Reconstruction of composition of the Chernobyl radionuclide fallout in the territories of Russia

"Radiation and Risk", 1994, vol. 4, pp. 39-61

Authors

Pitkevich V.A., Shershakov V.M.1, Duba V.V., Chekin S.Yu., Ivanov V.K., Vakulovski S.M.1, Mahonko K.P.1, Volokitin A.A.1, Tsaturov Yu.S.2, Tsyb A.F.
Medical Radiological Research Center of RAMS, Obninsk;
1 Science and Production Association "Тyphoon" of Roshydmet, Obninsk;
2 Chernobyl State Commitee of Russia

Abstract

Paper presents original results of reconstruction of the radionuclide composition of the Chernobyl fallout in the territories of Russia. Reconstruction has been carried out by means of statistical analysis of the data on gamma-spectrometry of 2867 soil samples collected in the territories of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia from 1986 to 1988. To verify the data aggregated estimates of the fuel composition of the 4-th block at the moment of the accident available from literature have been used as well as the estimates of activity released to atmosphere. Resulting correlation and regression dependencies between activities of radionuclides most contributing to the dose formation (137Cs, 134Cs, 131I, 140Ba, 140La, 95Zr, 95Nb, 103Ru, 106Ru, 141Ce, 144Ce, 125Sb.) have been obtained. Statistically significant regression relations between different pairs of radionuclides (including analysis of "noise" contribution to the data) depending on the distance between the point of the sample collection and power station are presented in the paper for the "north-east track" - northern part of 30-km zone, southern part of the Gomel district (Belarus), Briansk, Kaluga, Tula and Orel districts (Russia). Results of reconstruction of relative surface contamination with 131I isotope for about 7000 population points of Russia are given in the appendix 1, part 2 of present issue.

Key words
Radionuclide composition of depositions, the territory of Russia, the Chernobyl accident, statistical analysis, gamma spectrometry data, soil samples, dose-forming radionuclides, 137Cs, 134Cs, 131I, 140Ba, 140La, 95Zr, 95Nb, 103Ru, 106Ru, 141Ce, 144Ce, 125Sb.

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