Радиационно-экологический мониторинг агроэкосистем в зоне воздействия АЭС: методология и результаты исследований

Abstract

Purpose: Justification of the necessity to establish and maintain a system of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems in the vicinity of nuclear power plants at all stages of the life cycle of a radiation-hazardous facility.
 Material and methods: The paper presents methodological approaches (sanitary-hygienic and environmental) to radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems in the region of the NPP location. The tasks of the radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems are defined, and its organisation and management stages are highlighted. The article displays the features of the development of programs and regulations of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems. The main objects of radioecological monitoring, parameters to be monitored, and also the frequency of monitoring observations are determined. The principles of locating the control points on the monitoring network are substantiated.
 Results: The results of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems in the impact zones of the Kursk and Rostov NPPs are presented. The approaches to the creation of a monitoring network, taking into account the peculiarities of the regions of the NPPs’ location (landscape, soil, economic), are demonstrated. It is shown that the contamination density of agricultural lands by 90Sr varies in the range of 0.47–1.74 kBq/m2, and by 137Cs – 2.7–9.7 kBq/m2 for Kursk NPP and, for Rostov NPP it is 0.36–2.57 kBq/m2 by 90Sr and 2.25–4.55 kBq/m2 by 137Cs. Over the entire period of monitoring observations, none of the samples of agricultural products appeared to have an excess of sanitary and hygienic standards for the content of radionuclides. Due to the consumption of food produced in 30-km observation zones, about 63 Bq/a of 90Sr and 195 Bq/a of 137Cs in the Kursk NPP observation zone and, respectively,133 and 184 Bq/a in the vicinity of Rostov NPP enter the diet of the local population, which is almost 400 times for 137Cs and 10–20 times for 90Sr below the annual ingestion limits respectively. Differences in the accumulation of radionuclides for the same crop in different years of observation come up to 1.5 times, due to the influence of soil and weather conditions, as well as different doses of ameliorants application.
 Conclusion: The results of the radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems confirm that the operation of the Kursk and Rostov NPPs in normal mode does not lead to a deterioration of the radiation situation in the regions where they are located. Radiation doses on the local population do not exceed the established standard values. The system of radioecological monitoring of agricultural ecosystems should be an integral component in the general system of radiation safety in the vicinities of NPPs and other radiation-hazardous facilities.