Nuclear Waste Storage Facilities Research Articles

Cesium immobilization of high pH and low pH belite-rich cement under varying temperature

Low-pH cement is being studied in radioactive waste repositories. The belite-rich cement (BRC) recently gained attention due to its higher CO2 sequestration and low pH attainment under carbonation exposure. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of pH and temperature on cesium immobilization of BRC. High pH (12.6) and low pH (9.9) BRC were produced via air curing and carbonation treatment, respectively. The high and low pH BRC samples were placed in a leaching environment at 25 °C and 45 °C for 90 days. An inverse correlation between pH and cesium mobilization of BRC was observed. The high pH BRC achieved the lowest effective diffusion coefficient (4.05E-09 cm2/s), whereas the highest value (2.64E-07 cm2/s) was achieved in case of low pH BRC. The physicochemical and morphological properties unveiled the decrease in Si/Ca ratio of gel, precipitation of Ca2+ ions in calcite formation, and increment in pore structure connectivity (pore size > 100 nm) in low pH BRC. However, the high pH BRC demonstrated the high Si/Ca ratio in C-S-H gel, hydroxide phases and higher disconnected pores. Thermodynamic modeling revealed the presence of significant carbonated phases beyond 15% CO2 uptake. The findings contributed to the BRC’s feasibility in developing nuclear waste storage facility.

L’ouverture au public du projet CIGEO

Involving the public in the governance of activities that present a high level of risk for society is an important concern. We propose to contribute to understanding public involvement and its effects by studying, at the fine-grained level of practices, the dialogue between institutional experts and members of civil society around the 'Safety Options File' for the 'CIGEO deep underground storage facility for nuclear waste in eastern France. We show that, despite the constraints resulting from the organization of expertise in the French nuclear industry, the dialogue could lead to real but limited changes. In the light of this experience, we discuss the conditions to go beyond the framework of technical dialogue between experts by developing the notion of pluralism.

Development of local-power-free, remote α-particle detection using optical fibers.

We demonstrate the application of fluorescence optical fiber coupled to a telecom grade fiber as a sensor for alpha particles using alpha-specific ZnS(Ag) scintillation materials whose wavelength is down-shifted into a low-loss region of the telecom grade fiber transmission band. Telecom-grade fiber optics offer a solution for sensing alpha radiation in deep repositories and cask storage for radioactive materials due to the stability of SiO2 under normal environmental conditions and its relative radiation hardness at low radiation doses. Long-term nuclear waste storage facilities require sensors for the detection of leakage of radioactive materials that are maintenance-free, do not require power and can survive with no 'wear out' mechanisms for decades. By accomplishing the wavelength transformation, we maximize efficiencies in the detection of α-particles and signal transport and can detect alpha scintillation at distances on the order of >1km with a sensor that is ~3% efficient and can be easily scaled as a sensor array. This paper describes the construction and testing of the sensor including manufacture of the controlled thickness films, verification of the wavelength shift from 450to 620nm and optimization of the sensitivity as a function of thickness. We also model the relative sensitivity of the film as a function of film thickness, and we demonstrate a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 at a range of greater than 1km.

Public participation in nuclear waste storage and disposal: a comparative analysis of German and US approaches

Abstract. The national nuclear waste management programs of Germany and the United States of America currently both find themselves at critical junctures. The US government is reviving its efforts for consent-based siting of a consolidated interim nuclear waste storage facility (, ), in the momentary absence of, but with future hope for, a viable permanent disposal solution for the nation's nuclear waste. Germany is in the process of implementing legal directives to find a final disposal site for its nuclear waste that meets high safety standards (BASE, 2022), while further developing its strategy for public participation in the process (Weißpflug et al., 2022). The two national contexts exhibit significant differences in political systems, historical trajectories, institutional roles, and societal structure, as well as attitudes towards nuclear energy and radioactive waste disposal strategies (Richter et al., 2022; Saraç-Lesavre, 2021; Joppke, 1993; Blattmann et al., 2023). However, respective approaches to public participation in managing and disposing of nuclear waste exhibit some commonalities in motivations, strategies, and goals. What can policy audiences in both countries learn from the respective national nuclear waste management programs, creating the potential for participatory processes to be more adaptive, responsive, and flexible to a diversity of values and social actors? How do the findings from the comparative analysis of US and German cases translate into policy-relevant lessons for other national waste management programs engaging with the design of participatory processes and nuclear waste governance frameworks? We offer a systematic comparative analysis of the foundations and rationale of the US and German programs for nuclear waste disposal. We aim to illuminate conceptual and empirical contrasts and comparisons between the two nations' engagement of the public in the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel, leading to nationally appropriate policy-relevant insights. Categories for analysis include national disposal goals, historical trajectories, institutional setup, and definition of partners in participation processes. Through comparison and contrast of these categories across the two nations, we allow for deeper insight into the conditions, frameworks, and assumptions in which policy makers operate and can draw from Hopkin (2010). This discussion will identify and compare relevant knowledge, narratives, and legal frameworks in each nation's approach to incorporating public participation in the process of searching for a site to store or dispose of nuclear waste. We encourage reflection and learning through comparing and contrasting core principles of these two cases, with the aim of maximizing avenues of mutual learning towards responsible, safe, and democratic nuclear waste management.

The temporality of community sentiment on the Australian continent: mineral extraction, waste storage and Indigenous protest writing

ABSTRACT The Australian federal government has recently recommenced a previously paused process to select a site for a national nuclear waste storage facility despite significant opposition from Australian Indigenous communities and others. This article considers what some might understand as a contemporary issue by examining its relationship to previous events. It emphasizes how Western linear temporality facilitates disregard for negative community sentiment and the consigning of previous wrongs to the past. In contrast, Indigenous temporalities – where time is understood as immanent and space and time intermingled – emphasize positive relationships and require the remediation of past wrongs to support just futures. Thus, historical nuclear weapons testing in Australia, current plans for waste storage, and historical and ongoing ecological and social consequences of resource extraction are all related, reflecting the violence of British colonization and contemporary settler colonial governance. Using a literary studies approach, this article examines historically significant moments of Indigenous Australian protest writing regarding extractive industries, nuclear waste storage, and settler colonial governance, to show that some Indigenous communities in Australia have clearly communicated their negative sentiments. It argues for equitable relationships as a first step towards the restitution of past wrongs and the creation of just futures.

Effect of incorporating fibers in reactive powder concrete – A review

Modified form of High-Performance Concrete is a Reactive- Powder Concrete(RPC) which was first found by PierreRichard and Marcel Cheyrezy, they successfully built France laboratory using RPC. High compressive strength of over 200 MPa has been achieved, with flexural strength up to 40 MPa, and in certain cases crushing strengthup to 800 MPa with the introduction of hybrid fibre reinforcement. Cement OPC grade, silica fume, quartz sand, crushed quartz flour, water, a superplasticizer, and fibre reinforcement all contribute to making RPC.These materials have high durability characteristics as a result of their extremely low porosity, low permeability, limited shrinkage, and higher corrosion resistance. To increase package density, the powder combination of RPC should have a variety of granular particle classes. By dense packaging theory and grading optimization technique, the absence of coarse aggregate increased compactness. Because of its compactness, it reaches high strength. The rapid hydration of cement and silica fume at a high curing temperature of 100 °C as compete to 27 °C is something that causes the higher early strength. This paper discusses about the hybrid fibers incorporation in RPC under various curing conditions and its enhancement in strength than single fibers. Using micro and macro fibers dramatically improves the properties of RPC and thermal properties with various types of fiber. The mechanical characteristics of the RPC beam without the hybrid fiber, on the other end, are the lowest of all the mixtures. Apart from these characteristics, RPC can be utilized for industrial and nuclear waste storage facilities due to its ultra-dense microstructure, which provides ultra-high strength even at elevated temperature and water resistance. This paper infers that the addition of hybrid fiber in RPC considerably reduces the spalling of concrete at elevated temperatures and it exhibits superior strength and durability.

Rock Type Effects on Radio Signal Attenuation

This research work is aimed at studying different rock types and the effect of their mineral contents on an active 434 MHz RFID card’s radio signal attenuation. This research was done at the ONKALO nuclear waste storage facility using radio frequency identification (RFID) equipment. First, the studied area and research plan, including the used system and equipment, are explained. After this, the researched areas of rock types and their effects on radio signals are presented. This work focused mainly on occupational safety, but it also investigated whether it would be possible to use RFID technology in producing mines as well, especially in the boundary layer of the ore body. This research can help the design of communication frequencies for autonomous devices.

Investigation of the Corrosion Mechanism for Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) Using a Split-Chamber Zero Resistance Ammetry Technique

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is one of the most aggressive forms of corrosion leasing to infrastructure and equipment damage in various industries, including oil and gas, water systems, medical devices, marine environments, nuclear waste storage facilities, and aviation fuel systems and storage. During the last 10 year, PHMSA estimates that MIC has caused 503 internal corrosion incidents at a reported property damage of $188 million and a loss of 53,000 barrels of oil. Some common bacteria associated with MIC are sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), iron and CO2 reducing bacteria and iron and manganese oxidizing bacteria. SRB are generally considered the most aggressive group of bacteria in pipeline systems that causes MIC and pitting, especially of carbon steel in the oil and gas industry. SRB are facultative anaerobes and thrive in anoxic environments, using sulfate as a terminal electron acceptor and producing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as a metabolic byproduct. Furthermore, SRBs also can reduce both nitrate and thiosulfate and obtain their energy from organic nutrients, such as lactate.Electrochemical techniques to monitor for MIC focus on studying the electrochemical characteristics of the interface or mass transport properties of a system that are modified by the microbiological activities. Polarization sensors, such as the BIOX system or BioGeorge, use polarization based on a galvanic couple between a stainless steel electrode and a sacrificial anode. The measured galvanic current is proportional to biofilm that has grown on the electrode surface. Other electrochemical sensors use electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) or amperometry to measure biofilm thickness by comparing the electrochemical signatures of a reference channel (without bacteria) to a measurement channel (exposed to bacteria); while sensors based on electrochemical resistance use linear polarization measurements to determine the amount of biofilm on an electrode surface. Electro hydrodynamical impedance has also been used to measure the diffusion coefficient in a biofilm and correlate to biofilm growth and thickness. While these approaches can accurately predict the presence and/or thickness of a biofilm on a metal surface, they cannot determine the risk of MIC associated with biofilm formation, as the presence of a biofilm does not necessarily mean that a surface experiences MIC. Additionally, many of the techniques are destructive or require visual examination of the surface after analysis.This work presents a split-chamber zero resistance ammetry (SC-ZRA)-based approach to overcome the limitations to MIC monitoring described above and serve as a screening system to determine the risk of MIC associated with certain microorganisms or groups of microorganisms. Previous work using a split-chamber approach to assess MIC was used by Daumus for the study of stainless steel corrosion in the presence of sulfate reducing bacteria, and subsequently used by Miller et al to evaluate MIC under aerobic, Fe (III)- and nitrate-reducing conditions. In this approach, two identical electrochemical cells (chambers) are separated by an ion-transport membrane. Each chamber contains an identical electrode of the same material which are electrically connected through a zero-resistance ammeter. When one of the chambers is inoculated with microorganisms, the galvanic current between the two electrodes is measured through the zero ammeter. This configuration mimics the microbiologically induced development of localized anodic and cathodic patches on a metal surface that leads to corrosion. The flow of electrons (difference in corrosion current between the two chambers) depends solely on the microbiological activities of bacteria in one of the two chambers, so the influence of the microorganisms on MIC, as well as the extent of corrosion, can be quantified.Using the SC-ZRA technique we were able to characterize the mechanism and electrochemical signatures of SRB corrosion. Specifically, we found that in split-chamber incubations containing an electron donor, electrons flow from the inoculated to the uninoculated chambers. While the current direction could be interpreted as electron transfer such as in a microbial fuel cell, these systems deploy inert graphite electrodes. When used for MIC characterization, the SC-ZRA uses reactive carbon steel electrodes. Indeed, when positive current was detected, greater corrosion was detected on WE1, which is consistent with redox couples, as well as previous work to characterize MIC using SC-ZRA measurements. After depletion of an electron donor, SRB uses electrons from the metals surface as an electron donor reversing the flow of electrons from the uninoculated to the inoculated chamber. In future work, this technique can be used to provide a mechanistic understanding and a monitoring tool for corrosion of metals that are exposed to SRB under a variety of redox regimes.

Gas discrimination by simultaneous sound velocity and attenuation measurements using uncoated capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers

Chemically functionalized or coated sensors are by far the most employed solution in gas sensing. However, their poor long term stability represents a concern in applications dealing with hazardous gases. Uncoated sensors are durable but their selectivity is poor or non-existent. In this study, multi-parametric discrimination is used as an alternative to selectivity for uncoated capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs). This paper shows how measuring simultaneously the attenuation coefficient and the time of flight under different nitrogen mixtures allows to identify hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane from each other and determine their concentration along with identification of temperature and humidity drifts. Theoretical comparison and specific signal processing to deal with the issue of multiple reflections are also presented. Some potential applications are monitoring of refueling stations, vehicles and nuclear waste storage facilities.

Counteract Illegal Trafficking of Nuclear, Radioactive and Other Materials that Pose an Increased Danger

The article assesses the threats to the national security of the country associated with the use of nuclear, radioactive and other materials for terrorist purposes, including the use of modern information technologies. The classification of various types of terrorism is given, based on the analysis of the features that characterize this crime. Its criminal-legal characteristics are considered. The danger of religious, political and “state cyberterrorism”, which has been gaining popularity in recent times, is emphasized to destabilize the functioning of various critical infrastructure facilities, including arsenals of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear power plants, nuclear waste storage facilities, etc. A system of interdepartmental counteraction to the smuggling of potent, poisonous, explosive, radioactive substances, radiation sources, nuclear materials and other objects that can be used by intruders for criminal purposes. The exceptional importance of protecting the state and customs borders of the Russian Federation, as well as the entire Eurasian Economic Union, is noted in order to exclude the possible import into and export from the country of substances and materials intended for the manufacture of technical devices that pose an increased danger from the point of view of a terrorist threat. Particular attention is focused on the powers in this area of the customs authorities. It is concluded that within the framework of interstate cooperation in the fight against smuggling of nuclear, radioactive and other materials that pose an increased danger from the point of view of a terrorist threat, it is necessary to unify the criminal, criminal procedural and operational-search legislation of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The Secret of the Copper Box: public experiments and the prospects of living archives of Swedish nuclear waste

Abstract. This paper approaches the question of nuclear safety in relation to the prospects of living archives, and in particular, it explores two public events where sociocultural aspects of nuclear waste management in Sweden were enacted. Drawing on an ongoing research collaboration with the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB), the paper examines (1) a grass-roots play entitled Kopparkistans hemlighet (or The Secret of the Copper Box), and (2) a drawing competition hosted by schools located near a nuclear waste storage facility in the Östhammar municipality, considering how these events help reproduce certain kinds of social and cultural responsibility. Contributing to critical debates in the social sciences and humanities intersecting questions of memory preservation, nuclear waste, and post-nuclear natures, we consider how the forms of responsibility produced through these public experiments inform important, albeit unconventional, modes of nuclear waste management insofar as they suggest how long-lived nuclear waste sites might become living archives without assuming a narrow notion of heritage and human memory preservation for all time and space. To conclude, we evaluate how the legacy of the two events might be incorporated into wider strategies of nuclear waste management.

Mechanical Behaviors of Granite after Thermal Shock with Different Cooling Rates

During the construction of nuclear waste storage facilities, deep drilling, and geothermal energy development, high-temperature rocks are inevitably subjected to thermal shock. The physical and mechanical behaviors of granite treated with different thermal shocks were analyzed by non-destructive (P-wave velocity test) and destructive tests (uniaxial compression test and Brazil splitting test). The results show that the P-wave velocity (VP), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), elastic modulus (E), and tensile strength (st) of specimens all decrease with the treatment temperature. Compared with air cooling, water cooling causes greater damage to the mechanical properties of granite. Thermal shock induces thermal stress inside the rock due to inhomogeneous expansion of mineral particles and further causes the initiation and propagation of microcracks which alter the mechanical behaviors of granite. Rapid cooling aggravates the damage degree of specimens. The failure pattern gradually transforms from longitudinal fracture to shear failure with temperature. In addition, there is a good fitting relationship between P-wave velocity and mechanical parameters of granite after different temperature treatments, which indicates P-wave velocity can be used to evaluate rock damage and predict rock mechanical parameters. The research results can provide guidance for high-temperature rock engineering.

Utilizing Temperature and Brine Inflow Measurements to Constrain Reservoir Parameters During a Salt Heater Test

Brine availability in salt has multiple implications for the safety and design of a nuclear waste storage facility. Brine availability includes both the distribution and transport of brine through a damaged zone around boreholes or drifts excavated into the salt. Coupled thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes taking place within heated bedded salt are complex; as part of DECOVALEX 2023 Task E this study takes a parsimonious modeling approach utilizing analytical and numerical one-dimensional simulations to match field measurements of temperature and brine inflow around a heater. The one-dimensional modeling results presented arrive at best-fit thermal conductivity of intact salt, and the permeability and porosity of damaged salt of 5.74 W/m·K, 10−17 m2, and ≈ 0.02, respectively.

Micro-crack propagation and coalescence during time-dependent deformation of granite based on numerical manifold method

An understanding of influence of micro-cracks on time-dependent deformation in granite is of fundamental importance in many situations, such as nuclear waste storage facilities or the exploitation of geothermal resources. Time-dependent cracking is considered to be the main mechanism of brittle creep in granite. Creep strain rates are strongly influenced by the density of pre-existing defects that also exert a significant influence on rock physical properties. We introduce a new model that combines the subcritical crack growth (SCG) theory and the numerical manifold method (NMM) to link the local damage (using an exponential material softening law) caused by micro-crack propagation and the macroscopic creep deformation typically observed in granite specimens. In this model, each element contains a virtual micro-crack that can propagate sub-critically following Charles’ law. Once the virtual micro-crack length reaches a given value, it will convert to a real micro-crack, which can cut through adjacent elements, open, and slide according to the principle of NMM. We also investigated the influence of virtual micro-crack length, confining pressure and differential stress on creep behaviour. The fact that numerical simulations are in good agreement with experimental results shows that the NMM combined with the SCG theory is a suitable method for modelling the creep behaviour of rocks.

THE EFFICIENCY ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE SYSTEM OF NUCLEAR SAFETY CONTROL OF NSC-SO

According to the results of a comprehensive analysis, it was found that the nuclear safety monitoring system (NSMS) does not fully comply with the requirements put forward to it. By assessing the sufficiency of the detection points of this monitoring system, it was found that there is no monitoring at the cluster of nuclear fissile materials (NFM) in the central hall and at the “northern” cluster in 305/2 rooms. The effectiveness of monitoring the “southern” cluster of NFM in the room. 305/2 is insufficient and does not comply with the standards regulated by the rules of nuclear safety. Also, a number of other requirements to the NSMS (as the emergency alarm systems of the spent nuclear waste storage facility) are not fulfilled. It is proposed to re-arrange the measuring channels (MC) of the system, decommission excess (non-informative) MC and use their equipment to organize new effective monitoring points; to upgrade the software and arrange individual ground of the system to reduce the influence of high-frequency interference.

Compensatory Control Theory and Public Opinion on Nuclear Policy: Developing an Experimental Measure in an Applied Environmental Context

In this study, we develop a novel measure of compensatory control to better understand how Compensatory Control Theory (CCT) impacts perceptions of government involvement in an environmental issue: the storage of spent nuclear fuel. Using a national survey, this study examines public opinion on nuclear waste storage, its risks, and potential forms of oversight, by creating four proxy measures of compensatory control. Those measures are used in a regression analysis to understand levels of participation and intervention in the siting of nuclear waste storage facilities. Results indicate mixed support for the measures and a clear connection to policy choices.

NIMBY施設をめぐる討議が正当性と受容意図に及ぼす効果―高レベル放射性廃棄物の地層処分場を焦点とした"誰がなぜゲーム"における承認–受容モデル―

NIMBY施設をめぐる討議が正当性と受容意図に及ぼす効果―高レベル放射性廃棄物の地層処分場を焦点とした"誰がなぜゲーム"における承認–受容モデル―

Walking atomic vegas: ritual, memorial, and toxic landscapes

ABSTRACTThis article proposes the use of ritualized walking to mark and remember invisible threats and the ‘slow violence’ of contaminated landscapes undergoing gradual change. To exemplify the idea, the article describes our proposal for a Plutonium Memorial design, which would be a mnemonic device for marking the location of a proposed nuclear waste storage facility buried under the iconic Las Vegas Strip. Supported with evidence that ritual is commonly used to reinforce collective conscience and memory outside the sacred realm, the core of this memorial design would be regularized and ritualized pilgrimages from one of the most important and symbolic American landscapes, Las Vegas, through the equally prominent Grand Canyon to the less well-known uranium mines in Arizona (the source of nuclear power). Though hyperbolic, the Plutonium Memorial demonstrates how an active cultural-based memorial has potential to preserve narratives around contaminated landscapes. To expand beyond this radical example we schematically speculate on other scenarios that could incorporate more representative (less extreme) haptic rituals around memorials marking slowly unfolding environmental disasters. The intention is to provide new visions for durable memorials built around culture rather than structures, which are engaged with not only the past, but also the future.

Bridging the Distance: Common Issues of the Rural West ed. by David B. Danbom

Reviewed by: Bridging the Distance: Common Issues of the Rural West ed. by David B. Danbom J. L. Anderson David B. Danbom, ed., Bridging the Distance: Common Issues of the Rural West. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2015. 312 pp. $30.00. Bridging the Distance brings together scholars from multiple disciplines to reckon with the issue of the vast space of the rural West. The authors in the collection represent fields as diverse as journalism, law, geography, public health, and history, to name just a few. They engage the history of energy industry, broadband access, small town economies, the Sagebrush Rebellion and more. The collection was born at a conference sponsored by the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University. To his credit, editor David Danbom has forged those widely divergent approaches and disciplines into a collection that delivers on its promise to show how the expansiveness of the rural West has been a challenge not only for westerners but also for scholars who attempt to make sense of it. Each of the essays engage the topic of bridging physical or cultural distance. Of course, it is impossible to convey a full sense of the ten essays in the book, so a few highlights will suffice. Jon Lauck demonstrates how the West has figured in the historical imagination as well as the importance of regionalism. Historian David Rich Lewis traces the divide between Utah [End Page 89] officials and the Goshute as well as among Goshutes over the suitability and desire for economic development a temporary storage facility for nuclear waste in Skull Valley. State officials went to great lengths to undermine the native decision to bring hazardous waste into Skull Valley even as the state welcomed other toxic waste, some of it more toxic than that proposed by the Goshutes. In an essay on the reporting of a small-town scandal in Colorado, journalism professor Judy Miller describes the importance of the distance between insider and outsider in news reporting. In other essays, readers learn how water and wolves divide communities as well as how rural Hispanics have disproportionately poor health outcomes compared to their urban counterparts and the general population. The collection succeeds in large part because the multidiscipline case-study approach effectively conveys the complexity of the region. Furthermore, every one of the essays directly relates to the issue of distance. Readers learn how rural westerners overcame some problems associated with distance and how they failed to resolve many other problems. Scholars interested in addressing the common issues of the Midwest should pay close attention to Bridging the Distance and draw inspiration from its success. J. L. Anderson Mount Royal University Calgary, Alberta Copyright © 2018 Paul Mokrzycki Renfro

Allium-test as a tool for toxicity testing of environmental radioactive-chemical mixtures

Bioassay-based approaches have been propagated to assess toxicity of unknown mixtures of environmental contaminants, but it was rarely applied in cases of chemicals with radionuclides combinations. Two Allium-test studies were performed to assess environmental impact from potential sources of combined radioactive-chemical pollution. Study sites were located at nuclear waste storage facilities in European and in Far-Eastern parts of Russia. As environmental media under impact, waters from monitor wells and nearby water bodies were tested. Concentrations of some chemicals and radionuclides in the samples collected enhanced the permitted limits. Cytogenetic and cytotoxic effects were used as biological endpoints, namely, frequency and spectrum of chromosome aberrations and mitotic abnormalities in anatelophase cells as well as mitotic activity in Allium root tips. Sample points were revealed where waters have an enhanced mutagenic potential. The findings obtained could be used to optimize monitoring system and advance decision making on management and rehabilitation of industrial sites. The Allium-test could be recommended and applied as an effective tool for toxicity testing in case of combined contamination of environmental compartments with radionuclides and chemical compounds.