Uncertainty in assessment of radiation doses to Russian clean-up workers residing in territories contaminated with radionuclides

9

«Radiation and Risk», 2015, vol. 24, No. 4, pp.20-34

Authors

Vlasov O.K. – Head of Lab., D.Sc., Tech. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk, Russia. Contacts: 4 Korolyov str., Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249036. Tel. (484) 399-32-45; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Shchukina N.V. – Senior Researcher. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk, Russia.
CheckinS.Yu. – Head of Lab. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk, Russia.
Tumanov K.A. – Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol. A. Tsyb MRRC, Obninsk, Russia.

Abstract

Results of estimating effective radiation doses received by 5079 Chernobyl clean-up workers during their permanent living in territories of Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula and Orel oblasts contaminated with radionuclides are presented in the article. External radiation doses received by clean-up workers during their activities towards mitigating consequences of the Chernobyl accident were higher, on average, than effective doses of chronic exposure to radiation they received over the period of permanent living in radioactively contaminated territories. Geometric standard deviation of individual doses of internal radiation to thyroid and whole body was 3, and standard geometric deviation of individual doses of external radiation was 1.5. Values of individual effective doses including uncertainty accumulated to 2015 in different residential communities were equal to geometric average doses and average effective doses, at the same time mathematical expectations of individual doses and average effective doses in the communities differed significantly. If uncertainty in radiation doses received by clean-up workers residing in contaminated areas is taken into account, radiation risk values can be biased.

Key words
dose of acute external radiation exposure, dose of chronic external radiation exposure, dose of chronic internal exposure, thyroid dose from internal radiation exposure, effective radiation dose, territories contaminated with radionuclides, accident at the Chernobyl NPP, clean-up workers, dose reconstruction, dose uncertainty.

References

1. Estimating radiation doses to Russian population following the Chernobyl accident. Collection of guidelines. Ed.: Onishchenko G.G. SPb., 2006, pp. 8-56. (In Russian).

2. Vlasov O.K., Shchukina N.V. Updating of official technique of reconstruction of thyroid and all body internal irradiation doses of Russian Federation inhabitants, undergone to radioactive fallout owing to ChNPP acci-dent in 1986. Part 1. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2009, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 23-39. (In Russian).

3. Vlasov O.K., Shchukina N.V. Updating of currently used techniques for reconstruction of internal radiation doses to the thyroid and a whole body in residents of the Russian Federation inhabitants, exposed to radio-active fallout following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Part 3. Reconstruction of individual and standard in-ternal doses to the thyroid and a whole body on the basis of radiometric measurements of 1986. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2010, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 1-16. (In Russian).

4. Vlasov O.K., Shchukina N.V. Updating of currently used techniques for reconstruction of internal radiation doses to the thyroid and a whole body in residents of the Russian Federation inhabitants, exposed to radio-active fallout following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Part 3. Reconstruction of individual and standard in-ternal doses to the thyroid and a whole body on the basis of radiometric measurements of 1986. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2010, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 1-16. (In Russian).

4. Updating technique for standardization of thy-roid and a whole body internal radiation doses got by residents of settlements the Russian Federation con-taminated with radionuclides in the first year after the Chernobyl accident. Radiatsiya i risk – Radiation and Risk, 2010, vol. 19, no. 3. pp. 71-93. (In Russian).

5. Estimating radiation doses to Russian population following the Chernobyl accident. Collection of guidelines. Ed.: Onishchenko G.G. SPb., 2006, pp. 161-180. (In Russian).

Full-text article (in Russian)