How do they monitor background radiation in Belarus? Radiation situation. Maps of pollution of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine Map of radiation pollution of Belarus
The signing of an agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant against the background of the disaster in Japan once again made the nerves of Belarusians, fragile after the Chernobyl tragedy, tremble. What is radiation? How and in what doses does it affect a person? Is it possible to avoid exposure to radiation in everyday life? We decided it would be useful to once again recall what is what in terms of the influence of radiation on humans.
Most often, when people talk about radiation, they mean “ionizing” radiation associated with radioactive decay. Although a person is also irradiated by a magnetic field or ultraviolet light (neonizing radiation), says the chairman of the National Commission on Radiation Protection under the Council of Ministers Yakov Koenigsberg.
Units of measurement of radioactivity
The most common units for measuring radioactivity in soil and food are Becquerel (Bq) and Curie (Ci). Typically, activity is indicated per 1 kg of food. The maps indicate activity per unit area, for example, km 2. But the level of contamination of a territory of 1Ci/km2 in itself does not say anything about how much exposure people living in this territory received. A measure of the harmful effects of radioactive radiation on humans is the radiation dose, which is measured in Sieverts (Sv).
Term | Units | Unit ratio | Definition |
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In the SI system | In the old system |
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Activity | Becquerel, Bq | 1 Ci = 3.7×10 10 Bq | number of radioactive decays per unit time |
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Dose rate | sievert per hour, Sv/h | x-ray per hour, R/h | 1 μR/h=0.01 μSv/h | radiation level per unit time |
Absorbed dose | radian, rad | 1 rad=0.01 Gy | amount of ionizing radiation energy transferred to a specific object |
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Effective dose | Sievert, Sv | 1 rem=0.01 Sv | radiation dose, taking into account different sensitivity of organs to radiation |
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Thus, the level of background radiation is measured in sieverts per unit time. The natural background radiation on the earth's surface averages 0.1-0.2 μSv/h. A level above 1.2 μSv/h is considered dangerous for humans. By the way, yesterday the radiation level 20 km from the emergency Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima-1 - a radiation level of 161 μSv/h was recorded. For comparison: according to some data, after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the radiation level in some places reached several thousand µSv/hour.
As for the Becquerel, it serves as a unit of measurement for the radioactivity of water, soil, etc. per unit in which this water is measured, soil... Thus, according to the latest data in Tokyo, the level of radiation in tap water is exceeded: the content of radioactive iodine in the water is 210 becquerels per liter.
And Gray is needed to measure the absorbed dose of radiation by a particular object.
But let's return to the Sieverts:
In accordance with Belarusian legislation, the permissible radiation dose for the population is 1 mSv per year, and for professionals working with sources of ionizing radiation - 20 mSv per year.
In addition, human exposure to radioactive radiation was previously calculated in a unit called the rem (the biological equivalent of an x-ray). Today Sieverts are used for this. In this unit, you can evaluate the influence of radiation sources in everyday life, for example. Thus, the annual dose from watching TV for 3 hours a day is 0.001 mSv. The annual dose from smoking one cigarette per day is 2.7 mSv. One fluorography - 0.6 mSv, one radiography - 1.3 mSv, one fluoroscopy - 5 mSv. Calculate and compare: 20 mSv is the average permissible level of radiation exposure for nuclear industry workers per year.
Additionally, the radiation from concrete dwellings is also taken into account - up to 3 mSv per year and the natural radiation dose from environment- more than 2 mSv per year. An interesting comparison: natural radiation near monazite deposits in Brazil is 200 mSv per year. And people live with it!
The effect of radiation on the human body
Radiation in the usual human understanding (i.e. ionizing radiation) has a certain effect on the human body. The effect of radiation on humans is called irradiation. The basis of this effect is the transfer of radiation energy to the cells of the body. Thus, one of the effects of exposure - deterministic - manifests itself from a certain threshold and depends on the radiation dose.
“Its most striking manifestation when irradiating a part or the entire body is acute radiation sickness, which develops only from a certain threshold and has varying degrees of severity. Theoretically, radiation sickness can manifest itself when exposed to a dose equal to 1 sievert (this is the weakest degree of radiation sickness),” says Yakov Koenigsberg. For comparison: according to our table, a dose of 0.2 sievert increases the risk of cancer, and 3 sievert threatens the life of the exposed person .
The deterministic effect also includes radiation burns, which occur both when a person is exposed to large doses of radiation, and when in contact with the skin. Very large doses lead to skin death, even damage to muscles and bones. Such burns, by the way, are treated much worse than chemical or thermal ones.
On the other hand, radiation can manifest itself long after exposure, causing the so-called. stochastic effect. This effect is expressed in the fact that among exposed people the frequency of certain oncological diseases. Theoretically, genetic effects are also possible, but at the moment experts attribute them to theory, since they have never been identified in humans. According to scientists, Even among the 78 thousand children of Japanese who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, no increase in the number of cases of hereditary diseases was found.
Besides, Various experts note that radiation, in addition to burns and radiation sickness, can cause metabolic disorders, infectious complications, radiation infertility, and radiation cataracts.The effects of radiation have a stronger effect on dividing cells, so radiation is much more dangerous for children than for adults.
“We cannot say exactly which specific disease, even if receiving the same dose of radiation, may or may not develop any cancer,” notes J. Koenigsberg.
In a country with a large number of exposed people, the level of cancer incidence may increase. At the same time, diseases can be caused both by radiation and by harmful chemical substances, viruses, etc. For example, among Japanese people irradiated after the bombing of Hiroshima, the first effects in the form of increased incidence began to appear only after 10 years or more, and some - after 20 years.
Today we know which tumors can be associated with radiation. These include thyroid cancer, breast cancer, and cancer of certain parts of the intestine.
***By the way, in addition to artificial radionuclides (iodine, cesium, strontium), which “hit” Belarusians after the Chernobyl tragedy, they also enter the body natural radionuclides. The most common among them are potassium-40, radium-226, polonium-210, radon-222, -220. For example, a person receives the bulk of the radiation dose from radon while in a closed, unventilated room (radon is released from the earth’s crust and concentrates in the air indoors only when they are sufficiently isolated from the external environment). Relatively little radon is released from building materials such as wood, brick and concrete. For example, granite and pumice, also used as building materials, have greater specific radioactivity.
Penetration of radionuclides into foodRadionuclides enter the body through food, water and polluted air. For example, as a result nuclear tests Almost the entire globe was contaminated with long-lived radionuclides. From the soil they got into plants, from plants - into animal organisms. And to humans - with the milk and meat of these animals, for example, says Yakov Koenigsberg.
“Today, all products produced in Belarus in the public and private sectors are controlled,” he notes. “In addition, forestry enterprises have special maps that indicate the places where it is possible and where it is not possible to collect mushrooms and berries.”
If a person can check the level of radiation in the air on his own by purchasing the appropriate device, then in order to check, for example, the content of radionuclides in the “gifts of nature,” you need to contact a special laboratory. There are such laboratories in every regional center - in the Ministry’s system Agriculture and food, Ministry of Health, Belkooperatsiya.
In addition, you can reduce the risk of radioactive contamination from food by preparing food in a certain way.
We were exposed to natural radiation exposure even before the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. TUT.BY visited four research institutions, studied documents, some of which have not yet been published, and learned how “natural exposure” to radon affects the health of Belarusians.
Belarusian scientists who have studied the problem are unanimous: radon affects the level of morbidity - including oncology - now much more than the echoes of Chernobyl. The problem of radon exposure exists in almost all countries, as well as ways to combat it. But it is in Belarus that everyone is focused on the topic of Chernobyl radiation - there are foreign funds, there are grants to overcome the consequences man-made disaster. Radon, from the point of view of attracting funds, is “uninteresting”, something that Belarusians should, in an amicable way, cope with themselves. But in times of crisis at the state level, funding for radon research is being reduced and the problem is simply not advertised.
What kind of gas is this?
First, let's define what radon is. This is a gas that is formed when radium decays. It is 7.5 times heavier than air and therefore accumulates in basements and on the first floors. Radon is odorless and cannot be “smelled.” It enters the body through the lungs; some cases of lung cancer can be explained by its exposure.
Although many people’s first association with the word “radon” is the sanatorium of the same name. Like, what kind of cancer, we remember - radon is useful. But the whole question is in the dosage. Here, as with the sun, without it - rickets, and if you spend a day in the sun in swimming trunks - burns, heat stroke, the threat of developing skin cancer.
“Radon is contained in soil air and water and can penetrate into rooms if they are located in areas where its content is high, in particular in tectonic fault zones,” explains Director of the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences Alexander Karabanov. — In Belarus, at least 40% of the territory is potentially radon hazardous. The maximum permissible norm for residential premises is considered to be 200 becquerels per cubic meter. Excess radon was recorded in the premises of a number of settlements countries, most often in the Grodno, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions. Minsk also stands on faults, although there is no exact map of them.
The main sources and routes of radon penetration into buildings. Gas enters premises from soil, water, and building materials. Source: Geoliss.ru
Scale of the problem
According to UN materials, in the annual exposure of humanity, the share of exposure to products from various tests is 0.7%, from the operation of nuclear power plants - 0.3%, from medical examinations - 34%, from natural factors - 22%, and from radon decay products - 43%. This is indicated in the article “Concentration of radon in soil air”, published on the website of the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
“Almost 30 years later, the radiation situation in Belarus has improved significantly. The contribution of “Chernobyl” radionuclides to the total radiation dose of the population of Belarus from all natural and man-made radiation sources currently does not exceed 5%,” says the “Monitoring of radon in the air of buildings in populated areas in the Brest region.” But the value of the average annual effective doses of radon radiation in four separate regions of the country exceeds the effective radiation dose of the population from “Chernobyl” radionuclides by 2.4-13.8 times, in the Brest region - by 6 times.
— Relevant studies have been carried out in a number of countries. Where the concentration of radon is higher, the morbidity rate is higher, including cancer, says Professor Alexander Karabanov.— A connection has also been established between gastritis, diabetes, and rheumatism with long-term stay in such areas.
Chief radiologist of the Mogilev Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology Leonid Lipnitsky took part in a study of the risks of disease from natural radiation.
“There is a misunderstanding in society about the radon problem,” he states. — Average annual effective radiation doses per resident of the Mogilev region were: from natural sources of ionizing radiation, including radon 2.5 millisieverts, from radioactive contamination due to the Chernobyl accident (for radioactively contaminated areas) — 0.34 mSv . The difference is significant.
This is not classified information. Volumes of scientific works abroad are devoted to the problem of protecting public health from radon.
“At the same time, the radiation danger of natural radon in Belarus has received little coverage. Still not developed National program research on the problem of radon and protection of the population from exposure to this gas. But epidemiological studies have long discovered a direct connection between radon exposure and cancer, says Leonid Lipnitsky.
Where does radon come out?
In general, there are hundreds of faults running under Belarus. Full size map of them
“On the territory of Minsk, one fault runs approximately along the Svisloch, the second - from southwest to northeast, the third - along the western part of the city, partially under Pushkin Avenue,” says Alexander Karabanov. — Faults can be more than a kilometer wide (it differs in different areas) and do not run in a straight line.
In the 1990s, measurements of radon content were taken over faults in Belarus, and there its concentration increased several times. In addition to it, anomalies of geophysical fields are noted in these places.
However, it’s not only the faults that cause noise.
“High concentrations of radon in the soil air are formed in zones of gravel-pebble, moraine and some other clay deposits, as well as in the shallow occurrence of granite rocks,” notes engineer of the Joint Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research (Sosny) Lev Vasilevsky.— In the Gomel region there is a fault on a fault, but there is less radon there compared to the Vitebsk region. However, in the north they are less studied. Radon can come not only from faults, but also from boulders and stones.
Where is "fonit" Minsk
The United Institute also carried out measurements in Minsk.
— We found an increased level of radon in Loshitsa, on the street. Mayakovsky, on Pushkin Ave., but these are isolated premises, for example, the registry office of the Frunzensky district. There is a lot of this gas in the Sosyny area. For example, in a quarry near the Moscow Ring Road there is 800 Bq per cubic meter, which is four times higher than the norm established for residential premises, the specialist adds.
Chief geophysicist of the Geophysical Expedition Alexander Belyashov agrees that where there are moraines (glacial deposits. - TUT.BY note), there is increased radioactivity. In the north it is higher than in the south. There are a lot of clay rocks there.
“Our radiologists made a correlation map between cancer incidence and exposure dose rate. Conclusion: soil composition is associated with cancer and other diseases,” the interlocutor clarifies.
Zoning scheme for radon concentration in soil air (No. 1−4, 6 - potentially radon-hazardous areas). Source: Institute of Natural Resources Management of the National Academy of Sciences In general, when doctors say that they do not always understand why people in a certain area get sick more, they may simply not be taking into account the radon factor.
Logically, citizens living on fault lines and in “dark” territories should be warned about the danger.
— In these areas, special work must be carried out to prevent the penetration of radon into premises, especially residential ones, by concreting and other methods. It is important! - insists Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Alexey Matveev.
But the population is not warned. However, it cannot be said that Belarus is completely ignoring the problem.
“In our country, during new construction, radon in the soil must be measured, and building materials undergo careful control,” clarifies Alexander Belyashov.
Abroad, the problem has been given due attention for so long that no one notices that “anti-radon” protection is being done.
— A Swedish specialist came to us and advised us on faults. They have a clear correlation between the amount of radon in the home and the incidence of cancer. The problem there intensified long ago, when energy-saving housing with insulated facades and airtight windows came into fashion. They began to save on heating, but the number of diseases, including cancer, increased, says Alexander Belyashov. — In countries with a high radon hazard, there is forced sealing and ventilation of basements. This is in the building regulations. And it's not even discussed.
Indeed, there are no other ways to combat radon: only concreting and regular ventilation. It's enough.
The money has run out
Research on radon is carried out to the best of our ability by the Joint Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research, the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Geophysical Expedition of the Research and Production Center for Geology.
Through the efforts of Belarusian scientists, a map of radon risk was created based on measurements in the air of buildings. It was presented in 2015. Judging by the map, increased concentrations of radon are in the premises of the Vitebsk, Grodno, and northeastern regions of the Mogilev regions. There are “spots” with dangerous radon concentrations ranging from 200-400 Bq per cubic meter in the Vitebsk, Grodno and Mogilev regions. To compile the radon risk map, 3594 measurements were used in 454 localities.
Map of radon concentration in rooms (No. 5 - the darkest spots - 200−400 Bq). Check if there is a nuclear power plant, plant or nuclear research institute, radioactive waste or nuclear missile storage facility near you.
Nuclear power plants
Currently, there are 10 nuclear power plants in operation in Russia and two more are under construction (Baltic NPP in Kaliningrad region and the floating nuclear power plant "Akademik Lomonosov" in Chukotka). You can read more about them on the official website of Rosenergoatom.
At the same time, nuclear power plants in space former USSR cannot be considered numerous. As of 2017, 191 nuclear power plants are operating in the world, including 60 in the USA, 58 in European Union and Switzerland and 21 in China and India. In close proximity to the Russian Far East 16 Japanese and 6 South Korean nuclear power plants operate. The entire list of operating, under construction and closed nuclear power plants, indicating them exact location and technical specifications can be found on Wikipedia.
Nuclear factories and research institutes
Radiation hazardous facilities (RHO), in addition to nuclear power plants, are enterprises and scientific organizations of the nuclear industry and ship repair yards specializing in the nuclear fleet.
Official information on radioactive waste in the regions of Russia is on the website of Roshydromet, as well as in the yearbook “Radiation Situation in Russia and Neighboring States” on the website of the NPO Typhoon.
Radioactive waste
Low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste is generated in industry, as well as in scientific and medical organizations throughout the country.
In Russia, their collection, transportation, processing and storage are carried out by Rosatom subsidiaries - RosRAO and Radon (in the Central region).
In addition, RosRAO is engaged in the disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned nuclear submarines and naval ships, as well as the environmental rehabilitation of contaminated areas and radiation-hazardous sites (such as the former uranium processing plant in Kirovo-Chepetsk).
Information about their work in each region can be found in environmental reports published on the websites of Rosatom, branches of RosRAO, and the Radon enterprise.
Military nuclear facilities
Among military nuclear facilities, the most environmentally dangerous are apparently nuclear submarines.
Nuclear submarines (NPS) are so called because they run on atomic energy, which powers the boat's engines. Some of the nuclear submarines also carry missiles with nuclear warheads. However, major accidents on nuclear submarines known from open sources were associated with the operation of reactors or other causes (collision, fire, etc.), and not with nuclear warheads.
Nuclear power plants are also available on some surface ships of the Navy, such as the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great. They also pose some environmental risks.
Information on the locations of nuclear submarines and nuclear ships of the Navy is shown on the map based on open source data.
The second type of military nuclear facilities are units of the Strategic Missile Forces armed with ballistic nuclear missiles. No cases of radiation accidents associated with nuclear ammunition have been found in open sources. The current location of Strategic Missile Forces formations is shown on the map according to information from the Ministry of Defense.
There are no nuclear storage sites on the map (missile warheads and aerial bombs), which can also pose an environmental threat.
Nuclear explosions
In 1949-1990, the USSR carried out an extensive program of 715 nuclear explosions for military and industrial purposes.
Atmospheric nuclear weapons testing
From 1949 to 1962 The USSR carried out 214 tests in the atmosphere, including 32 ground tests (with the greatest environmental pollution), 177 air tests, 1 high-altitude test (at an altitude of more than 7 km) and 4 space tests.
In 1963, the USSR and the USA signed a treaty banning nuclear tests in air, water and space.
Semipalatinsk test site (Kazakhstan)- the site of testing the first Soviet nuclear bomb in 1949 and the first Soviet prototype thermonuclear bomb with a yield of 1.6 Mt in 1957 (it was also the largest test in the history of the test site). A total of 116 atmospheric tests were carried out here, including 30 ground and 86 air tests.
Test site on Novaya Zemlya- the site of an unprecedented series of super-powerful explosions in 1958 and 1961-1962. A total of 85 charges were tested, including the most powerful in world history - the Tsar Bomba with a capacity of 50 Mt (1961). For comparison, the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima did not exceed 20 kilotons. In addition, in the Chernaya Bay of the Novaya Zemlya test site, the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion on naval facilities were studied. For this, in 1955-1962. 1 ground, 2 surface and 3 underwater tests were carried out.
Missile test training ground "Kapustin Yar" V Astrakhan region- an active training ground for the Russian army. In 1957-1962. 5 air, 1 high-altitude and 4 space rocket tests were carried out here. The maximum power of air explosions was 40 kt, high-altitude and space explosions - 300 kt. From here, in 1956, a rocket with a nuclear charge of 0.3 kt was launched, which fell and exploded in the Karakum Desert near the city of Aralsk.
On Totsky training ground in 1954, military exercises were held, during which an atomic bomb with a yield of 40 kt was dropped. After the explosion, the military units had to “take” the bombed objects.
Besides the USSR, only China has carried out nuclear tests in the atmosphere in Eurasia. For this purpose, the Lopnor training ground was used in the north-west of the country, approximately at the longitude of Novosibirsk. In total, from 1964 to 1980. China has carried out 22 ground and air tests, including thermonuclear explosions with a yield of up to 4 Mt.
Underground nuclear explosions
The USSR carried out underground nuclear explosions from 1961 to 1990. Initially, they were aimed at the development of nuclear weapons in connection with the ban on atmospheric testing. Since 1967, the creation of nuclear explosive technologies for industrial purposes began.
In total, of the 496 underground explosions, 340 were carried out at the Semipalatinsk test site and 39 at Novaya Zemlya. Tests on Novaya Zemlya in 1964-1975. were distinguished by their high power, including a record (about 4 Mt) underground explosion in 1973. After 1976, the power did not exceed 150 kt. The last nuclear explosion at the Semipalatinsk test site was carried out in 1989, and at Novaya Zemlya in 1990.
Training ground "Azgir" in Kazakhstan (near the Russian city of Orenburg) it was used to test industrial technologies. With the help of nuclear explosions, cavities were created here in the rock salt layers, and with repeated explosions, radioactive isotopes were produced in them. A total of 17 explosions with a power of up to 100 kt were carried out.
Outside the ranges in 1965-1988. 100 underground nuclear explosions were carried out for industrial purposes, including 80 in Russia, 15 in Kazakhstan, 2 each in Uzbekistan and Ukraine, and 1 in Turkmenistan. Their goal was deep seismic sounding to search for minerals, creating underground cavities for storing natural gas and industrial waste, intensifying oil and gas production, moving large amounts of soil for the construction of canals and dams, and extinguishing gas fountains.
Other countries. China carried out 23 underground nuclear explosions at the Lop Nor test site in 1969-1996, India - 6 explosions in 1974 and 1998, Pakistan - 6 explosions in 1998, North Korea - 5 explosions in 2006-2016.
The US, UK and France conducted all their testing outside of Eurasia.
Literature
Much data about nuclear explosions in the USSR is open.
Official information about the power, purpose and geography of each explosion was published in 2000 in the book of a group of authors of the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy “Nuclear Tests of the USSR”. It also provides a history and description of the Semipalatinsk and Novaya Zemlya test sites, the first tests of nuclear and thermonuclear bombs, the Tsar Bomba test, the nuclear explosion at the Totsk test site and other data.
A detailed description of the test site on Novaya Zemlya and the testing program there can be found in the article “Review of Soviet nuclear tests on Novaya Zemlya in 1955-1990”, and their environmental consequences in the book “
List of nuclear facilities compiled in 1998 by Itogi magazine, on the Kulichki.com website.
Estimated location of various objects on interactive maps
It is located ten kilometers from the borders with the Republic of Belarus, which determined extremely high pollution southern parts states by radioactive elements released from an emergency nuclear reactor.
Almost from the first day of the accident, the territory of the republic was subject to radioactive fallout, which became especially intense from April 27. The direction of the wind changed and until April 29, the wind carried radioactive dust in the direction of the Republic of Belarus and.
Due to intense contamination of the territory, 24,725 people were evacuated from Belarusian villages, and three regions of the Republic of Belarus were declared a Chernobyl exclusion zone. Today, at 2100 sq. km of alienated Belarusian territories, where the evacuation of the population was carried out, was organized. To characterize the contamination of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, we publish maps of radioactive fallout. The maps show the levels of contamination of the territory of the Republic of Belarus with 137 Cs.
The author of the cartographic materials is the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic, which jointly published the Atlas of modern and forecast aspects of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the affected territories of Russia and Belarus.
Map of Gomel region 137 Cs pollution
The Gomel region is one of the most affected by the accident. Pollution levels range from 1 to 40 or more Curie/km 2 for 137 Cs. As can be seen from the map of pollution of the Gomel region in 1986, the maximum levels of pollution were in the southern and northern parts areas. Central regions regions and city Gomel had pollution up to 5 Curie / km 2.
1986 year cesium-137
Map of pollution of the Gomel region in 1996 year (cesium-137)
Map of pollution of the Gomel region in 2006 year (cesium-137)
By 20016, 30 years after contamination, the half-life of cesium-137 will pass and the levels of surface contamination in the Gomel region will not exceed 15 Curie/km 2 for 137 Cs (outside the territory of the Polesie State Radiation-Ecological Reserve).
Map of pollution of the Gomel region in 2016 year (cesium-137)
Map of predicted pollution values in the Gomel region in 2056 year
Map of Minsk region 137 Cs pollution
Pollution map of the Minsk region in 1986
Levels of radionuclide contamination in the Minsk region cesium-137 in 2046 will not exceed 1 Curie 137 Cs. For details, see the map of forecast pollution estimates for the Minsk region.
Forecast values of pollution of the Minsk region in 2046 for cesium-137
Map of Brest region contamination with 137 Cs
The Brest region of the Republic of Belarus was exposed to radionuclide contamination in the eastern part. The maximum levels of surface contamination in the Brest region after the Chernobyl accident (in 1986) were about 5 - 10 Curies / km 2 for 137 Cs.
1986
Map of pollution of the Brest region after the Chernobyl accident in 1996
Map of cesium-137 radionuclide contamination in the Brest region 2006 year
2016 year
Forecast map of cesium-137 radionuclide contamination in the Brest region 2056 year
Map of contamination of the Mogilev region with radionuclide 137 Cs
Map of pollution of the Mogilev region after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (1986)
Map of pollution of the Mogilev region after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant ( 1996 year)
Map of contamination of the Mogilev region with cesium-137 radionuclide ( 2006 year)
Predicted contamination of the Mogilev region with cesium-137 radionuclide in 2016
Predicted contamination of the Mogilev region with cesium-137 radionuclide in 2056
- The material was prepared according to the data of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus " Atlas of modern and forecast aspects of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the affected territories of Russia and Belarus. «
In the first days after the Chernobyl accident, the greatest danger to the population came from the rapidly decaying isotope iodine-131.
In the first decades after Chernobyl, the biggest threat was cesium-137. This isotope deposited the most, but its half-life is 30 years.
Over time, the most dangerous consequence of the Chernobyl accident is americium-241, a decay product of plutonium-241. The danger of americium is that its quantity only increases over time. Its half-life is enormous - 433 years. And it is a source of alpha radiation, and this is a mortal threat to a living organism.
Plutonium is a heavy element. Therefore, it fell only in the territory of the Chernobyl zone and around it. It’s easy to protect yourself from plutonium: the main thing is to follow the rules of personal hygiene and economic activity.
In general, radiation is not mysticism, but the result of chemical processes. And you need to treat it scientifically, then you can live in peace. Physicist Valery Gurachevsky told Nasha Niva about the impact of radioactive isotopes.
- 30 years have passed since the Chernobyl disaster. This is not just another round date, but also the half-life of the main radioactive isotopes that contaminated the territory of Belarus after the explosion - cesium-137 and strontium-90. From these isotopes, new substances are formed as a result of decay. How dangerous are they?
Valery Gurachevsky: The half-life period has ended - this means that half of all this type of radionuclide has turned into stable nuclides that no longer emit. In another 30 years, half of the volume that remains will decay, then another half... For the entire volume of cesium and strontium that fell as a result of the Chernobyl accident to decrease by 1024 times, 10 half-lives are needed - three hundred years. So this story will drag on for a long time.
Map of cesium-137 contamination of territories after the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
Map of cesium-137 contamination in 2015
Map of predicted contamination of territories with cesium-137 for 2026 and 2046.
- From radioactive strontium-90, as a result of decay, yttrium-90 is formed, and then the stable metal zirconium. Is yttrium dangerous?
VG:Yes, yttrium-90 is also radioactive. Strontium, when decaying, releases a beta particle, resulting in yttrium. Yttrium, in turn, also emits a beta particle.
But yttrium has a very short half-life - 64 hours; when calculating the danger for strontium, yttrium is automatically taken into account. As much as there was strontium, there would be as much yttrium. There is no accumulation. But yttrium beta radiation is more dangerous than strontium radiation for living organisms, and in fact, when we talk about the dangers of strontium, this is not entirely true. Means yttrium.
Map of territorial contamination with strontium-90 and plutonium isotopes in 2015.
The body mistakes cesium and strontium for potassium and calcium.
- What is their effect on living organisms?
VG:Strontium is in the same column of the periodic table as calcium. And living organisms define them as elements with similar properties: these substances accumulate in bones, unlike cesium-137, which (like potassium) accumulates in soft tissues. And nature has provided an excellent way to remove toxins from the soft tissues of the body - the genitourinary system. There is such a concept - the half-life from the body. For cesium this is a couple of months. This means that within a year it is almost completely eliminated from the body.
But nature did not provide such a system for bones. Therefore, what is accumulated in them is almost never removed. Beta radiation from strontium accumulated in the bones affects the red bone marrow, a hematopoietic organ. At large doses, strontium accumulated in the body can cause blood cancer. But, I repeat, we are talking about very large doses. None of the population received such doses, only a small number of liquidators.
- How does strontium enter the body?
VG:Radionuclides, strontium in particular, enter the body through food, water, and milk.
- Where in Belarus can food products be tested for radionuclide content?
VG:In Belarus, more than 800 laboratories are engaged in radiation monitoring of food products. Almost any enterprise that produces food has a radiation control point. Radiation control points exist in the system of the Ministry of Health (sanitary and epidemiological institutions) and in large markets.
- Does strontium accumulated in bones behave the same way as in nature? Does it decay into yttrium and then into zirconium?
VG:Yes, but the concentration of this substance in the body is microscopic.
Half-life - 432 years
- IN Lately they began to talk about a new radiation isotope - americium, which is formed as a result of the decay of radioactive plutonium. But first I’ll ask a question about plutonium: where did it fall out most after the Chernobyl accident?
VG:Cesium and strontium are fission fragments of uranium nuclei. But, in addition to fragments in the reactor, nuclei of transuranium elements are formed, heavier than uranium. The predominant role is played by four of their types: pluton-238, pluton-239, pluton-240 and pluton-241. They are formed in the bowels of the reactor and were released into the atmosphere after the accident. These are heavy substances: 97% of them fell within a radius of approximately 30 kilometers around Chernobyl. This is a resettled zone where it is not so easy for a person to get to. Three of these isotopes - 238, 239 and 240 - have alpha radiation. In terms of the strength of its impact on living organisms, alpha radiation is 20 times more dangerous than beta and gamma radiation.
But here's the paradox: plutonium-241 has beta radiation. It would seem that there is less harm from it. But it is precisely this that during decay turns into americium-241 - a source of alpha radiation. The half-life of plutonium-241 is 14 years. That is, two periods have already passed, and three quarters of the precipitated substance has turned into americium.
Plutonium-241 fell the most during the Chernobyl accident - this is due to technical characteristics reactor. And now it turns into americium-241. Previously, there was no americium in the 30-kilometer zone around the reactor and beyond, but now it appears. Its content also increases outside the 30-kilometer zone, where transuraniums were present, but in quantities not exceeding the permissible level. And now we need to monitor whether the americium content exceeds the permissible level or not.
Acceptable level
- What is the acceptable level?
VG:The legislation does not yet take into account americium-241, and the exact permissible limits for its content in nature have not been determined. But they should be approximately the same as for other isotopes with alpha radiation. And now we are observing an alarming situation: in zones located close to the reactor, the level of alpha radiation is growing and the size of these zones is increasing. Forecast: by 2060, there will be twice as much americium as there are now all plutonium isotopes combined. And the half-life of americium is 432 years. So this is a problem for many, many years.
Clothing will protect you from external radiation
- They write on the Internet that americium radiation has a very high penetrating ability.
VG:The penetrating power of alpha radiation is negligible. But provided that radiation affects the body from the outside. You can hide from such radiation with a sheet of paper - and the paper absorbs alpha radiation. For humans, the role of such paper is performed by the keratinized top layer of skin. Yes, and clothing must be taken into account - after all, no one runs around the zone naked. But there is also internal radiation - if a source of alpha radiation enters the body. With food, for example. And it is already dangerous, since the body has nothing to protect itself from it from the inside. 80–90% of radiation doses received by the population today, as well as radiation-related diseases, are the result of internal exposure.
- In what organs does americium accumulate?
VG:In bones, like strontium. This is a dangerous radionuclide. But, I repeat, there is no need to panic. It is necessary to conduct research and measurements.
- Is it true that americium has greater volatility compared to the original plutonium and therefore it is easier for it to “capture” new territories?
VG:Volatility is approximately the same. Perhaps it has a greater ability than plutonium to move from soil to plants, but this still needs to be checked.
Radical forecast: up to the resettlement of part of the Rechitsa district
- Are there any studies being conducted on the content of americium in the soil and its distribution?
VG:Yes. This is done by the Center for Radiation Control and Environmental Monitoring of the Ministry of Nature, the Polesie State Radiation Reserve - it has an excellent laboratory, thanks to our Western partners. The Gomel Institute of Radiobiology and the Institute of Radiology of the Ministry of Emergency Situations also have the appropriate equipment.
- But a simple farmer or the chairman of a collective farm, will he be able to test his products for americium content in the nearest of those 800 radiation control laboratories?
VG:Detection of americium is possible only in laboratories with radiochemical equipment. This is a lengthy and expensive study. But, if someone turns to the above institutions, I think they will be helped there. Most of the 800 laboratories named can determine the level of cesium-137 and potassium-40. Research on strontium is not carried out everywhere.
- Which territories of Belarus are contaminated (or may be contaminated in subsequent years) with americium?
VG:Scientists disagree about this. Some believe that the situation is very serious, and even part of the Rechitsa district may fall into the infection zone.
- And what measures can be taken to protect yourself?
VG:I repeat, this is only a version. But in extreme cases, no measures will help. Only control. And, if the situation develops as the mentioned scientists predict, it will lead to resettlement.
Main radionuclides in an emergency release
From the book by V. Gurachevsky “Introduction to Nuclear Energy. Chernobyl accident and its consequences."
Valery Gurachevsky. Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Associate Professor. One of the initiators of the creation and head of the Center for Radiology and Product Quality in the Agro-Industrial Complex at the Belarusian State Agrotechnical University. Author of more than 100 scientific publications, several books - incl. books “Introduction to Nuclear Energy. Chernobyl accident and its consequences."
In the Polesie Radiation Reserve, americium was found in the bodies of wild boars, because boars dig the ground and eat root vegetables with the soil
Vyacheslav Zabrodsky, head of the laboratory of the Polesie State Radiation-Ecological Reserve, told NN about how the level of americium in the soil is studied. The laboratory has American alpha and gamma spectrometers from Canberra, which can be used to study the content of americium and other radioactive isotopes in soil and food.
Vyacheslav Zabrodsky next to the gamma spectrometer
Determining the level of gamma radiation in soil and sediment samples, said Vyacheslav Zabrodsky, is not an expensive process. However, alpha spectrometry requires measurements that are a thousand times more precise. The process takes about seven days and requires expensive reagents - analysis of one sample can cost about two million rubles. When asked whether a farmer who wants to test his products or soil can contact the laboratory, the manager answered positively. True, he noted, no one has yet applied.
At any point in the reserve, a small amount of americium is present in the soil, says Zabrodsky. It may also be in surrounding areas. The scientist notes that, as a consequence of nuclear tests, americium is found anywhere in the world. In a lower concentration, of course.
If americium is contained in the soil, why does the legislative framework not change, why are the standards for its content not defined? Perhaps this is why they are in no hurry, notes Zabrodsky, because americium has a fairly low coefficient of transition into living organisms. This is due to the fact that, for example, cesium and strontium are radiation analogs of potassium and calcium, elements that are the basis of biological life. And americium and plutonium, from which it is formed, are perceived by the body as foreign elements. And thus they remain in the soil and do not pass into plants.
And yet, this radioactive couch potato has a chance of getting into the human body. For example, through the organisms of those whose diet includes soil.
“We conducted research on wild boars,- says Zabrodsky. - Soil makes up 2% of their diet. We even found americium and plutonium in their muscle tissue. Detection capabilities were at a minimum, but they were found.”
Can these isotopes enter the body through smoke?
Unlikely, Zabrodsky notes. “When there were fires in Khoiniki, we collected samples of smoke particles and soot. There was cesium and strontium in them, but not plutonium or americium, since it is not in wood.”
Radiation situation on the territory of the Polesie Radiation-Ecological Reserve
Dmitry Pavlov: All the plutonium fell out in a closed area
“Legislation can and should be changed,- says Dmitry Pavlov, head of the rehabilitation department for affected areas of the Department for Elimination of Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. - But first you need to evaluate the feasibility. All of our plutonium fell out in a closed area, in a nature reserve, where we do not allow tourists or walking groups. Why should the rules applicable to this territory be extended to the entire country?
Yes, there is a problem in the reserve: nuclear fuel fell out in the form of dispersed particles during the explosion. And you can pick up this particle on your shoes and move it in any direction. Therefore, there is a situation when at one point the background radiation is normal, but five meters later it is hundreds of times higher.”
But the problem with America, Pavlov believes, is being artificially inflated: “For some reason, no one compares the areas of distribution of americium and self-purification of soils from cesium and strontium - look at the difference in areas there. Ukraine and Russia envy us because we did not abandon these territories. We don’t have as much land as in Russia to be able to abandon them. People live and work there. How can you get clean products there? For example, fertilizers are applied and they replace the cesium present in the soil.”
Map of the radiation situation in the Gomel region in 2015.
Map of the radiation situation in the Minsk region in 2015.
Map of the radiation situation in the Mogilev region in 2015.
Map of the radiation situation in the Grodno region in 2015.
Map of the radiation situation in the Brest region in 2015.
How is strontium level in milk measured?
Dmitry Pavlov also agreed to comment on the high-profile case of milk taken for testing at a Belarusian farm 45 km from Chernobyl. In that milk, according to Associated Press journalists, a tenfold excess of strontium-90 content was detected.
The study of that milk, explained Dmitry Pavlov, was carried out on the MKS-AT1315 device produced by the Belarusian enterprise Atomtech. To determine the content of each radioactive isotope, the sample must be prepared in a special way. The simplest analysis is for cesium-137. A liter of liquid milk is enough for it; such an analysis requires 30 minutes.
Strontium analysis requires special training samples. Firstly, there must be at least three liters of milk. First, it is evaporated for five days and passed through a special filter. Then the dry matter remaining on the filter is burned. And from three liters of milk a couple of tens of grams of burned substance comes out. In it, the device determines the level of strontium content, and then, using calculation tables, the content of the radionuclide in the initial three liters of milk is calculated.
An analysis for strontium was not even carried out at that time, but in the measurement protocol that the journalists received, the device automatically produced numbers for all measurements possible on it. For strontium-90 and potassium-40, these numbers are arbitrary, completely random, explains Dmitry Pavlov.
Americium is the 95th element of the periodic table. Synthesized in 1944 in Chicago. Named after America, just as a previously identified element with a similar outer shell of electrons was named after Europe.
Soft metal, glows in the dark due to its own alpha radiation. The isotope americium-241 accumulates in spent weapons-grade plutonium - this is responsible for the presence of alpha radiation in nuclear waste. The half-life of americium-241 is 432.2 years.
Diagram of the electron shells of the americium atom.
Analysis for americium content can only be carried out in laboratories with radiochemical equipment. This is done by the Center for Radiation Control and Environmental Monitoring of the Ministry of Nature, the Polesie State Radiation Reserve, the Gomel Institute of Radiobiology and the Institute of Radiology of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
