Abstract
For the current on-site evaluation of the environmental contamination and contributory external exposure after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) and the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples from each area were analyzed by gamma spectrometry. Four artificial radionuclides (241Am, 134Cs, 137Cs, and 60Co) were detected in surface soil around CNPP, whereas seven artificial radionuclides (241Am, 57Co, 137Cs, 95Zr, 95Nb, 58Co, and 60Co) were detected in surface soil around SNTS. Effective doses around CNPP were over the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1991). These levels in a contaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 were high, whereas levels in a decontaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 and another contaminated area 15 km from Unit 4 were comparatively low. On the other hand, the effective doses around SNTS were below the public dose limit. These findings suggest that the environmental contamination and effective doses on the ground definitely decrease with decontamination such as removing surface soil, although the effective doses of the sampling points around CNPP in the present study were all over the public dose limit. Thus, the remediation of soil as a countermeasure could be an extremely effective method not only for areas around CNPP and SNTS but also for areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), and external exposure levels will be certainly reduced. Long-term follow-up of environmental monitoring around CNPP, SNTS, and FNPP, as well as evaluation of the health effects in the population residing around these areas, could contribute to radiation safety and reduce unnecessary exposure to the public.
Highlights
On April 26, 1986, one of the most serious nuclear accidents involving radiation exposure occurred at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP), located in Ukraine about 20 km south of the border with the Republic of Belarus
The concentrations of detected artificial radionuclides in surface soil samples around Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) were higher than those of lower layers and the prevalent radionuclides were mainly accumulated in the surface layer
The concentrations of detected artificial radionuclides other than 241Am in surface soil samples around Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS) were higher than those of lower layers and those radionuclides were mainly accumulated in the surface layer
Summary
On April 26, 1986, one of the most serious nuclear accidents involving radiation exposure occurred at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP), located in Ukraine about 20 km south of the border with the Republic of Belarus. 400 million people resided in territories that were contaminated with radioactivity at a level higher than 4 kBq/m2 (0.11 Ci/km2) from April to July 1986 [3]. In 2000, the total inventories of the fuel component radionuclides in the upper 30 cm of the soil layer in the 30-km Chernobyl zone in Ukraine were estimated as 0.4–0.5% of the radionuclide amounts in the CNPP Unit 4 at the moment of the accident [2]. Fission products such as plutonium (Pu) and neutron-induced radioactivity were detected in the soil samples from SNTS
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