Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Research Articles

ГОВІРКИ ЧОРНОБИЛЬСЬКОЇ ЗОНИ В ЛЕКСИКОГРАФІЧНОМУ ОПРАЦЮВАННІ

Emphasis is placed on the need to record dialect material in various forms (text and answers to special programs) to ensure complete information about the structural features of reductive dialects of the Ukrainian language continuum and the importance of their study, because the relocation of people to other dialects leads to the destruction of the entire dialect area. In dialectology, a new concept appeared, a new term – reductive speech. The term is used outside the area of Northern Kyiv and North-Eastern Zhytomyr – the dialects of the Chornobyl zone. This conditional name is already firmly established in dialectology, and it wants to be shared on April 26, 1986, on the language map of Ukraine, and no one singled out a group of dialects. Migration movements from the Central Polis to other regions of Ukraine after the Chernobyl disaster led to the management of the entire dialect area, as a large 30-kilometer zone has been in the area for almost 35 years as almost depopulated, and its inhabitants have moved to villages and towns in several regions. Record, preserve and explore the actually lost language systems – this is the most important task of dialectologists. The representation of the Chornobyl zone dialects in various scientific hearings – descriptive, linguogeographical and lexicographic – is analyzed. The titles in the articles of the work to some extent represent data, factual material that can become one's own land, an empirical basis for publishing a dictionary of Chernobyl dialects. It should be noted that ethnographers and ethnographers found it difficult to collect and publish extremely rich material on the dialects of the Chornobyl zone. And although there are no requirements in their hearings (no transcription record is given, phonetic variants cannot be traced), they can significantly help lexicographers-dialectologists when teaching dictionaries as interpretations of individual tokens.

Infectious Potential of the Causative Agent of Sunflower Phomopsis and Its Influence on Disease Expansion in Russia and Neighboring Countries

Phomopsis is a widespread sunflower disease in Russia and neighbouring countries. Phomopsis advanced infectious potential contributes to the disease expansion in the area of commercial sunflower cultivation in Eastern and South-eastern Europe. Phomopsis manifestation includes sunflower seed infection, pleomorphic sporulation of the pathogen in anamorphic stages and aerogenic inoculum of ascospores in the teleomorphic stage of its development. Infection of the seeds promotes the spread of the disease up to 9.5%; <i>α</i> and <i>β</i> spores produced during the anamorphic stage of the pathogen live cycle can infect sunflower plants with effectiveness close to 45.5%. Ascospores drive disease expansion defeating over 70% of plants in the local area. Three phytosanitary zones with different manifestations of Phomopsis are identified in the area of sunflower cultivation in Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. A distinct area where the disease is not represented forms the fourth zone. The territorial distribution of the zones and their sizes are presented in the form of a cartographic model in GIS with substantiation of the long-term territorial forecast of Phomopsis. Limitation of the sunflower Phomopsis expansion is possible only under the widespread application of the integrated protection system. Defining role in this disease protection system must belong to the sunflower assortment resistant to Phomopsis.

Organic carbon and nutrients drive prokaryote and metazoan communities in a floodplain aquifer

In an alluvial aquifer in the River Fulda Valley (Germany) the influence of agricultural inputs on the subterranean physical, chemical and biological relationships was examined. A 40-year-old (1977–1981) comprehensive data set on the groundwater microbiome plus metazoa was now analysed for the first time in full (measurements for up to 4 years: hydrological, chemical, physical, prokaryote, and metazoa characteristics). Four hydrogeochemically different groundwater zones were identified across the floodplain. In addition, the prokaryote (Archaea and Bacteria) and metazoan communities differed among the four zones. The hydraulic exchange between the alluvial aquifer and the River Fulda influenced the sites closest to the river, leading to the highest prokaryote and metazoan biomasses at these locations. An organic carbon plume zone of anthropogenic origin exhibited high prokaryote abundances and production, which were higher than in the surrounding mixing zone. This mixing zone represented a transition area to the river-influenced sites as well as to the fourth zone, which was characterized by high nutrient levels from intense agriculture and which exhibited low prokaryote abundance and activity and intermediate metazoan abundance. Despite high prokaryote productivity, metazoa did not favor the organic carbon plume, due probably to low oxygen concentrations. At the sites, where metazoa occurred, their biomass corresponded mostly to about one hundredth of the prokaryote biomass. The main implication from this new analysis of an old data set is that even on a coarse taxonomical resolution, patterns emerge that show – in a geologically homogeneous area – an unprecedented complexity among different groundwater zones resulting from different external influences of natural as well as anthropogenic origin. Future studies need to ascertain an adequate temporal and spatial resolution.

Chornobyl Phenomenon: Catastrophe, Experimental Area vs Curiousity Object

The article is devoted to a qualitative thematic study of the Chernobyl phenomenon as a holistic phenomenon that combines a number of manifestations: from objects of direct visual perception to legends and myths about events, processes and Chernobyl in general. The integrity of the image of the Chornobyl zone makes the Exclusion Zone an attractive tourist destination, especially for those who is interested in gaining such experience. At the same time, using the method of thematic research and based on statistics, the Chernobyl phenomenon is considered in its real context and as a kind of indirect means to determinethe level of interest of citizens of different countries in Ukraine (as a carrier of unique culture, history and world events). The results of the article are a contextual analysis of the phenomenon of Chernobyl as a tourist destination. Resource opportunities of nuclear tourism in the Chornobyl zone are analyzed. Methodological qualitative case study of the Chernobyl phenomenon includes accounting and description of tourist resources of Nature and resources of cultural identity of the cities of Pripyat, Chernobyl (with adjoining territories), which are cultural artifacts and are elements of the nuclear heritage of Ukraine, and can be included and presented in tourist routes. The contextual analysis of this study concerned the consideration and processing of data on the Chornobyl zone as a holistic phenomenon, from cartographic, textual documents, comparative analysis data of visitor loyalty, partial mathematical and statistical analysis of tourist attendance data. This case study is an approach to a comprehensive study of the phenomenon in the context of its actual existence using a variety of data sources. It is this comprehensiveness in the study of the phenomenon that ensures that the object is viewed from different angles, which allows you to reveal and understand all aspects of the phenomenon. The article reveals the main components of the Chernobyl phenomenon, mentions key tourist attractions that have their own history and shrouded in prophecies, legends and myths, as well as analyzes the tourist attendance of this destination by different categories of tourists, indicating significant interest in this territory.

Оцінка стану природних популяцій дрібних гризунів із трансформованих екосистем зони відчуження ЧАЕС за комплексом біологічних показників

Morphophysiological and hematological parameters of different species and ontogenesis types of mice rodents from the drained areas of the Chornobyl cooling pond were studied for the first time; comparative analysis, including data of control and stable populations of the Chornobyl exclusion zone, was performed. Radioecological characterization of the research sites was carried out; the contents of the main dose-forming radionuclides were determined; animals’ exposure doses were estimated. In all experimental groups, similar changes in the hematopoietic system were observed, however, pathological features were less pronounced in individuals from the drained areas of the cooling pond. It was revealed that in the animal body under the chronic low dose exposure activation of compensatory and recovery processes occurs along with the destructive processes. It has been shown that the lifetime increase in radiation exposure of mature animals causes the imbalance of bone marrow hematopoiesis with the gradual exhaustion of blood system potential.

90Sr adsorption from the aquatic environment of Chornobyl exclusion zone by chemically enhanced TiO2

This paper describes the testing of titanium dioxide, chemically modified by arsenate groups, as an adsorbent of 90Sr from the component of aquatic ecosystems of the Chornobyl exclusion zone. It is shown, that the chemical composition of the aquatic environment impacts 90Sr adsorption. The 4As-TiO2 adsorbent reduces the activity of some samples by almost 100 %, which indicates selectivity and high adsorption capacity of the adsorbent in relation to 90Sr. In some experiments, this value reached 100 %, and the activity was reduced to the level of the maximum permissible 90Sr concentration.

Реконструкція поглиненої дози іонізуючого випромінювання повітряно-водних рослин у водоймах ближньої зони аварії на Чорнобильській АЕС

Based on modeling the dynamics of the Chornobyl emission radionuclide content in the components of the most polluted reservoirs of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the absorbed dose for helophytes was reconstructed. During the growing season of 1986, the absorbed dose of plants of Glyboke Lake was 78 Gy, Daleke Lake 39 Gy. The absorbed dose rate of plant roots was 2.4 times higher than that of aboveground organs. According to actual data, in the period 2016 - 2019 in the Glyboke Lake average dose of external and internal plant irradiation was about 7.5 mGy/year, and in the Daleke Lake 5.6 mGy/year. On abnormally contaminated sections of the Glyboke Lake, the external dose reaches 0.5 - 1.0 Gy/year. During the period 1986 - 2020, the maximum cumulative (biological) dose of helophytes of Glyboke Lake can be 190 Gy, Daleke Lake 80 - 85 Gy.

Хід росту модальних соснових деревостанів Чорнобильської зони відчуження

In the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Scots pine stands, which cover an area of over 80,000 hectares, perform an important environmental function, in particular, they serve as a significant natural factor influencing the regional carbon balance of the region’s forest ecosystems. The efficiency of production of this function significantly depends on the balance of management decisions regarding forest management and rational use of forest resources within radiation-contaminated areas. The information base for ensuring sustainable forest management, including monitoring of radionuclide migration in forest ecosystems of the Exclusion zone, is represented by a set of reference and information support, an important component of which are yield tables for modal stands. In order to supplement this complex with information on the peculiarities of Scots pine stands growth, mathematical models of dynamics of biometric indices are proposed and forest typology-based yield tables of modal pine stands of Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are developed within this work. The information basis of the research is presented by information from the database of IA “Ukrderzhlisproekt”, which contains the biometric assessment characteristics of Scots pine stands in the study region, as well as data from 18 temporary sample plots. In course of modelling, power and exponential growth functions were used. As a result, mathematical models of mean height, mean diameter, sum of basal area, growing stock and total productivity of pine stands of the studied region are proposed. These mathematical dependences serve as a basis for the development of forest typology-based yield tables for modal Scots pine stands. In particular, yield tables for modal pine stands growing in dry infertile pine sites, fresh infertile pine sites, fresh fairly infertile pine-oak sites, moist fairly infertile pine-oak sites and moist fairly fertile hornbeam-oak-pine sites are proposed. The developed mathematical models describe the dynamics of biometric indices for more than 90 % of the area of Scots pine stands in the study region.

Виведення 137Cs з організму карася сріблястого (Carassius gibelio) за різної температурі води у природних умовах Чорнобильської зони відчуження

After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the activity concentration of radionuclides in fish reached hundreds of kBq kg-1. Determination in the dynamics of the content of radionuclides in the body of fish is necessary for the radiation protection of humans and the environment. The data presented in the literature are extremely contradictory and such large differences in the main parameters of radionuclide metabolism in fish require clarification in nature conditions. The aim of this work was to determine the rate of excretion (biological half-life) of 137Cs from the body of silver Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) at different water temperatures (1-29 °С) depending on the weight of the fish (20±5 and 40±6 g) in real conditions of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. As a result of experimental studies, the values of the biological half-life of 137Cs for silver carp was 193-495 days at water temperature 3.7±0.9 °C and 63-92 days at water temperature 22±4 °С were obtained. Due to an increase in the weight of fish (biodilution) at water temperatures &gt; 13 °C, the half-life of the activity concentration of 137Cs in the muscle tissue of fish decreased to 39-58 day-1. The obtained data correspond to the previously obtained values in aquarium experiments. The results obtained in this work show that the level of radioactive contamination of fish in winter will change slightly compared to summer time, which is also confirmed by experimental data obtained in aquarium experiments.

On In-Situ Disposal of ChNPP Facilities

The paper considers the possibility of applying in-situ disposal practice for Chornobyl exclusion zone facilities, in particular: ChNPP-1-3 that are under decommissioning, Shelter, RWDS ChNPP Stage III and RWDS Pidlisny. It was concluded that these facilities would not reach safety level over the next 300 years sufficient for clearance from regulatory control. In-situ disposal of ChNPP-1-3 would lead to a potential hazard related to a large amount of irradiated reactor graphite. Artificial barriers of concrete and bulk clay will not provide isolation of radionuclides, primarily radiocarbon, from the environment.&#x0D; The paper considers possible natural factors, the effect of which for the time required for the decay of radionuclides to acceptable level, can lead to destruction of surface storage facilities on ChNPP site. Such factors are as follows: probable transformation of Pripyat river valley; seismic influence related to both strong earthquakes in the Vrancea Zone (Romania) and the influence of local seismic centre. It raises issues connected with considering climate change, duration of and change in climate cycles for safety justification of in-situ disposal practices for ChNPP facilities. It was concluded that at this time it is impossible, to prove safety of surface burial on ChNPP site for the period of tens of thousands of years, since a number of external factors have probabilistic nature.

Current radiological situation in areas of Ukraine contaminated by the Chornobyl accident: Part 2. Strontium-90 transfer to culinary grains and forest woods from soils of Ivankiv district

Some of the highest 90Sr activity concentrations recorded beyond the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone occur in the Ivankiv district of Ukraine, located approximately 50 km south of the power plant, an area which nonetheless remains important for agricultural production. Although characterized by soils with low exchangeable calcium values, which can enhance the bioavailability of certain radionuclides, information on the transfer of 90Sr to food crops and trees in the region has remained limited to date. Analysis of 116 grain samples (wheat, rye, oat, barley or Triticale) collected from fields in 13 settlements in the region between 2011 and 2019 revealed 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations above Ukrainian limits in almost half of those samples, with annual averages exceeding this limit in four of those nine years (most recently in 2018) and with no clear evidence for a declining trend over time. Analysis of paired sandy soil samples from the same fields yielded concentration ratios for transfer of 90Sr from soils to grains that were on average 3 times higher than that specified by the IAEA. In addition, three quarters of wood samples collected from the trunks of trees (primarily pines) from 12 locations in the same district between 2015 and 2019 contained 90Sr activity concentrations in excess of the Ukrainian limits for firewood (60 Bq/kg), with levels more than four times that limit at one location and again no evidence for decline over time. A single sample of ash collected from a domestic wood-burning oven in the district contained 90Sr at a level 25 times higher than in the most contaminated wood sample collected in this study. Overall these results reveal additional facets of the ongoing legacy of Chornobyl contamination within the Ivankiv district, and the diversity of pathways by which local residents may be exposed to radionuclides. They also highlight the dangers associated with the current lack of routine and comprehensive environmental and food monitoring programs within the region, especially at a time in which the use of locally-sourced wood for biomass energy generation is set to expand markedly.

Checkpoint dogs: Photovoicing canine companionship in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is often depicted as either a wildlife refuge or an apocalyptic wasteland, which is representative of the ongoing scientific controversy regarding the effects of the 1986 nuclear catastrophe on nature in the Zone. In this article, the filthy/flourishing binary is disrupted by attending to the everyday human‐dog relations that have emerged in the Zone between dogs ‐ some of which are likely descendants of pets originally abandoned during the evacuation in 1986 ‐ and checkpoint guards. Participatory photography is deployed as method. Themes of companionship, care and commensality emerge alongside a discussion of the nature of Chernobyl dogs, which is invoked in discourses surrounding their apparent wildness, territoriality and adaptation to radiation.

Hyperhomocysteinemia in children and forest fires in the Chоrnobyl exclusion zone

Objective: We determined a role of folate metabolism genotypes in the occurrence of hyperhomocysteinemia in children after a forest fire in the Chоrnobyl exclusion zone (ChEZ). Material and methods: In the study, we applied immunochemical, Real-time PCR, mathematical and statistical methods. Results: A survey of 84 adolescents from the Poliske district, Kiev region revealed changes in their metabolic processes in the form of increased homocysteine production in connection with a forest fire in the ChEZ which was recorded during April 26-29, 2015. A comparative analysis of the specific gravity of the folate cycle genotypes in the subgroups of the children with hyperhomocysteinemia before and after a forest fire showed that an endogenous factor in the form of a genetic apparatus, controling synthesis of folate cycle enzymes, was not involved in this phenomenon. Сonclusions: Forest and peat fires in the Chernobyl exclusion zone are one of the main causes for the elevation in blood homocysteine levels in children from the adjacent districts, regardless of the state of folate metabolism genetic system. Monitoring of the blood homocysteine levels in children and adults living under conditions of the exposure to wood combustion gases, containing radioactive elements, is a key component of the programmer for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Evaluation of silver birch diameter increment model based on data of the Czech National Forest Inventory

In the Czech Republic, the silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) is considered as a pioneer and a soil preparing tree species. It occurs mainly on clearcutting areas after disturbances. The aim of this study was to fit breast height diameter increment model for birch with respect to tree age, share of birch trees and forest site type (ecological series – ES and forest vegetation zones – FVZ). We used data of both cycles of National Forest Inventory of the Czech Republic. We evaluated production potential of this species. We tested Korf and Michailoff increment models in variant of nonlinear least squares model (NLS) and nonlinear mixed effects model (NLME). Michailoff models performed better. We found seven statistically significant and practically applicable models. The greatest influence on increment of diameter at breast height have forest vegetation zone and ecological series whereas the influence of the share of birch in forest stand is smaller. The highest absolute values of diameter increment were on gleyed or enriched with water sites in the fourth forest vegetation zone.

The Disaster as a Factor in the Development of Modern Tourism. A Study Case Based on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

The destination which attracts tourists is the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone established in the area of radioactive contamination within a radius of 10 to 30 km around the plant. The main tourist attraction of the zone is the infrastructure of the inactive nuclear power plant, notably reactor no. 4 covered with a concrete and steel sarcophagus. The abandoned city of Pripyat, called the "ghost town", is also of unique value to tourism. The "Duga" radar station (also dubbed "The Eye of Moscow"), an artefact of the Cold War, also lies within the zone accessible to tourists. These sites, with their mysterious and dark history, are a magnet for an increasing number of tourist groups. In 1995 the zone was visited by 900 tourists. Subsequent years have brought a regular annual growth in the number of visitors to 17,800 in 2013. A decline came in 2014 (8400), which was caused by the political situation in Ukraine (e.g. Euromajdan). The last five years (2015-2019) are characterised by a very large annual increase in the number of tourists, and in some years, an almost a doubling of the humbers compared to the previous year (2015 – 16,400, 2016 – 35,100, 2017 – 46,136, 2018 – 71,869, 2019 – 124,001).

The Effects of Seasonality and Group Size on Fecal Egg Counts in Wild Przewalski's Horses (Equus Ferus Przewalskii, Poljakov, 1881) in The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine During 2014 - 2018.

SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate the difference in Fecal Egg Counts (FEC) with regard to group size, age, sex and body condition of wild free-roaming Przewalski’s horses in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukraine), across different seasons, over a five-year period (2014 – 2018). We hypothesized that horses from larger group sizes would have higher faecal egg counts (FECs). The relationship between FECs and the year and season of sample collection, and age, sex and group size of the horses was analyzed. Generalized linear model using positive strongylid FEC`s as a variable response, was used to investigate the differences in FECs between the groups.Nematode (Strondylidae, Parascaris spp., Habronematidae) and cestode (Anoplocephalidae) eggs were also identified. Stronglyids were the most prevalent helminth egg, and had the highest FECs.The model for egg counts of strongylids showed that season and group size of horses were statistically significant. Presence of strongylid eggs was not dependent on age and sex of horses. We suggest that this could be a result of parasite transmission between individuals and groups in places were animals aggregate around water sources or collective farms.Results obtained in this current study broaden the knowledge of gastrointestinal parasites in free-roaming horses under wild natural conditions.

Feeling dark, seeing dark: Mind–body in dark tourism

Embodiment is a key under-researched component of dark tourism experiences. Qualitative and experimental methods were applied in four studies to reveal the bidirectional body–mind synchronization in dark tourism experiences. Taking the Chernobyl zone as a case, we first prove the mind-to-body pathway in which the dark experience exerts a measurable effect on the participants' sensory expression in photographs and sketches. We then discover the body-to-mind pathway in which the expressions of darkness can be decoded by others. Furthermore, this study illustrates how the different dark levels of the product photos on a website affect the potential tourists' feelings. This study expands the understanding of embodiment theory in dark tourism with implications for product design and marketing.

Chernobyl-level radiation exposure damages bumblebee reproduction: a laboratory experiment.

The consequences for wildlife of living in radiologically contaminated environments are uncertain. Previous laboratory studies suggest insects are relatively radiation-resistant; however, some field studies from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone report severe adverse effects at substantially lower radiation dose rates than expected. Here, we present the first laboratory investigation to study how environmentally relevant radiation exposure affects bumblebee life history, assessing the shape of the relationship between radiation exposure and fitness loss. Dose rates comparable to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (50-400 µGy h-1) impaired bumblebee reproduction and delayed colony growth but did not affect colony weight or longevity. Our best-fitting model for the effect of radiation dose rate on colony queen production had a strongly nonlinear concave relationship: exposure to only 100 µGy h-1 impaired reproduction by 30-45%, while further dose rate increases caused more modest additional reproductive impairment. Our data indicate that the practice of estimating effects of environmentally relevant low-dose rate exposure by extrapolating from high-dose rates may have considerably underestimated the effects of radiation. If our data can be generalized, they suggest insects suffer significant negative consequences at dose rates previously thought safe; we therefore advocate relevant revisions to the international framework for radiological protection of the environment.

Assessment of the current levels of 241Am and 137Сs in soils and foodstuff, as well as of public internal exposure to ionizing radiation in populated areas adjacent to the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone (case study: the Bragin district of the Gomel region, Belarus)

This paper is part of a research cycle focusing on studying the current levels of 241Am and 137Cs in soils and local foodstuffs of populated areas neighboring the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Our objective was to estimate the maximum annual committed internal doses to individuals of the Bragin-area settlements from inhalation and consumption of locally produced foods. We updated the data on the levels of 241Am and 137Сs in soils of 28 settlements of the district. Specific activity of 241Am in soils in two of the settlements were the highest of all; we took and analyzed samples of local-grown foodstuff. 241Am in food samples was measured via a radiochemical method with the use of selective chromatographic resins and alpha-spectrometry measurement. A gammaspectrometry technique was used to measure 241Am in soil and 137Сs in soil and food samples. The most contaminated by 241Am and 137Cs appeared the soils in the town of Bragin, the administrative center of the district where the respective levels were as high as 2.8 and 560 kBq/m2. Among the analyzed samples, the specific activities of 241Am in root and tuber crops were one-digit values, while the samples of leafy vegetables contained a few tens of mBq/kg of the same radionuclide. That said, however, 241Am concentrations in food samples were lower than those of 137Сs by three orders of magnitude. The results showed an apparent difference between estimated annual committed internal doses to the Bragin residents due to 241Am intake and that resulting from 137Сs with the respective 0.03 and 1.7 mSv/year. The maximum doses to population of the Bragin-district villages from inhalation of 241Am varied from 0.006 to 0.033 mSv/year exceeding the doses from inhaled 137Сs – 0.0002-0.002 mSv/year – by one order of magnitude. The major contribution to the public internal exposure today is 137Сs intake through consumption of contaminated food that produced locally; its contribution is about 93-99% of the total internal dose received by the Bragin-district residents.

Radon survey in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, in 2008–2011. Analysis of spatial variability of indoor radon concentration

An extensive radon survey was conducted in 2008-2011 in the framework of the Federal target program on the territory of 29 districts of Chelyabinsk Oblast. SSNTDs were used to measure indoor radon concentrations in public buildings, dwellings and industrial buildings. The results are stored in the database “Radon” owned by Research and Technical Center of Radiation-Chemical Safety and Hygiene of Federal Medical-Biological Agency. The paper presents the results of the analysis of spatial variability of indoor radon concentration and the relationship of this value with a set of geological predictors of radon potential of the territory integrated into a map of ecological and radiogeochemical zones. The results show that in all districts and the whole Chelyabinsk Oblast radon concentrations conform to a lognormal distribution, but in ten districts log-logistic distribution fits the data slightly better. Nevertheless, relative difference between the median values of indoor radon concentration calculated from the two fitted distributions yields zero. The results show that dose assessment based on the arithmetic means could lead to an overestimation of the doses from radon in 1.4 times on average compared to that based on the medians. The median value does not exceed 400 Bq/m3 in any of the surveyed territories and the 95th percentile lies between 96 and 1274 Bq/m3. The fraction of indoor radon concentrations above 400 Bq/m3 expected from the fitted distribution lies between less than 0.1 and 26.8%. The highest values of this fraction were obtained for the Sosnovsky, Kaslinsky, Bredinsky districts and the Miassky urban district (except for the city of Miass). A map of ecological and radiogeochemical zones in Chelyabinsk Oblast was released in 1993-1995 and it was based on a set of geological predictors of radon potential of the territory. We analyzed the relationship of these zones with the results of the radon survey. One-way ANOVA on ranks with the Bonferroni correction showed that there is no statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level amongst the medians of indoor radon concentration on basement, ground and first floors in settlements, which are located on the territory of three of four of these zones and outside of the territory of all zones. In the fourth zone the median was even two times lower than outside of the zones. These results lead to the conclusion that the possibility of using this map as a map of radon-prone areas is very doubtful. Each datapoint stored in the “Radon” database has a number of additional properties, which allows analyzing other types of indoor radon concentration variability such as seasonal or floor-to-floor. It is expected that later this dataset could be used for estimating regional seasonal correction factors.