Radiation contamination after the chernobyl nuclear accident and the effective dose received by the population of Croatia

Title: Radiation contamination after the chernobyl nuclear accident and the effective dose received by the population of Croatia

Author: Lokobauer, Nevenka / Franić, Zdenko / Bauman, Alica / Maračić, Manda / Cesar, Dobroslav / Senčar, Jasminka

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 41 (2), p.137-146, Nov 1998

doi:　10.1016/S0265-931X(97)00006-4

Keywords: Radioactive contamination, Croatia, humans, 137Cs, 90Sr

Abstract: Because of the Chernobyl nuclear accident which led to enhanced deposition of all fission products, contamination of the human environment in the Republic of Croatia was much higher than in the previous two decades. The paper deals with the investigation of deposition and contamination by fission product radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr, in particular), especially within the human food chain. Its aim was to determine differences in contamination levels resulting from the Chernobyl accident and from large-scale atmospheric nuclear weapon tests. For the year following the Chernobyl accident, the radiation doses received from external and internal exposures were estimated for 1-year old infants, children at the age of 10-years and adults. The corresponding annual effective doses were 1·49, 0·93 and 0·83 mSv, respectively. The paper also gives data on the yearly intakes of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in foods and the corresponding effective doses received by the population of Croatia over many years from the global fallout following nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident.

URL:http://www.franic.info/radovi/NLokobauer_Radiation_Contamination_after_Chernobyl.pdf

Radioactive waste management and environmental contamination issues at the Chernobyl site.

Title: Radioactive waste management and environmental contamination issues at the Chernobyl site.

Author: Napier, B A / Schmieman, E A / Voitsekovitch, O

Reference: Health physics, 93 (5), p.441-451, Nov 2007

doi:　10.1097/01.HP.0000279602.34009.e3

Keywords:　contamination, Radioactive waste management, Chernobyl exclusion zone

Abstract: The destruction of the Unit 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant resulted in the generation of radioactive contamination and radioactive waste at the site and in the surrounding area (referred to as the Exclusion Zone). In the course of remediation activities, large volumes of radioactive waste were generated and placed in temporary near-surface waste storage and disposal facilities. Trench and landfill type facilities were created from 1986-1987 in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone at distances 0.5-15 km from the nuclear power plant site. This large number of facilities was established without proper design documentation, engineered barriers, or hydrogeological investigations and they do not meet contemporary waste-safety requirements. Immediately following the accident, a Shelter was constructed over the destroyed reactor; in addition to uncertainties in stability at the time of its construction, structural elements of the Shelter have degraded as a result of corrosion. The main potential hazard of the Shelter is a possible collapse of its top structures and release of radioactive dust into the environment. A New Safe Confinement (NSC) with a 100 y service life is planned to be built as a cover over the existing Shelter as a longer-term solution. The construction of the NSC will enable the dismantlement of the current Shelter, removal of highly radioactive, fuel-containing materials from Unit 4, and eventual decommissioning of the damaged reactor. More radioactive waste will be generated during NSC construction, possible Shelter dismantling, removal of fuel-containing materials, and decommissioning of Unit 4. The future development of the Exclusion Zone depends on the future strategy for converting Unit 4 into an ecologically safe system, i.e., the development of the NSC, the dismantlement of the current Shelter, removal of fuel-containing material, and eventual decommissioning of the accident site. To date, a broadly accepted strategy for radioactive waste management at the reactor site and in the Exclusion Zone, and especially for high level and long-lived waste, has not been developed.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18049220?dopt=Abstract

[The regulation of the oxidative processes in the tissues of Muridae like rodents caught in the Chernobyl accident zone].

Title: [The regulation of the oxidative processes in the tissues of Muridae like rodents caught in the Chernobyl accident zone].

Author: Shishkina, L N / Kudiasheva, A G / Zagorskaia, N G / Taskaev, A I

Reference: Radiatsionnaia biologiia, radioecologiia / Rossiĭskaia akademiia nauk, 46 (2), p.216-232, Mar 2006

Keywords: Radioactive contamination, Chernobyl exclusion zone, wild rodents, lipid peroxidation

Abstract: The results of the investigations of the radioactive contamination consequences on the lipid peroxidation (LPO) processes in organs and tissues of wild rodents which were caught in the Chernobyl NPP accident 30-km zone during 1986-1993 are generalized. The behaviors of the technogenic contamination effect on dynamic of changes of the LPO physico-chemical regulatory system parameters and the generalized parameters of the phospholipid composition in organs of the different radioresistance wild rodents are revealed in dependence on the radioactive contamination level and the duration of the radiation factor exposure. Different sensitivity of the LPO regulatory system parameters in wild rodent tissues to the radioactive contamination of their environment and the unequal ability to normalization of the antioxidant status and the energy exchange in tissues result in the change of the scale and character of interrelations between the reciprocal parameters in norm and have an influence on the development of qualitatively new subpopulations of wild rodents due to the transition of the cell regulatory system to the another level of the function.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16756119?dopt=Abstract

Validation of the Polyphemus platform on the ETEX, Chernobyl and Algeciras cases

Title: Validation of the Polyphemus platform on the ETEX, Chernobyl and Algeciras cases

Author: Quélo, Denis / Krysta, Monika / Bocquet, Marc / Isnard, Olivier / Minier, Yannick / Sportisse, Bruno

Reference: Atmospheric Environment, 41 (26), p.5300-5315, Aug 2007

doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.02.035

Keywords: Radionuclides; Chernobyl; Algeciras; ETEX; Air quality modeling; Polyphemus; Polair3D; Long-range transport

Abstract: The objective of this article is to investigate the validity of a modeling system developed for forecasting atmospheric dispersion, the Polyphemus platform, with a special focus on radionuclides. The platform is briefly described and model-to-data comparisons are reported for three cases: the ETEX campaign, the Chernobyl accident and the Algeciras release. The results are similar to those usually given in the literature by state-of-the-art models. Some preliminary sensitivity analysis indicates the main sources for uncertainties.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231007001677

Association of dissolved radionuclides released by the Chernobyl accident with colloidal materials in surface water

Title: Association of dissolved radionuclides released by the Chernobyl accident with colloidal materials in surface water

Author: Matsunaga, Takeshi / Nagao, Seiya / Ueno, Takashi / Takeda, Seiji / Amano, Hikaru / Tkachenko, Yu.

Reference: Applied Geochemistry, 19 (10), p.1581-1599, Oct 2004

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2004.02.002

Keywords: radionuclides, 137Cs, 90Sr, Plutonium, colloids

Abstract: The association of dissolved ⁹⁰Sr, ^239,240Pu and ²⁴¹Am with natural colloids was investigated in surface waters in the Chernobyl nuclear accident area. A 4-step ultrafiltration (UF) study (239,240Pu and 76% of ²⁴¹Am are distributed in colloids of the two size fractions larger than 10 kDa (nominal molecular weight limit of the filter, NMWL), while ⁹⁰Sr was found exclusively (85–88%) in the lowest molecular size fraction below 1 kDa (NMWL) for the Sahan River water at the highly contaminated area close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP). Consistent results were obtained by 2-step fractionation (larger than and smaller than 10 kDa (NMWL)) for river and lake waters including other locations within about 30 km away from ChNPP. It is likely that Pu and Am isotopes were preferentially associated with dissolved organic matter of high molecular size, as suggested by the fact that (i) only a few inorganic elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, Si, Mn, Al) were found in the colloidal size ranges, and (ii) the positive correlation between dissolved organic C (DOC) concentrations and UV absorbance at 280 nm, a broad absorption peak characteristic of humic substances (HS) was found. A model calculation on the complexation of Pu and Am with HS as an organic ligand suggests that the complexed form could be dominant at a low DOC concentration of 1 mgC L⁻¹, that is commonly encountered as a lower limit in fresh surface water. The present results suggest the general importance of natural organic colloids in dictating the chemical form of actinides in the surface aquatic environment.

URL: http://www.experts.scival.com/kanazawa/pubDetail.asp?id=2942700456&o_id=36

THE IMPACTS OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER ON THE FOREST VEGETATION OF THE POLISSYA REGION OF UKRAINE

Title: THE IMPACTS OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER ON THE FOREST VEGETATION OF THE POLISSYA REGION OF UKRAINE

Author: Dr. Mykolai Kaletnik, Dr. Petro Pasternak, Dr. Serhei Hrisiuk, Yurij Bihun

Keywords:

Abstract: In the spring of 1986, the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion left a substantial portion of the forested area of the Ukrainian Polissya region contaminated with radioactive fallout.  Although less than 14.5% of Ukraine is forested, nearly one-quarter (24.2%) of its woodlands (appox.2,371,600 ha) are located in the Polissya region.

URL: http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/envis/proceed/kaletnik.txt.html

Clastogenic factors in the plasma of children exposed at Chernobyl

Title: Clastogenic factors in the plasma of children exposed at Chernobyl

Author: Emerit, I / Quastel, M / Goldsmith, J / Merkin, L / Levy, A / Cernjavski, L / Alaoui-Youssefi, A / (…) / Riklis, E

Reference: Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, 373 (1), p.47-54, Jan 1997
doi: 10.1016/S0027-5107(96)00187-X

Keywords: Chernobyl; Clastogenic factor

Abstract: Clastogenic factors (CFs), as they were described previously in accidentally or therapeutically irradiated persons, in A-bomb survivors and in liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, were also detected in the plasma of Chernobyl-exposed children. A high percentage of plasma ultrafiltrates from 170 children, immigrated to Israel in 1990, exerted clastogenic effects in test cultures set up with blood from healthy donors. The differences were highly significant in comparison to children immigrated from `clean’ cities of the former Soviet Union or children born in Israel. The percentage of CF-positive children and the mean values of the adjusted clastogenic scores (ACS) were higher for those coming from Gomel and Mozyr, which are high exposure sites (IAEA measurements), compared to those coming from Kiev. There was no correlation between residual 137-Caesium body burden and presence of CFs. However, both measurements were not done at the same time (in 1990 and 1992–1994, respectively). Also no relationship could be revealed between enlargement of the thyroid gland and CF-positivity. CFs are not only observed after irradiation, but in a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases with autoimmune reactions. They were also described in the congenital breakage syndromes, which are hereditary diseases with the highest cancer incidence in humans. Whether the clastogenic effects continuously produced by circulating CFs represent a risk factor for malignant late effects deserves further study and follow-up. Since CF formation and CF action are mediated by superoxide radicals, prophylactic treatment with antioxidants may be suggested for Chernobyl-exposed children, whose plasma induces a strongly positive CF-test.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002751079600187X

Cancer in children and adolescents in Europe: Developments over 20 years and future challenges

Title: Cancer in children and adolescents in Europe: Developments over 20 years and future challenges

Author: Pritchard-Jones, K. / Kaatsch, P. / Steliarova-Foucher, E. / Stiller, C.A. / Coebergh, J.W.W.

Reference: European Journal of Cancer, 42 (13), p.2183-2190, Sep 2006

doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2006.06.006

Keywords: Cancer; Child; Adolescent ; Europe; Registry; Data quality; Public health

Abstract: This special issue contains 18 articles describing population-based analyses of incidence and survival for cancer among children and adolescents in Europe over the period 1978–1997. The analyses were derived from the large database of the ACCIS project (Automated Childhood Cancer Information System), which was built through collaboration of 62 population-based cancer registries in 19 European countries. Data on 88,465 cancers in children and 15,369 in adolescents (age 15–19 yrs) were included in the various analyses, making this the largest database on cancer in these age-groups in the world. National data were grouped into five European regions to allow comparisons of incidence and survival, for all cancers and by tumour type, including analysis of trends in both over time. This overview paper focuses on the comparability of the data from multiple registries and describes the potential confounding factors. Age-standardised annual incidence rates of many, but not all, cancers in children and adolescents are clearly rising. There are geographical differences in survival for the majority of tumour types. Survival rates increased for nearly all types of cancer in children and adolescents. The implications of these findings for aetiological factors and treatment delivery for cancer in children and adolescents are discussed.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959804906004850

129 I and 36 Cl concentrations in lichens collected in 1990 from three regions around chernobyl

Title: 129 I and 36 Cl concentrations in lichens collected in 1990 from three regions around chernobyl
Author: Chant, L.A. / Andrews, H.R. / Cornett, R.J. / Koslowsky, V. / Milton, J.C.D. / Van Den Berg, G.J. / Verburg, T.G. / Wolterbeek, H.Th.

Reference: Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 47 (9-10), p.933-937, Sep 1996
doi: 10.1016/S0969-8043(96)00090-5

Keywords:

Abstract: …used to relate thyroid cancer incidence to exposure to Chernobyl contamination…Reply to thyroid cancer after Cbernobyl…chronists of the Chernobyl accident…1992) Thyroid cancer after Chernobyl. Nature 359…

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969804396000905

What is desirable and feasible in dose reconstruction for application in epidemiological studies?

Title: What is desirable and feasible in dose reconstruction for application in epidemiological studies?
Author: Bouville, A. / Beebe, G.W. / Anspaugh, L.

 Reference: Feb 1996 Conference: International conference of the European Commission, Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the consequences of the Chernobyl accident

doi:

Keywords: Epidemiological studies

Abstract: Epidemiological studies of populations are of two general forms, monitoring or formal, and serve several possible purposes. Monitoring studies inform members of potentially affected population groups of the nature and magnitude of the risks that might have been imposed on them. Formal epidemiological studies can increase scientific knowledge about the quantitative risk that attends exposure. Risks of human health due to radiation exposure are most appropriately estimated by means of formal epidemiological studies. Dosimetric data are essential for any epidemiological study, but the detail and accuracy needed depend on the purposes to be served. If the need is for a monitoring study, then general information about doses will suffice. However, a formal study that is expected to contribute to scientific information about quantitative radiation risk requires careful individual dose estimation. This paper is devoted to the discussion of dosimetric data needed for formal epidemiological studies of populations exposed as a result of nuclear power operations. The recommendations made by the National Research Council have largely been followed. The examples used in this paper are relevant to the Chernobyl accident, which caused a large number of people to be exposed at relatively high doses and provided an opportunity for formal epidemiological studies to be initiated. The studies that are singled out are those of thyroid cancer among children who resided in Belarus and in Ukraine at the time of the accident, and those of leukemia among workers involved in the mitigation of the accident and in clean-up operations.

URL: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?query_id=2&page=0&osti_id=261093