation of 137 Cs contamination of soil reaches the same thousand times (From 0.1-5 up to 10000 and more Ci/km 2 )

Bacterial biodiversity analysis of a contaminated soil from the Chernobyl exclusion zone and characterization of the committed interaction of a Microbacterium strain with uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theodorakopoulos, Nicolas

2013-01-01

The nuclear power plants accidents of Chernobyl and Fukushima demonstrate the importance of the understanding of the transfer of the radioactive contamination in the environment and its ecological consequences. Although certain studies have been realized on superior organisms of the food chain, studies on telluric bacterial communities are scarce. The latter play nevertheless an essential role in the mobility of contaminants in soils by decreasing or improving their transfer towards other compartments (water, vegetables and animals). Moreover radionuclides (RNs) can have toxic effects on bacteria, leading to an inhibition of their participation in such transfer. The objectives of this study were (1) to estimate the impact of the radioactive contamination on bacterial communities belonging to a soil of the Chernobyl exclusion zone (trench T22) and (2) to study the uranium-bacteria interactions of a resistant strain, isolated from this soil. The various techniques used to characterize the bacterial diversity (culture of bacteria, DGGE, 454 pyro-sequencing) all testified of the multiplicity and the abundance of the bacterial communities in spite of the contamination. An impact on the community structure was difficult to assess by DGGE or cultural approach, but was nevertheless highlighted by the use of pyro-sequencing, suggesting the presence of species more adapted to the contaminated soil conditions. A specific molecular tool dedicated to the search of bacteria affiliated to the known radiation resistant Deinococcus-Thermus phylum (for example the Deinococcus radiodurans specie survives after an irradiation of several kGy) was developed. However it did not reveal the presence of bacteria affiliated to such a phylum in the studied soil. In parallel to the study of the bacterial biodiversity, about fifty culturable bacteria were isolated from this site and were used as a support to select a species (Microbacterium) capable to survive strong U(VI) concentrations. The

Twenty years' application of agricultural countermeasures following the Chernobyl accident: lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fesenko, S V; Alexakhin, R M; Balonov, M I; Bogdevich, I M; Howard, B J; Kashparov, V A; Sanzharova, N I; Panov, A V; Voigt, G; Zhuchenka, Yu M

2006-01-01

The accident at the Chernobyl NPP (nuclear power plant) was the most serious ever to have occurred in the history of nuclear energy. The consumption of contaminated foodstuffs in affected areas was a significant source of irradiation for the population. A wide range of different countermeasures have been used to reduce exposure of people and to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident for agriculture in affected regions in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. This paper for the first time summarises key data on countermeasure application over twenty years for all three countries and describes key lessons learnt from this experience. (review)

Cytogenetic investigation of individuals living in areas of the Ukraine contaminated by fault from the Chernobyl reactor accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bondar, A Yu; Zamostian, V P [Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Kiev, (Ukraine)

1997-12-31

A number of areas in Ukraine were severely contaminated by fallout from Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the exposures received by individuals in these areas were sufficiently high to produce measurable increase in chromosomal aberrations. The individuals studied were selected from the Koselets, Chernigov, Narodichi, and Ovruch regions specifically the districts of Chernigov and the districts of Jitomir. Indication of radiation exposure was based on an increase of total frequency of aberrant cells and frequency of aberration of chromosomal type. All cytogenetic abnormalities in metaphases were examined. The highest cytogenetic effects was observed in individuals from Ovruch and Narodichi regions, for which the mean levels of chromosome aberration were 1.88 and 1.29 per 100 cells, respectively. Among individuals living in Narodichi region, the observed frequency of dicentric and centric rings was 0.04 and for double minutes was 0.87 per 100 cells. among all exposed groups, the frequency of chromatid type was approximately the same. The results of the study of subjects with effective dose equivalent below 10 c Sv show that the mean frequency of (chromosomal type aberrations i.e dicentric, centric, and acentric rings) among individuals living in different contaminated regions of Ukraine was significantly higher that the mean population indices. Moreover, individuals exposed to long-lived radionuclides such as Cs{sup 137} and Sr{sup 90} were observed as having higher chromosome aberration frequency when compared with individuals exposed to short-lived iodine radionuclides. Continued observation on high-risk individuals who live in the contaminated areas is recommended. Similarly, there is a need for objective criteria to define when further monitoring of the genetic effects among the exposed adults and children in the Ukraine is appropriate. (Abstract Truncated)

The Chernobyl – Thirty Years After The Post – Accidental Radiological – Hygienic and Medical Consequences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. G. Onishchenko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available As the result of the Chernobyl NPP accident more than 200 thousand square kilometers of the European territories were contaminated by Cs-137 in the amount of above 37 kBq/m2 (1 Ci/km2 . Belorussia, Russia and Ukraine amount up to 70% of this entire affected area. More than 600 000 people were engaged in the accidental cleanup operations, 340000 were evacuated or relocated within 1986-1991. The early stage evacuation efficacy is confirmed by the absence of acute radiation syndrome among the population and by the prevented collective dose which amounts to no less than 10 000 man/Sv. The effective measure to reduce the internal radiation dose to the population at the early accidental stage was introduction of maximum tentative permissive levels of radionuclide content in the foodstuffs.Among the identified post -accident medical consequences of the Chernobyl is the radiation syndrome found in 134 emergency cleanup workers within the first 24 hours of the accident’s development. Out of that number, 28 people died within the first four months, 19 people died before 2006. The accident’s liquidators developed radiation -induced leukemia ( the attributive risk value is 45-60% . People exposed to high radiation doses display the statistically significant 18% morbidity increase of all types of solid cancers at the doses above 150 mSv. There is the statistically significant information indicating the increased amount of thyroid cancer morbidity among those who were just children and teenagers at the time of the accident. The adverse psychological consequences are accounted for not just the fear of overexposure but also for the disturbance of the habitual lifestyle especially mindful of the forced relocation.The longterm protection measures, radionuclide decay and selfcleaning of the contaminated areas resulted in the drastic reduction of the population dose in the radioactively contaminated territories. In 2015, only in some settlements of the Briansk

Detection of increased frequency of thyroid hypoplasia in subjects irradiated in utero as the results of Chernobyl catastrophe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drozd, V.; Danilova, L.; Lushchyk, M.; Leonova, T.; Platonova, T. [International Fund Arnica, Minsk (Belarus); Grigorovich, A.; Sivuda, V. [Brest Regional Endocrinological Dispensary, Brest (Belarus); Branovan, I. [Chernobyl Project, New-York (United States); Biko, I.; Reiners, C. [Clinic and Policlinic of Nuclear Medicine, University of Wurzburg, Wursburg (Germany)

2012-07-01

For the 24 years passed after the Chernobyl catastrophe a significant experience in estimation of medical consequences of thyroid irradiation among Belarus patients had been accumulated. The aim of our screening of ultrasonic examination was the detection of the thyroid hypoplasia prevalence in the regions affected with radionuclide fallout. Since 2004 to 2007 thyroid ultrasound with volume estimation was performed in 3311 Belarus subjects, living on the areas of Brest region with the different contamination rate density. Examined subjects were divided in 3 groups: 1) irradiated at the age of 1 to 3 years old at the moment of Chernobyl catastrophe, 2) irradiated in utero, and 3) born after the catastrophe. It was revealed that thyroid hypoplasia was detected in 3% of group 1 (out of 1876 persons), in 5, 8% of group 2 (out of 503 persons, P<0.05) and in 1, 7% of the third group (out of 932 persons). The separation of the irradiated in utero subjects (group 2) to subgroups in dependence of the gestation period, showed the highest prevalence of thyroid hypoplasia among the irradiated in the first trimester of gestation: 7, 7% (P<0.05), in the second trimester: 5, 3%, in the third trimester: 4, 7%

Detection of increased frequency of thyroid hypoplasia in subjects irradiated in utero as the results of Chernobyl catastrophe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drozd, V.; Danilova, L.; Lushchyk, M.; Leonova, T.; Platonova, T.; Grigorovich, A.; Sivuda, V.; Branovan, I.; Biko, I.; Reiners, C.

2012-01-01

For the 24 years passed after the Chernobyl catastrophe a significant experience in estimation of medical consequences of thyroid irradiation among Belarus patients had been accumulated. The aim of our screening of ultrasonic examination was the detection of the thyroid hypoplasia prevalence in the regions affected with radionuclide fallout. Since 2004 to 2007 thyroid ultrasound with volume estimation was performed in 3311 Belarus subjects, living on the areas of Brest region with the different contamination rate density. Examined subjects were divided in 3 groups: 1) irradiated at the age of 1 to 3 years old at the moment of Chernobyl catastrophe, 2) irradiated in utero, and 3) born after the catastrophe. It was revealed that thyroid hypoplasia was detected in 3% of group 1 (out of 1876 persons), in 5, 8% of group 2 (out of 503 persons, P<0.05) and in 1, 7% of the third group (out of 932 persons). The separation of the irradiated in utero subjects (group 2) to subgroups in dependence of the gestation period, showed the highest prevalence of thyroid hypoplasia among the irradiated in the first trimester of gestation: 7, 7% (P<0.05), in the second trimester: 5, 3%, in the third trimester: 4, 7%

Food contamination : lessons of Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haque, F.

1987-01-01

This brief survey of radioactive contamination of food suggests at least four areas in which action needs to be taken so that we might be better prepared to respond to any possible future nuclear accident. More research is needed on the way that radiation enters the food chain, and the measures that can be taken to counter the health hazards posed by fallout. A second clear need is for a global radioactivity monitoring system. Third, international standards need to be established for methods of sampling, analysis and reporting of the radioactive levels in foods. Finally, an effort must be made to inform the public so it can distinguish between the real and the imaginary hazards posed by radioactively contaminated foods

Health protection measures after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, P.; Reitan, J.B.; Harbitz, O.; Brynhildsen, L.

1990-01-01

The article describes the nutritional measures introduced to protect health after the Chernobyl accident, and the associated costs. The toal value of the reindeer meat, mutton, lamb and goat meat saved as a result of such measures in 1987 amounted to approx. NOK 250 million. The measures cost approx. NOK 60 million. The resulting reduction in the radiation dose level to which the population was exposed was 450 manSv. In 1988, mutton/lamb and goat meat valued at approx. NOK 310 million was saved from contamination by similar measures, which cost approx. NOK 50 million. The resulting dose level reduction was approx. 200 manSv. The relationship (cost/benefit ratio) between the overall cost of the measures taken to reduce radioactivity levels in food and the dose level reduction achieved was acceptable. 11 refs

Proceedings of the second international scientific and practical conference 'Mitigation of the consequences of the catastrophe at the Chernobyl NPP: state and perspectives'; Materialy II mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferentsii 'Preodolenie posledstvij katastrofy na Chernobyl'skoj AEhS: sostoyanie i perspektivy'simpoziuma 'Aktual'nye problemy dozimetrii'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shevchuk, V E; Gurachevskij, V L; Kapitonova, Eh K [eds.

2004-04-01

The proceeding reflects new scientific results and contains three parts - medical consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident and dose monitoring of human population; problems of the contaminated territories and social and economical development of the regions; radioecological and radiobiological consequences of the accident and their forecasting.

A multilevel analysis of long-term psychological distress among Belarusians affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Beehler, G P; Baker, J A; Falkner, K; Chegerova, T; Pryshchepava, A; Chegerov, V; Zevon, M; Bromet, E; Havenaar, J; Valdismarsdottir, H; Moysich, K B

2008-11-01

Radiation contamination and sociopolitical instability following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster have had a profound impact on Belarus. To investigate the factors that impact long-term mental health outcomes of this population almost 20 years after the disaster. Cross-sectional study. In-person interviews were conducted with 381 men and women from two geographic areas of differing radiation contamination within Belarus. Participants completed surveys of demographics, psychosocial factors and psychological distress. Individual-level characteristics were combined with household-level measures of radiation contamination exposure and family characteristics to create multilevel predictive models of psychological distress. Between-household effects accounted for 20% of variability in depression and anxiety scores, but only 8% of variability in somatization scores. Degree of chronic daily stressors showed a significant positive relationship with psychological distress, whereas mastery/controllability showed a significant inverse relationship with distress. At household level, perceived family problems, but not level of residential radiation contamination, was the best predictor of distress. Multilevel modelling indicates that long-term psychological distress among Belarusians affected by the Chernobyl disaster is better predicted by stress-moderating psychosocial factors present in one's daily life than by level of residential radiation contamination.

Public acceptance and assessment of countermeasures after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarov, E.I.; Archangelskaya, G.V.; Zykova, I.A.

1997-01-01

General Background. Previous studies confirmed that the main reason of the psychological stress after Chernobyl was a worry about radiation influence on personal health and health of children. This ''Chernobyl stress'' is typical ''information'' or emotional stress resulting from mass media information on radioactive contamination and exposure but not from direct personal visual or auditory and other impression for 5 million population. The population was not able to define the radiation danger by direct sensual perception without measuring equipment but was obliged to change their life-style and diet as a remedial action and to follow the radiation protection requirements and advices. Therefore the anxiety was related not only to information about the accident but also to implemental countermeasures, which changed the everyday life. The countermeasures became the first real sign of the accident. Methods. In 1988-1994 studies based on population interview of about 5 thousand residents and questionnaires were carried out on contaminated (15 - 40 Ci/km2) territories, adjacent and distant areas. The following information was used: population knowledge of protective measures; sources of information about radiation and level of trust; assessment of the effectiveness and reasons of non-satisfaction of the protection measures; compliance and involvement of population in countermeasures including effects of life-style changes and behavior; public opinion on priority for financial expenditure for mitigation of accident consequences

Comparative modeling analyses of Cs-137 fate in the rivers impacted by Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheleznyak, M.; Kivva, S. [Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University (Japan)

2014-07-01

The consequences of two largest nuclear accidents of the last decades - at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) (1986) and at Fukushima Daiichi NPP (FDNPP) (2011) clearly demonstrated that radioactive contamination of water bodies in vicinity of NPP and on the waterways from it, e.g., river- reservoir water after Chernobyl accident and rivers and coastal marine waters after Fukushima accident, in the both cases have been one of the main sources of the public concerns on the accident consequences. The higher weight of water contamination in public perception of the accidents consequences in comparison with the real fraction of doses via aquatic pathways in comparison with other dose components is a specificity of public perception of environmental contamination. This psychological phenomenon that was confirmed after these accidents provides supplementary arguments that the reliable simulation and prediction of the radionuclide dynamics in water and sediments is important part of the post-accidental radioecological research. The purpose of the research is to use the experience of the modeling activities f conducted for the past more than 25 years within the Chernobyl affected Pripyat River and Dnieper River watershed as also data of the new monitoring studies in Japan of Abukuma River (largest in the region - the watershed area is 5400 km{sup 2}), Kuchibuto River, Uta River, Niita River, Natsui River, Same River, as also of the studies on the specific of the 'water-sediment' {sup 137}Cs exchanges in this area to refine the 1-D model RIVTOX and 2-D model COASTOX for the increasing of the predictive power of the modeling technologies. The results of the modeling studies are applied for more accurate prediction of water/sediment radionuclide contamination of rivers and reservoirs in the Fukushima Prefecture and for the comparative analyses of the efficiency of the of the post -accidental measures to diminish the contamination of the water bodies. Document

Health effects of the Chernobyl disaster: illness or illness behavior? A comparative general health survey in two former Soviet regions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Havenaar, J.; Rumyantzeva, G.; Kasyanenko, A.; Kaasjager, K.; Westermann, Anneke; van den Brink, W.; van den Bout, J.; Savelkoul, J.

1997-01-01

Results are described of a general health survey (n = 3044) that was conducted 6.5 years after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 in a seriously contaminated region in Belarus and a socioeconomically comparable, but unaffected, region in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study was to

Forestry on the contamination territories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stavrov, A.I.; Kovalev, S.D.; Zhukovskaya, O.V.; Drobyshevskaya, N.M.

1995-01-01

The common characteristic of a contamination of the Belarus' forests by radionuclides after the Chernobyl accident is indicated. The recommendations for population about the picking up the mushrooms, berries, juices, medicinal herbs, preparation of forages, wood and other production in the contaminated forests are given. The information about the using of forests in depending on a level of the soil contamination is given. 5 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs

The Chernobyl accident and its consequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Saenko, V; Ivanov, V; Tsyb, A; Bogdanova, T; Tronko, M; Demidchik, Yu; Yamashita, S

2011-05-01

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the worst industrial accident of the last century that involved radiation. The unprecedented release of multiple different radioisotopes led to radioactive contamination of large areas surrounding the accident site. The exposure of the residents of these areas was varied and therefore the consequences for health and radioecology could not be reliably estimated quickly. Even though some studies have now been ongoing for 25 years and have provided a better understanding of the situation, these are yet neither complete nor comprehensive enough to determine the long-term risk. A true assessment can only be provided after following the observed population for their natural lifespan. Here we review the technical aspects of the accident and provide relevant information on radioactive releases that resulted in exposure of this large population to radiation. A number of different groups of people were exposed to radiation: workers involved in the initial clean-up response, and members of the general population who were either evacuated from the settlements in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant vicinity shortly after the accident, or continued to live in the affected territories of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Through domestic efforts and extensive international co-operation, essential information on radiation dose and health status for this population has been collected. This has permitted the identification of high-risk groups and the use of more specialised means of collecting information, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Because radiation-associated thyroid cancer is one of the major health consequences of the Chernobyl accident, a particular emphasis is placed on this malignancy. The initial epidemiological studies are reviewed, as are the most significant studies and/or aid programmes in the three affected countries. Copyright © 2011 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Methods for reducing internal collective doses due to contamination of agricultural lands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prister, B.S.; Novikova, N.K.; Tkachenko, N.V.; Nagovisyna, L.I.; Berezhnaya, T.I.; Semenyuk, N.D.; Rudoj, V.M.

1990-01-01

Radioactive contamination of agricultural lands in 30 km vicinity of Chernobyl NPP asw well as agricultural products involved in food chains is considered. Attention is paid to population collective doses due to intake of contaminated food. It is shown that target optimization of agricultural production structure in territories where food contamination does not result in increase of population dose limit lies in achievement of minimal inclusion of radionuclides in human diet

Environmental Radiation Monitoring In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone - History And Results 25 Years After

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farfan, E.; Jannik, T.

2011-01-01

This article describes results of the radiation environmental monitoring performed in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) during the period following the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. This article presents a brief overview of five comprehensive reports generated under Contract No. DE-AC09-96SR18500 (Washington Savannah River Company LLC, Subcontract No. AC55559N, SOW No. ON8778) and summarizes characteristics of the ChEZ and its post-accident status and the history of development of the radiation monitoring research in the ChEZ is described. This article addresses characteristics of the radiation monitoring in the ChEZ, its major goals and objectives, and changes of these goals and objectives in the course of time, depending on the tasks associated with the phase of mitigation of the ChNPP accident consequences. The results of the radiation monitoring in the ChEZ during the last 25 years are also provided.

ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION MONITORING IN THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE - HISTORY AND RESULTS 25 YEARS AFTER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farfan, E.; Jannik, T.

2011-10-01

This article describes results of the radiation environmental monitoring performed in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) during the period following the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. This article presents a brief overview of five comprehensive reports generated under Contract No. DE-AC09-96SR18500 (Washington Savannah River Company LLC, Subcontract No. AC55559N, SOW No. ON8778) and summarizes characteristics of the ChEZ and its post-accident status and the history of development of the radiation monitoring research in the ChEZ is described. This article addresses characteristics of the radiation monitoring in the ChEZ, its major goals and objectives, and changes of these goals and objectives in the course of time, depending on the tasks associated with the phase of mitigation of the ChNPP accident consequences. The results of the radiation monitoring in the ChEZ during the last 25 years are also provided.

Radiation monitoring using imaging plate technology: A case study of leaves affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and JCO criticality accidents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimura Shinzo

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the use of a photostimulable phosphor screen imaging technique to detect radioactive contamination in the leaves of wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris L and fern (Dryopteris filix-max CL. Schoff plants affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. The imaging plate technology is well known for many striking performances in two-dimensional radiation detection. Since imaging plate comprises an integrated detection system, it has been extensively applied to surface contamination distribution studies. In this study, plant samples were collected from high- and low-contaminated areas of Ukraine and Belarus, which were affected due to the Chernobyl accident and exposed to imaging technique. Samples from the highly contaminated areas revealed the highest photo-stimulated luminescence on the imaging plate. Moreover, the radio nuclides detected in the leaves by gamma and beta ray spectroscopy were 137Cs and 90Sr, respectively. Additionally, in order to assess contamination, a comparison was also made with leaves of plants affected during the JCO criticality accident in Japan. Based on the results obtained, the importance of imaging plate technology in environmental radiation monitoring has been suggested.

Comparison of transcriptomic signature of post-Chernobyl and post radiotherapy thyroid tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ory, Catherine; Ugolin, Nicolas; Chevillard, Sylvie; Hofman, Paul; Schlumberger, Martin; Likhtarev, Illya A.

2013-01-01

We previously identified two highly discriminating and predictive radiation-induced transcriptomic signatures by comparing series of sporadic and post radiotherapy thyroid tumors (322-gene signature), and by reanalyzing a previously published data set of sporadic and post-Chernobyl thyroid tumors (106-gene signature). The aim of the present work was (i) to compare the two signatures in terms of gene expression de-regulations and molecular features/pathways, and (ii) to test the capacity of the post radiotherapy signature in classifying the post-Chernobyl series of tumors and reciprocally of the post-Chernobyl signature in classifying the post radiotherapy-induced tumors. We now explored if post radiotherapy and post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) display common molecular features by comparing molecular pathways deregulated in the two tumor series, and tested the potential of gene subsets of the post radiotherapy signature to classify the post-Chernobyl series (14 sporadic and 12 post-Chernobyl PTC), and reciprocally of gene subsets of the post-Chernobyl signature to classify the post radiotherapy series (15 sporadic and 12 post radiotherapy PTC), by using conventional principal component analysis. We found that the five genes common to the two signatures classified the learning/training tumors (used to search these signatures) of both the post radiotherapy (seven PTC) and the post-Chernobyl (six PTC) thyroid tumor series as compared with the sporadic tumors (seven sporadic PTC in each series). Importantly, these five genes were also effective for classifying independent series of post radiotherapy (five PTC) and post-Chernobyl (six PTC) tumors compared to independent series of sporadic tumors (eight PTC and six PTC respectively; testing tumors). Moreover, part of each post radiotherapy (32 genes) and post-Chernobyl signature (16 genes) cross-classified the respective series of thyroid tumors. Finally, several molecular pathways deregulated in post-Chernobyl

Chernobyl: lessons of the decade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsaregorodtsev, A.D.

1996-01-01

The Chernobyl accident led to a drastic increase the incidents of thyroid cancer in children living at territories contaminated with radionuclides. The incidents of hemoblastoses which are etiologically closely related to radiation did not change after the incident. The lessons of the decade that passed since the accident necessitate measures aimed at alleviation of the medical consequences of the accident which are to be implemented for many years. The program of such measures should be based on a strictly scientific evaluation of each factor, that will be conductive to a most adequate state financing of this work [ru

Radiation exposure and breast cancer: lessons from Chernobyl.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogrodnik, Aleksandra; Hudon, Tyler W; Nadkarni, Prakash M; Chandawarkar, Rajiv Y

2013-04-01

The lessons learned from the Chernobyl disaster have become increasingly important after the second anniversary of the Fukushima, Japan nuclear accident. Historically, data from the Chernobyl reactor accident 27 years ago demonstrated a strong correlation with thyroid cancer, but data on the radiation effects of Chernobyl on breast cancer incidence have remained inconclusive. We reviewed the published literature on the effects of the Chernobyl disaster on breast cancer incidence, using Medline and Scopus from the time of the accident to December of 2010. Our findings indicate limited data and statistical flaws. Other confounding factors, such as discrepancies in data collection, make interpretation of the results from the published literature difficult. Re-analyzing the data reveals that the incidence of breast cancer in Chernobyl-disaster-exposed women could be higher than previously thought. We have learned little of the consequences of radiation exposure at Chernobyl except for its effects on thyroid cancer incidence. Marking the 27th year after the Chernobyl event, this report sheds light on a specific, crucial and understudied aspect of the results of radiation from a gruesome nuclear power plant disaster.

Experience of using film-forming compositions for radiation situation improvement during initial period after the Chernobyl' accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karataev, B.A.; Konstantinov, E.A.; Sorokin, N.M.; Finogenov, V.A.

1989-01-01

Film-formiing (FF) compositions were used for radioactive contamination localization, for decontaminating surfaces of rooms and equipment and for their prevention from secondary contamination after decontamination. The FF compounds were used also for isolating reinforced-concrete plates after their laying at the operating site of the Chernobyl' NPP

Caesium-137 in Marine Sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean from the Pre-Chernobyl Age to the Present

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Florou, Heleny; Evangeliou, Nikolaos; Kritidis, Panagiotis

2011-01-01

Caesium-137 (half-life 30.2 years) was first introduced into the marine environment as a result of the atmospheric nuclear weapon testing during 1953-1963. The second and largest contamination was the fallout after the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. Since 1986 the radiological status of the Mediterranean has been changed. During 1986 the average deposition of 137 Cs from the fallout in the Aegean Sea has been estimated to be approximately 4 kBq m -2 , whereas the respective value for the Ionian Sea (the area of 24,300 km 2 along the coasts) was 2.5 kBq m -2 . The total caesium ( 137 Cs + 134 Cs) input from Chernobyl fallout has been estimated to be 2400 TBq for the Black Sea, 820 TBq for the Aegean Sea and 600 TBq in the Ionian Sea (60 TBq in the zone of 50 km across the coasts). Although, the residence time of 137 Cs in seawater is long, it has been observed that 137 Cs has reached the bottom sediments, as the remaining period is long enough if compared to the estimated sinking time for the Mediterranean environment. The Mediterranean Sea is a semi-enclosed marine area, exchanging water, salt, heat and other physicochemical properties through the strait of Gibraltar with the Atlantic Ocean.The basin is characterized by low precipitation and high evaporation, which causes accumulation of contaminants in seawater and sediment. Taking into account the topography,one could note the importance of the eastern part of the Mediterranean,since it comprises a continuous source of interregional input (Black Sea). However,the motive of determining 137 Cs in the Greek marine territory was basic research (pre-Chernobyl age) and monitoring reasons (after Chernobyl accident). Several Greek marine systems have been examined throughout these years and the results are evaluated in the present study.

Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience. Report of the UN Chernobyl Forum Expert Group 'Environment' (EGE). Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-08-01

remediation and special health-care programmes, and to suggest areas where further research is required; and to accept the following Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Forum. The objectives of the Chernobyl Forum were defined as follows: To explore and refine the current scientific assessments on the long-term health and environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident, with a view to producing authoritative consensus statements focusing on: the health effects attributable to radiation exposure caused by the accident, the environmental consequences induced by the radioactive materials released due to the accident, e.g., contamination of foodstuffs, and additionally to address the consequences attributable to the accident although not directly related to the radiation exposure or radioactive contamination; To identify gaps in scientific research relevant to the radiation-induced or radioactive contamination-induced health and environmental impacts of the accident, and suggest areas where further work is required based on an assessment of the work done in the past, and bearing in mind ongoing work and projects; To provide advice on, and to facilitate implementation of scientifically sound programmes on mitigation of the accident consequences, including possible joint actions of the organizations participating in the Forum, such as: agricultural, economic and social life under safe conditions, special health care of the affected population, monitoring of the long-term human exposure to radiation, and addressing the environmental issues pertaining to the decommissioning of the Shelter and management of radioactive waste originating from the Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl Forum itself continued as a high-level organisation of senior officials from UN agencies and the three more affected countries. The actual work has been accomplished by two expert groups: Expert Group -Environment - (EGE) and Expert Group 'Health' (EGH). Members of each of these two groups consisted of

Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience. Report of the UN Chernobyl Forum Expert Group 'Environment' (EGE). Working material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-08-01

remediation and special health-care programmes, and to suggest areas where further research is required; and to accept the following Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Forum. The objectives of the Chernobyl Forum were defined as follows: To explore and refine the current scientific assessments on the long-term health and environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident, with a view to producing authoritative consensus statements focusing on: the health effects attributable to radiation exposure caused by the accident, the environmental consequences induced by the radioactive materials released due to the accident, e.g., contamination of foodstuffs, and additionally to address the consequences attributable to the accident although not directly related to the radiation exposure or radioactive contamination; To identify gaps in scientific research relevant to the radiation-induced or radioactive contamination-induced health and environmental impacts of the accident, and suggest areas where further work is required based on an assessment of the work done in the past, and bearing in mind ongoing work and projects; To provide advice on, and to facilitate implementation of scientifically sound programmes on mitigation of the accident consequences, including possible joint actions of the organizations participating in the Forum, such as: agricultural, economic and social life under safe conditions, special health care of the affected population, monitoring of the long-term human exposure to radiation, and addressing the environmental issues pertaining to the decommissioning of the Shelter and management of radioactive waste originating from the Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl Forum itself continued as a high-level organisation of senior officials from UN agencies and the three more affected countries. The actual work has been accomplished by two expert groups: Expert Group -Environment - (EGE) and Expert Group 'Health' (EGH). Members of each of these two groups consisted of

Underlying data for derived emergency reference levels. Post-Chernobyl action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinnaeve, J.; Gerber, G.

1991-01-01

After an accidental release of radioactive material to the atmosphere leading to significant off-site contamination, various countermeasures are needed to reduce the radiation exposure of the population. These may include measures to reduce the consumption of contaminated foodstuffs. This report is concerned with the underlying information required for calculating when and if such countermeasures as regards foodstuffs should be introduced. The work in this report was sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities as one of a series of post-Chernobyl actions under its radiation protection programme

An initial assessment of the Chernobyl-4 reactor accident release source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macdonald, H.F.; ApSimon, H.M.; Wilson, J.J.N.

1986-07-01

The long-range atmospheric dispersion model MESOS has been used to provide a preliminary evaluation of the effects over Western Europe of radioactivity released during the accident which occurred at the Chernobyl-4 reactor in the USSR in April 1986. The results of this analysis have been compared with observations during the first week or so following the accident of airborne contamination levels at a range of locations across Europe in order to obtain an estimate of accident release source. The work presented here was performed during the 6-8 weeks following the accident and the results obtained will be subject to refinement as more detailed data become available. However, at this early stage they indicate a release source for the Chernobyl accident, expressed as a fraction of the estimated reactor core inventory, of approx. 15-20% of the iodine and caesium isotopes, approx. 1% of the ruthenium and lesser amounts of the other fission products and actinides, together with an implied major fraction of the krypton and xenon noble gases. (author)

Soybean adaptation in Chernobyl area (what happen to soybean if something happen)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajduch, M.

2013-01-01

In this presentation author deals with transfer of cesium-137 and strontium-90 by the soybeans into the seeds and analysis of production of proteins on the contaminated sites of Chernobyl and Fukushima areas. The results indicate that alterations in the proteome include adaptation to heavy metal stress and mobilization of seed storage proteins. The results also suggest that there have been adjustments to carbon metabolism in the cytoplasm and plastids, increased activity of the Krebs tricarboxylic acid cycle, and decreased condensation of malonyl-acyl carrier protein during fatty acid biosynthesis.

After Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mould, R.F.

1987-01-01

''After Chernobyl'' is an outline account of interesting information on the evacuation and relocation of the population within a 30 km zone around the power plant, of decontamination efforts' of the entombment of the reactor and of the firemen of Chernobyl, not all of whom survived. (author)

One decade after Chernobyl: Environmental impact and prospects for the future. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

One decade after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the levels of radioactive contamination of the affected territories are generally well known. Through the impetus from national and international organizations, scientific and technical studies are being undertaken in order to reach a better understanding of the circumstances of the accident, the behavior of radioactive materials in different environmental media and the most efficient ways of decontamination. Doses received by populations have been and continue to be assessed. Taking into account the completed and ongoing studies by other organizations as well as the results of the International Chernobyl Project completed in 1991, the IAEA formulated, in co-operation with the Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN) in France, a project focusing on the environmental impact of the Chernobyl accident. The project aimed to make the findings of the scientists understandable to and relevant for the decision makers, who form the target group. Thus the study focused on the environmental impact in the future and was complementary to the other studies performed. It was a synthesis of available material and reports. Refs, figs, tabs

One decade after Chernobyl: Environmental impact and prospects for the future. Working material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31