Abstract
The emissions of ^{137}hbox {Cs} into the environment from the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 led to the need to decontaminate large areas to avert radiation doses to the population in the affected areas. To be able to perform cost-effective and sustainable remediation, knowledge is needed about how radiation doses can be minimized through optimized interventions such that the greatest possible reduction in radiation dose is obtained with the smallest possible negative impact on the area. Theoretical calculations have been performed to determine how radiation doses in single family houses in a typical Swedish residential suburb arise from a hypothetical ^{137}hbox {Cs} deposition on the ground. The intention was to highlight how remediation of different parts of the surroundings affects the radiation dose to the residents in a particular property. A Monte Carlo model of the houses and the environment in a suburban area was set up to allow calculations of the dose contributions from different contaminated ground areas such as their own property, neighbouring properties, streets and surrounding recreational areas. Calculations were performed for eleven observation points inside different rooms of the house and one observation point in the garden outside the house, for four houses in the neighbourhood, and for two types of building construction material. The influence of the time spent in different rooms of the house and the contamination of areas surrounding the house was studied. The results show that in general the main dose contribution originates from their own property, but that a significant part (30–80%, depending on the observation point) can come from other areas, showing the importance of considering the surroundings in remediation actions. More detailed analysis of the results showed that the dose contribution from a source region is in general highly dependent on the position of windows in a brick house, whereas for a wooden house the distance to the source region is also of relevance.
Highlights
Fukushima in 2011 led to the need to decontaminate large areas to avert radiation doses to the population in the affected areas
The results are similar for the model with wooden houses, the average value is slightly higher than for the model with brick houses, over 45%, as the wooden construction material provides less shielding, and the dose contribution is higher from areas that are closer to the observation points
The results presented in this study, illustrate how radioactively contaminated ground areas in a typical Northern European suburban neighbourhood contribute to the external dose inside and outside of typical Northern European dwellings
Summary
Fukushima in 2011 led to the need to decontaminate large areas to avert radiation doses to the population in the affected areas. To be able to perform cost-effective and sustainable remediation, knowledge is needed about how radiation doses can be minimized through optimized interventions such that the greatest possible reduction in radiation dose is obtained with the smallest possible negative impact on the area. The release of the radionuclide 137Cs (half-life 30.05 years) into the environment from the nuclear power plant accidents in Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986 and Fukushima in Japan in 2011 led to the need to decontaminate large inhabited areas to avert radiation doses to the population as it has been the most important radionuclide with regard to long-term effects of radioactive contamination in both a ccidents[1]. The calculations and results presented in this study are a step towards gaining the knowledge required for the optimization of remediation measures
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