Gamma background level in the western districts of the Bryansk region

«Radiation and Risk», 2025, vol. 34, No. 2, pp.63-68

DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2025-34-2-63-68

Authors

Sorokin P.G. – Post-Graduate Student. FSFEI HE Moscow MGAVMB. Contacts: 23 Akademika Skryabina str., Moscow, Russia, 109472. Tel.: +7 (926) 410-41-08; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology – MVA by K.I. Skryabin, Moscow

Abstract

Dosimetric monitoring of external gamma radiation in radioactively contaminated areas is an essential measure to ensure public safety. Accumulated data on radioactive contamination from different periods can be used for scientific forecasting. This study was conducted in July 2024 as part of research on agricultural ecosystems in radioactively contaminated areas of the Bryansk region. The surveyed settlements are among the most affected in Russia following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. They are located either in the zone of residence with the right to relocation, where the current soil contamination density of ¹³⁷Cs ranges from 5 to 15 Ci/km², or in the resettlement zone, where the contamination density exceeds 15 Ci/km². A total of 136 measurements were taken. The results were analyzed for compliance with established regulations and presented in tabular and cartographic formats. The equivalent dose rate (EDR) of gamma radiation in the surveyed area averaged 0.48+-0.29 μSv/h (M+-s), with a minimum value of 0.08 μSv/h and a maximum of 1.50 μSv/h. In 7 settlements within the resettlement zone, the EDR exceeded the maximum permissible value of 0.58 μSv/h. In 16 settlements, including two in the resettlement zone, the EDR was above the normal level of 0.20 μSv/h but did not exceed the maximum permissible value. In 3 settlements, the EDR remained within the normal level.

Key words
equivalent dose rate, gamma radiation, Bryansk region, radioactively contaminated areas, radiation background map, radioecology, dosimetry, radiobiology, public health.

References

1. Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of 28 March 2023 No. 745-r “On approval of the list of settlements located within the boundaries of zones of radioactive contamination as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant catastrophe”. (In Russian).

2. Law of the Russian Federation of 15 May 1991 No. 1244-1 “On social protection of citizens affected by radiation as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant catastrophe” (version of 25.12.2023). (In Russian).

3. Federal State Information System of Rosstandart. Official Website. Available at: https://fgis.gost.ru/fundmetrology/ registry/4/items/348159 (Accessed 02.12.2024). (In Russian).

4. Conducting integrated expeditionary radiation-hygienic inspection of a settlement for the population exposure doses’ estimation. Methodological guidelines MG 6.2.1.0006-10). Moscow, State Sanitary and Epidemiological Regulation of the Russian Federation, 2010. 48 p. (In Russian).

5. Radiation Safety Standards (RSS-99/2009). Sanitary-epidemiological rules and standards. Moscow, Federal Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, 2009. 100 p. (In Russian).

6. Basic Sanitary Rules for Radiation Safety (OSPORB-99/2010). Health regulations. SP 2.6.1.2612-10. Moscow, Federal Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, 2010. 83 p. (In Russian).

7. Prospective radiological environmental impact assessment for facilities and activities. IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSG-10. Vienna, IAEA, 2018. 82 p.

Full-text article (in Russian)