Open AccessEvaluating the Radiation Status of the Environment on the Underground Nuclear Explosion Site Code-Named Tavda
Author(s) -
Leonid Skipin,
Vasilyа Zinnurovna Burlaenko
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/272/2/022156
Subject(s) - radionuclide , strontium , contamination , environmental science , caesium , radioactive contamination , nuclear explosion , radioactive waste , nuclear radiation , pollution , strontium 90 , soil water , radiation monitoring , radiochemistry , waste management , soil science , chemistry , nuclear physics , physics , engineering , ecology , biology
This paper analyzes the radiation status of environmental components on the underground nuclear explosion site codenamed Tavda, which is located in the Nizhnetavdinsky District of Tyumen Oblast. This underground nuclear explosion occurred in 1967 and was part of the Program #7 Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy; it is currently one of the sources of radiation pollution in its environment. The authors hereof present the analysis of technogenic radionuclide contamination of soils in the explosion epicenter as well as within 500 meters thereof, which analysis takes into account the horizontal and vertical migration of radionuclides, and the contamination of grassy vegetation with strontium-90 and caesium-137 (measurements were taken at 100 m intervals). We have found out that the radiation burden is essentially a function of strontium-90 content in the soil. Maximum density of strontium-90 and caesium-137 contamination is observed in deeper soil layers. Technogenic radionuclide contamination is present in naturally growing grass on the Tavda site due to a high concentration of strontium-90 with a mean specific radionuclide activity of 288.33 Bq/kg, while the maximum permissible concentration of this element in natural hay is 180 Bq/kg. The concentration of caesium-137 in collected samples was not found to be in excess of the permissible concentrations.