How do they monitor background radiation in Belarus? Americium: how to protect yourself from the deadly decay product of plutonium released by Chernobyl Radiation Belarus.
Radiation situation on the territory of the Republic of Belarus
RADIATION SITUATION IN
TERRITORIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS
Radiation monitoring in the Republic of Belarus was carried out in accordance with the “Instructions on the procedure for conducting observations of natural background radiation and radioactive pollution of atmospheric air, soil, surface and groundwater at radiation monitoring observation points”, approved by order of the Ministry natural resources and environmental protection of the Republic of Belarus dated 01.01.2001 No. 000 - OD and “List of those under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Protection environment of the Republic of Belarus radiation monitoring observation points”, approved by Resolution of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus dated January 1, 2001 No. 20 (Resolution No. 20).
In accordance with Resolution No. 20, in the fourth quarter of 2016, 42 radiation monitoring observation points operated on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, at which gamma radiation dose rate (hereinafter referred to as MD) measurements are carried out daily. At 24 observation points located throughout the Republic of Belarus, radioactive fallout from the atmosphere was monitored (sampling was carried out using horizontal tablets). At 5 observation points (Mozyr, Naroch, Pinsk, Braslav and Mstislavl), samples were taken daily to determine the total beta activity of natural atmospheric fallout, at 19 points - once every 10 days.
At 7 observation points located in the cities of Braslav, Gomel, Minsk, Mogilev, Mozyr, Mstislavl, Pinsk, sampling of radioactive aerosols in the ground layer of the atmosphere was carried out using filter ventilation units. Of these: at 5 points located in areas affected by nuclear power plants of neighboring countries, sampling is carried out daily; at two points (Minsk and Mogilev) - sampling is carried out on duty (once every 10 days).
All information on the MD of gamma radiation, radioactive fallout from the atmosphere and the content of radioactive aerosols in the air was entered into an automated data bank where meteorological data is stored.
In the fourth quarter of 2016, the radiation situation in the republic remained stable; not a single case of MD levels exceeding the established long-term values was detected.
As before, increased MD levels were recorded at observation points in the cities of Bragin and Slavgorod (average value for the quarter 0.54 µSv/h and 20 µSv/h, respectively), located in zones of radioactive contamination (Fig. 13, Fig. 14).
Figure 13 - Average MD value at radiation monitoring observation points in the Gomel region in the 4th quarter of 2016
Figure 14 - Average MD value at radiation monitoring observation points in the Mogilev region in the 4th quarter of 2016
In the rest of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, MD levels ranged from 0.10 to 0.12 μSv/h.
1. Levels of gamma radiation dose rate, radioactivity of natural fallout and aerosols in the air on the territory of the Republic of Belarus corresponded to the established long-term values.
2. In the territories contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, at radiation monitoring observation points, elevated MD levels remained as before in the cities of Bragin and Slavgorod (0.54 μSv/h and 20 μSv/h, respectively). In the rest of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, MD levels ranged from 0.10 to 0.12 μSv/h.
3. Current information on gamma radiation dose rate levels in the observation zones of the Chernobyl, Ignalina, Smolensk and Rivne nuclear power plants, received in the fourth quarter of 2016, indicates that the radiation situation remained stable.
4. The maximum monthly average values of the total beta activity of radioactive fallout from the atmosphere and the values of the total beta activity of aerosol concentrations in the surface layer of the atmosphere were significantly lower than the control levels of total beta activity.
* Location of border troops units
Radiation background and pollution maps
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After the greatest nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) in 1986, rainfall fell over vast areas. a large number of radioactive fallout (radionuclides). We present to your attention fragments of maps of contamination of the Brest region with Cesium-137 (half-life 30 years).
The distance from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to Domachevo is 452 km.
Measurement data of gamma radiation dose rate (μSv/h) on the radiation monitoring network in the Republic of Belarus
The natural background radiation in Belarus is 0.10 μSv/h
Maps of Cesium-137 pollution in the Brest region
(Fig. 1) As of 1998
(orange color shows the pollution zone from 1 to 5 Ku/km²)
(purchased from www.beltc.info
)
(Fig. 2
→
(Fig. 3
(downloaded from www.chernobyl.gov.by)
(Fig. 4) Map of contamination with Cesium-137 g.p. Domachevo and neighboring villages (1998)
Provided by: Administrator
Dosimeter readings Radex RD 1503 in Domachevo
Radex RD1503 is a household pocket device that assesses the radiation situation by 
the value of the ambient dose equivalent rate of gamma radiation (hereinafter - the dose rate), taking into account the contamination of objects by sources of beta particles, or the value of the exposure dose rate of gamma radiation (hereinafter - the exposure dose rate), taking into account the contamination of objects by sources of beta particles. It is used to assess the level of radiation on the ground, indoors and to assess radioactive contamination of materials and products.
For our area, background radiation (natural) is 10-11 microR/h (micro-Roentgen per hour). And everything higher is a man-made factor - Chernobyl.
Photos:
(near the "strip") 95.5KB
(near the abandoned monument to those killed border guards) 189KB
(near "system") 230KB
(near the abandoned monument to the fallen border guards) 165KB
(as you all know, granite and other rocks emit ionizing radiation, as I was convinced of) 164KB
(in the background on the left is the Velcom antenna, and on the right is MTS) 73KB
(against the background of the Chabarok bar) 167KB
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 |
|
In the SI system | In the old system |
|||
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 |
|
Effective dose | Sievert, Sv | 1 rem=0.01 Sv | radiation dose, taking into account different sensitivity of organs to radiation |
|
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 the 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 this 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 big amount exposed people may increase the level of cancer incidence. 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 district center- in the system of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Health, Belkooperatsiya.
In addition, you can reduce the risk of radioactive contamination from food by preparing food in a certain way.
Check if there is a nuclear power plant, plant or nuclear research institute, storage facility for radioactive waste or nuclear missiles near you.
Nuclear power plants
Currently, there are 10 nuclear power plants in operation in Russia and two more are under construction (the Baltic NPP in the 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, there are 191 nuclear power plants in operation worldwide, including 60 in the United States, 58 in the 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 their exact location and technical characteristics, 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, RosRAO branches, 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.
Atomic power plants There are also some naval surface ships, 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 storage facilities for nuclear weapons (missile warheads and aerial bombs) on the map, 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 was launched from nuclear charge 0.3 kt, fell and exploded in the Karakum Desert near the city of Aralsk.
On Totsky training ground in 1954, military exercises were held, during which it was dropped atomic bomb power 40 kt. 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, 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 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
Compared to Gomel, Grodno seemed completely safe place in Belarus. No one here talked about radiation, and children did not go for treatment to Canada, Germany and even Japan, like the victims of Chernobyl. The Grodno region is truly considered one of the most unpolluted regions of Belarus. In 1986, 23% of the territories of Belarus were contaminated with cesium-137 above 1 Curie per square kilometer. In the Grodno region, the most “volatile” radionuclide with an unacceptable density of contamination “settled” in three districts: Novogrudok, Ivyevsky and Dyatlovsky, says the Grodno Green Portal.
- 84 were registered in the region settlements with periodic radiation monitoring, where the density of cesium-137 contamination is from 1 to 5 Curies per square kilometer, including in the Novogrudok region - 12, in Ivyevsky - 50, Dyatlovsky - 22, says the head of the radiation hygiene department of the Grodno Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and public health Alexander Razmakhnin.5.2% is located in the radioactive contamination zone forest lands Grodno region. The distribution of cesium-137 isotopes was patchy, which is clearly visible on the maps. It is curious that the map of 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 shows a small spot with cesium-137 contamination from 5 to 15 Ci/sq. km (zone with the right to resettle) in the Novogrudok region. According to forecasts, by 2046, the area of radionuclide contamination with a contamination density of 1 to 5 Curies per square kilometer will remain only in the Novogrudok region. Compared to the Gomel region in the same year 2046 most of the region will continue to be contaminated with cesium-137 from 1 to 5 Ci/sq.km, in some areas - from 15 to 40 Ci/sq.km. Scientists have found that in the first 10 years after the disaster, residents of contaminated areas of the Grodno region received the least radiation compared to other regions of the country. For comparison: the indicators of the Gomel region are exceeded by almost 1,000 times (Gomel - 10,398 man-Sieverts, Grodno - 133). Meanwhile, the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster seems to bring good news - the half-life of “volatile” cesium has ended, which means the territories should be cleaner, but...
- The complete decay of cesium-137 lasts 300 years. From a physical point of view, this dose-forming radionuclide is now two times less. It seems like the danger should decrease, but this did not happen. Why? There are fewer radionuclides; they sink into the soil, where they are “grabbed and pulled” out by plant roots. And outside, people who have lost fear collect mushrooms, berries, and graze cows in these territories. What turns out to be a paradoxical thing is that there is less cesium, but the internal exposure of residents who eat these products becomes greater. Chernobyl has not gone away, it is next to us, and sometimes it becomes angrier than it was! There are still miracles to come: there is also plutonium, which is now “at rest” in the exclusion zone (half-life 24 thousand years), but as it decays, it turns into americium-241, and this is an equally strong and “mobile” radiation emitter. The territories that were contaminated with plutonium in 1986 will become 4 times larger by 2056, because plutonium will turn into americium, says Alexey Yablokov._ Radioactive contamination of the territory of the Republic of Belarus with iodine-131 on May 10, 1986 rad.org.by “Iodine strike”, which took place from May to July 1986 in Belarus, caused an increase in thyroid cancer (TC). The disease is officially recognized as the main medical consequence of the Chernobyl disaster. More than 50% of all cases of thyroid cancer in the group of 0-18 years in the 20 years after the accident occurred in children who were under 5 years old at the time of the “iodine shock.” According to official data, the number of people diagnosed with cancer (under 18 years of age at the time of the disaster) increased 200 times between 1989 and 2005. In addition, according to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, before the disaster (1985), 90% of children were classified as “virtually healthy.” By 2000, the number of such children was less than 20%, and in the heavily polluted areas of the Gomel region - 10%. According to official statistics, the number of disabled children increased 4.7 times between 1990 and 2002.
