Environmental behaviour of radioactive particles from chernobyl.

Long-term environmental behaviour of radioactive particles released during the Chernobyl accident and deposited in sandy topsoil in Ivankiv district of Kyiv Region (Ukraine), in radioactive trench waste materials from the Red forest, and in bottom sediments from the Cooling pond has been assessed. The efficiency of the models describing the dissolution/weathering rates of U fuel particles developed 15-20 years ago was tested, and their predictions for the dynamics of remobilization, mobility and plants uptake of 90Sr were confirmed. It was found that at present in the topsoil and in radioactive trench waste material, total dissolution of fuel particles of low chemical stability (UO2+x) has occurred and about half of the non-oxidized chemically stable fuel particles (UO2) has also dissolved, indicating radiological stabilization of the environment and that the mobile fraction of radionuclides would be reduced in the future. The biological availability of 90Sr in topsoil due to fuel particles dissolution has reached maximum values and further decrease is expected. The presence of chemically extra-stable fuel particles (U-Zry-Ox) in environments should be taken into account when the total radionuclides activity concentrations are assessed during radioactive materials management. It was shown that nearly half of the 90Sr activity remained as part of the non-dissolved UO2 fuel particles at the time of the study. Taking into consideration that 31 ±â€¯4% of the radionuclide activities were still associated with non-dissolved chemically extra-stable particles (U-Zry-Ox) in radioactive trench waste materials from the Red forest, increased dissolution should not be expected in the near future. The physico-chemical form of radionuclides in air exposed sediments from the Cooling pond were determined, and results showed that about 70-80% of total 90Sr, 241Am and plutonium isotopes activity were associated with U fuel particles. The low dissolution rate of radionuclides from the pond sediments is attributed to prolonged slightly alkaline pH in the medium due to zebra mussel residues. According to new data, the emission value of 238Pu associated with fuel particles released during the Chernobyl accident amounted to 1.8 × 1013Bq (1.2% of the activity in the reactor) and 90Sr amounted to 2.6 × 1015Bq (1.5% of the activity in the reactor).

Soil-to-plant and soil-to-grain transfer of (137)Cs in field-grown maize hybrids during two contrasting seasons: assessing the phenotypic variability and its genetic component.

Field-grown maize hybrids were assessed for variability in (137)Cs accumulation in vegetative parts of young and mature maize shoots and grains during 2 years with contrasting climatic conditions. Trials were carried out at different sites in the Tula region of Russia, which is characterized by a highly homogenous soil classified as Luvic Chernozem according to FAO/UNESCO, and average contamination levels of about 509-564 Bq (137)Cs kg(-1) soil. In the first year, 19 hybrids were tested. The two hybrids with the highest and the two with the lowest (137)Cs concentration ratios (C (r)) were also tested in the second year, together with another 11 hybrids. All samples were additionally assessed for their potassium content. In both investigation periods (137)Cs accumulation in vegetative shoots and grains was found to vary up to more than twofold between hybrids. However, C (r) values of those hybrids that showed a relatively low (137)Cs accumulation in the first year were not necessarily low in the second year, and the ratio between the (137)Cs C (r) of low- and high-accumulating hybrids was much smaller than in the year before. In both vegetative shoots and grains the variance caused by the different years was larger than the genotypic variance, thus indicating the limits of genotype selection for this trait. Significant correlations were determined between the (40)K and (137)Cs C (r) values in the same tissue, but for one hybrid indications for uncoupling of the two traits were found. Average Cs/K ratios in young shoots, mature shoots and grains were 0.06, 0.05 and 0.02, respectively, indicating tissue- and stage-specific regulation of accumulation within each plant. The findings are discussed with respect to new approaches towards a better understanding of (137)Cs accumulation and its potential reduction in plants.

An extended critical review of twenty years of countermeasures used in agriculture after the Chernobyl accident.

A wide range of different countermeasures has been used to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident for agriculture in affected regions in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The paper comprehensively brings together key data on countermeasure application over twenty years for all three countries and critically evaluates the response to the accident with respect to agriculture. The extents of countermeasures implementation in various periods following the ChNPP accident are documented. Examples of best practices and drawbacks in remediation of affected areas are identified. Data on the effectiveness of agricultural countermeasures have been evaluated and the impact of countermeasures implementation to mitigate consequences of the accident has been assessed for the period 1986-2006. Implementation of agricultural countermeasures averted 30-40% of the internal collective dose that would have been received by the residents of affected regions without the use of countermeasures. The current situation in agriculture of areas subjected to contamination following the Chernobyl accident is described. Current and future needs for remediation, including a consideration of various strategies of rehabilitation of affected areas are presented.