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Initial Evaluation of the Radioecological Situation at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the Republic of Kazakhstan

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Initial Evaluation of the Radioecological Situation at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the Republic of Kazakhstan 36331S5 Initial evaluation of the radioecological situation at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the Republic of Kazakhstan G. Voigt, N. Semiochkina Institut fur Strahlenschutz GSF-Bericht 10/98 GSF - Forschungszentrum fur Umwelt und Gesundheit 30-15 D Herausgeber: GSF - Forsehimgszentrum fur Umwelt und Gesundheit, GmbH ingolstadter LandstraRe 1 D-85764 Neuherberg Telefon 089/3187 -0 Telefax 089/3187 - 3372 Mitgiied der Hermann von Helmholiz-Gemeinschaft Deutseher Forschungszentren (HGF) © GSF-Forschungszentrum, 1998 ISSN 0721 - 1694 Gedruekt auf urnweltfreundlichem, chlorfrei gebleichtem Papier Parti THE RADIOECOLOGICAL SITUATION AT THE SEMIPALATINSK TEST SITE IN THE REPUBLIC OF KASAKHSTAN G. Voigt and N. Semiochkina GSF-Institut fur Strahlensdmte, Germany with contributions by S, Wright and B. Howard institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE), UK and H. Mehli and P Strand Norwegian Radiation Protection Agency (NRPA), Norway CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 5 2, SITE DESCRIPTION 6 2.1. Geography and Co-ordinates 2.2. Climate 2.3. Hydrology 2.4. Soils 2.5. Vegetation 2.6. Land use 2.7. Population 3, NUCLEAR TESTS 14 3.1. Nuclear tests 3.2. Isotopic composition 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION IS 4.1. General surveys of the STS 4.2. Experimental Field (Ground Zero) 4.3. Lake Balapan 4.4. Degelen mountains 5. RADIONUCLIDE TRANSFER IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE STS 29 5.1. A general survey of soil and vegetation contamination 5.2. Mobility in soil 5.3. Contamination of vegetation 5.4. Soil to vegetation uptake 5.5. Contamination of animal products 5.6. Transfer from plant to animals 6. EXPOSURE OF THE POPULATION 40 6.1. Activity intake and internal dose estimation 7, DISCUSSION 44 CURRENT INFORMATION DEFIC1ENCES 8.1. The RESTORE approach 8.2. Interaction with ISTC SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES mini *05012466698* 1. INTRODUCTION The Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) located in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Figure 1.1) was one of the major nuclear weapon test sites of the former Soviet Union. At the site, four hundred fifty six nuclear explosions took place between 1949 and 1989 within the STS (Mikhailov et al. 1996; Dubasov et al. 1994a), resulting in radioactive contamination both within and around the STS. Incidences of radiation related illnesses in such areas may be higher than normal levels (Burkhart 1996). Published estimates of the resulting dose to the public vary according to the source, but an independent study (Grosche 1996) indicated that as many as 30,000 - 40,000 people could have been exposed to an average dose of 1.6 Sv (160 rem) or more (mainly due to short-lived radionuclides such as 13 lI). A detailed international assessment of the impact of these tests on the local population has not yet been undertaken. A current investigation under the acronym, RADTEST, includes an evaluation of Semipalatinsk as part of a broad review of internal and external doses to people arising from nuclear tests at many different sites in the world. In the context of the European Commission funded project RESTORE (Restoration Strategy for Radioactive Contaminated Ecosystems) an attempt is being made to assess the present radiolecological situation in the STS. This initial report collates currently available data published in Russian-language literature and internal CIS reports, reports from Europe and the USA, and other international literature. In this initial evaluation, only an overview of published data made available to the RESTORE project is provided and briefly discussed. In addition, further assessments including experimental work are suggested. Additional sources of data will be pursued and will be integrated with experimental results in the final evaluation report. Data on the deposition of long-lived radionuclides and resulting activity concentrations in fbodchains and biota are currently scarce or difficult to find from sources within Kazakhstan. The majority of information about the nuclear tests and the past and present radiological situation has been obtained by Russian (former Soviet Union) experts, and is maintained by different institutions and individuals who have previously worked on the STS and are now mostly resident in Russia (Obninsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg). It has been a significant problem whilst undertaking this part of the RESTORE assessment to identify such sources and to obtain relevant information. It must be stressed that the information currently obtained 5 needs to be critically reviewed once new data is available, since some reported values are inconsistent. Russia Russia Tadzhikistan Figure 1.1 Location of the Semipalatinsk test site (STS) in the Republic of Kazakhstan 2. SITE DESCRIPTION 2.1. Geography and Co-ordinates The Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) (Figure 2.1) is located in the north-east of Kazakhstan between 77° and 79°E and 49° and 60°N, to the west of the River Irtysh. The STS has an area of 18 500 km2 (185 km x 100 km) and is centred on the junction point of three oblasts: Semipalatinskaya to the South/Southeast (54% of STS area), Pavlodarskaya to the north (39%) and Karagandinskayato the west (7%). Administratively, the STS belongs to the Semipalatinskaya oblast, with scientific and technical management co-ordinated in the town of Kurchatov which is approximately 120 km to the north west of Semipalatinsk city (Figure 2.2). The STS is located in a region of steppe and 6 semi-desert landscapes and has a strong continental climate, with seasonally variable strong winds and dust storms. Figure. 2.1: General view of the STS (photo generously provided by Prof. Logachov) 2.2. Climate The climate of the STS is strongly continental with the monthly average temperatures for July ranging between 19 to 22 °C and for January between -18 to -14°C. Two climate belts can be distinguished. Areas along the River Irtysh, with average annual temperatures ranging from +0.6 to +5°C and average annual precipitation of between 250 to 300 mm, are considered to be dry. In contrast, mountainous areas within the test site are classified as moderately humid with average annual temperatures ranging from -4 to 1 °C and average annual precipitation between 400 to 600 mm. Highest precipitation rates occur in May/June and October/November. Both wind direction and speed is highly variable within this region and 7 difficult to predict. The average wind speed is 4 to 5 m/s in winter (mainly from the south- west) and 3 to 4 m/s in summer (from the north). P 8fvi o d i rskaya Kurchatov Degelen mountains Sarzhal paiatinskaya Figure 22 Geographical location and borders of the STS 2.3. Hydrology The landscape in which the STS is located has only one river, the Irtysh, with a permanent flow, which borders the Northeast of the STS. The landscape is composed of small hummocky hills between which there are many depressions with alkali soils, salt lakes, dry wadis and dried up river beds. The largest of the dry river beds are Tundyk in the west and Shagan with Ashisu 8 in the east of the STS. In springtime, the flood water of Shagan may even reach the Irtysh River. 2.4. Soils The variation in soil type across the STS is small. The area is dominated by chestnut and light chestnut soils, which are characteristic of a semi-arid grassland ecosystem. The typical chestnut and light chestnut soils found on the flood plain of the Irtysh River in the North gradually change into chestnut alkali soils (solonetz) in the west, the Kazakh hummocky land. Imperfectly developed chestnut soils with much rock debris are found in mountainous areas. The arable light chestnut non-alkali soils occur as small separate massifs and are located on the hills. In the valleys of small drainage lines, meadow-bog and meadow soils have developed. The low lying plains are highly saline with additional soil types present such as alkali soils and solonchaks, with widely distributed old-alluvial deposits - light loam, loamy sand and sand. The major soil types of the STS are shown in Figure 2.3 and the physical-chemical characteristics of selected soils are given in Table 2.1 (Atlas pocv SSSR 1974). The organic matter content in surface layers is low at 1-1.5% in light chestnut soils and 3.0-4.5% in dark chestnut and chestnut soils. 9 1. Chestnut 2. Light chestnut 3. Light chestnut imperfectly developed, rock debris 4. Chestnut imperfectly developed, rock debris 5. Dark chestnut 6. Alkali soils 7. Chestnut alkali and solonez 8. Low-mountain chestnut Figure 2.3: Major soils types within the STS Table 2.1: Physico-chemical characteristics of selected soils within the STS Cations Soil type Organic 1111;:; lii® gggigg matter mg-equiv. to lOOg of soil % of amount I;::#### WM. EM#.IKK Na+ Dark 0-10 4.7 0.22 8.5 25.9 4.9 0.4 83 16 1 chestnut 20-30 2.8 0.14 9.0 20.6 7.9 0.4 71 27 2 45-65 2.4 0.12 9.2 16.3 6.4 1.2 68 27 5 Chestnut 0-10 2.2 - 7.3 25.3 5.8 no 81 19 - 20-30 1.3 0.08 7.3 12.1 4.5 0.1 73 26 1 40-50 1.0 0.03 7.3 12.1 8.3 0.1 59 40 1 Light 0-10 1.5 0.09 7.5 17.6 2.0 0.1 90 10 1 chestnut 10-20 1.3 - 8.0 9.7 3.8 0.1 71 28 1 32-42 1.0 0.09 8.0 8 8 5.8 0.1 60 39 1 2.5. Vegetation The STS has fescue-needle grass steppes on dark chestnut and chestnut soils, and sagebrush- needle grass steppes on the light chestnut soils.
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