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Cs-137 in Milk, Vegetation, Soil, and Water Near the Former Soviet Union’S Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

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Cs-137 in Milk, Vegetation, Soil, and Water Near the Former Soviet Union’S Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site UNRESTRICTED CW-121241-CONF-015 Environ Sci Pollut Res DOI 10.1007/s11356-015-5741-7 RESEARCH ARTICLE Cs-137 in milk, vegetation, soil, and water near the former Soviet Union’s Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site Aitbek Kakimov1 & Zhanibek Yessimbekov1 & Zhainagul Kakimova1 & Aigerim Bepeyeva1 & Marilyne Stuart2 Received: 3 April 2015 /Accepted: 3 November 2015 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015 Abstract The present study was carried out to evaluate Cs- Introduction 137 activity concentration in soil, water, vegetation, and cow’s milk at 10 locations within three regions (Abai, Ayaguz, and The former Soviet Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) is Urdzhar) to the southeast of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test within the limits of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to Site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan. Cs-137 activity concentrations, official sources, 456 nuclear bomb tests were carried out on determined using a pure Ge gamma-ray spectrometer, showed the site between 1949 and 1989 (Michailov 1996). Nuclear that, all samples collected did not exceed the National maxi- testing at SNTS can be divided into two periods. First, from mum allowable limits of 10,000 Bq/kg for soil, 100 Bq/kg for 1949 to 1962, when nuclear tests were carried out in the at- cow’s milk, 74 Bq/kg for vegetation, and 11 Bq/kg for water. mosphere (116 above ground tests including 30 surface (at Cs-137 is, therefore, not considered a health hazard in these heights of 30 to 40 m), eight air (at heights below 10 km), regions. The highest levels of contamination were found in the and 78 atmospheric tests (at heights above 10 km)) (Howard Abai region, where the highest activity concentration of Cs- et al. 2004). These atmospheric tests were conducted on the 137 was 18.0±1.0 Bq/kg in soil, 7.60±0.31 Bq/kg in cow’s experimental field (Fig. 1). During the second period, from milk, 4.00±0.14 Bq/kg in the vegetation, and 3.00±0.24 Bq/ 1963 until 1989, underground nuclear tests were conducted in kg in water. The lowest levels were measured within the the Degelen Mountains and Balapan area (see also Fig. 1). The Urdzhar region, where 4.00±0.14 Bq/kg was found in the soil, last nuclear explosion was conducted on the 19 October 1989 0.30±0.02 Bq/kg in the cow’s milk, 1.00±0.03 Bq/kg in the (Bocharov et al. 1989). So far, most of the environmental vegetation, and 0.20±0.02 Bq/kg in the water. radioactive contamination can be attributed to the atmospheric tests (Grosche 2002). It follows that these events have been and are still contributing to public radiation exposure. It was Keywords Cs-137 . Milk . Vegetation . Soil . Water . estimated that tests conducted on the 29 August 1949 (22 kt), Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site on the 24 September 1951 (38 kt), on the 12 August 1953 (400 kt), on the 24 August 1956 (27 kt), and on the 7 August 1962 may have contributed more than 95 % of the collective dose to the population living near the SNTS (Gordeev et al. 2002). Atmospheric nuclear test resulted in considerable human and Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues non-human biota radiation exposures in proximity of the test site (Groshe et al. 2002). Approximately 1.6 million people * Zhanibek Yessimbekov suffered from the effects of radiation due to nuclear testing at [email protected] SNTS, of which approximately 1.2 million are still suffering (Kawano et al. 2006; Gusev et al. 1997). 1 Shakarim State University of Semey, 20 A Glinki Street, Since the closing of the SNTS in 1989, Kazakh and inter- 071412 Semey, Kazakhstan national scientists have been studying the radiological situa- 2 Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (formerly Atomic Energy of Canada tion at the SNTS and adjacent territories. These studies Limited), 1 plant road, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, Canada allowed the main sources of contamination to be identified UNRESTRICTED CW-121241-CONF-015 Environ Sci Pollut Res Fig. 1 Sampling point location as well as the mechanisms responsible for their dispersion/ The international project within the framework of the distribution (Lukashenko 2011). The presence of radiological NATO BScience for Peace Program^ BInvestigation of the contamination in the south part of SNTS and surrounded area radioecological situation of southwestern part of SNTS near was attributed to the radioactive fallout from the southeast Sarzhal village^ SEMIRAD (2000–2003) was aimed to con- trace, resulting from the hydrogen bomb explosion that took duct radiological fieldwork to differentiate which lands could place in August, 1953 (IRSE 2007). be used for agricultural purposes from those heavily contam- In July 1994, the IAEA estimated intake doses to the inated by radionuclides where habitation should be ruled out population living in the Semipalatinsk area. The IAEA (Priest et al. 2003). In the framework of two international also reviewed Russian and Kazakh databases in order to projects, BSemirad 1^ and BSemirad 2^, 1400 km2 of the assess the radiological situation (IAEA 1998). At that SNTS territory most widely used for economic purposes have time, the IAEA also took samples of soil, vegetation, been explored. The NATO report did not suggest elevated Cs- and water that were used to obtain radionuclide content 137 activity concentrations within the area that is the subject measurements. Outside the SNTS, soil Cs-137 activity of the present paper. The NATO report showed that soil Cs- concentrations were measured in Sarzhal and in Kainar 137 activity concentrations had a tendency to decrease with (see Fig. 1). For sampling depths of up to 5 cm, the sampling depths: 0–5cm>5–10 cm >10–15 cm. Cs-137 activity concentrations were between 6.0 and Within the European Union program INTAS (International 72.0 Bq/kg in Sarzhal and 0.2 to 50.0 Bq/kg in Kainar. Association for the Promotion of Cooperation with Scientists After the IAEA mission, the experts agreed (1) to recom- from the New Independent States of the Former Soviet mended access restriction to the experimental field and Union), the research activities were focused on the biological Lake Balapan areas, and (2) that in most of the other and environmental assessment of the settlement of Dolon, areas, external radiation dose rates and soil activity con- situated near the east-north border of the SNTS, a small town centrations are the same, or close to, typical levels mea- known to be heavily affected by the nuclear explosions sured in other regions and countries where no nuclear (Steinhäusler et al. 2000). According to this study, the dose weapons testing had been carried out. contribution for Cs-137 and Sr-90 was generally low in water, UNRESTRICTED CW-121241-CONF-015 Environ Sci Pollut Res vegetation, and food and did not differ significantly from the animal grazing. Plant cover consists of Artemisia: Artemisia global averages. sublessingiana, Artemisia frigida, Artemisia compacta-B Nowadays, it remains important to monitor radionuclide A.albida^, Artemisia gracilescens, Stipa capillata, Stipa levels in environmental media. Such monitoring helps sareptana, Stipa lessingiana, Festuca valesiaca. Steppe confirming what is known, would alert of any unexpected bushes are mostly Caragana pumila, Spiraea hypericifolia, changes in the situation, and provides data that can be used Epherdra distachya, Ziziphora clinopodioides, and Thymus to reassure the local population. In addition, the knowledge marshallianus. gained from the SNTS studies can be used to better manage Soil, water, and vegetation samples were obtained from the growing uranium mining industry in the country. undisturbed portions of pastures located near the settlements. Measuring radionuclide levels in raw animal and plant Fresh cow milk was chosen as the animal products to be an- products is important to evaluate doses and, therefore, the alyzed. This choice was based on its importance for the health risks associated with internal radionuclide exposure region. through foodstuff. In this study that was conducted within a Most of the Cs-137 was expected to be found within the top Cs-137 monitoring program, Cs-137 activity concentrations 3–5 cm of soils. This was estimated based on organic matter were measured in soil, water, vegetation, and cow’smilkat content, clay minerals, and hydrology of the upper layers of 10 locations within three regions (Abai, Ayaguz, and Urdzhar) soil (Larionova et al. 2006; Forsberg et al. 2000;Zhiyanski to the southeast of the SNTS. The locations selected were et al. 2008). For this reason, a sampling depth of 5 cm has been along a line of contamination that resulted from the 12 chosen. Undisturbed surface soil was collected using a shovel August 1953 tower thermonuclear explosion conducted at to a depth of 5 cm (surface to 5 cm depth). The sampling was Ground Zero on the experimental Field. This is the largest based on the assumption that Cs readily affixes to soil parti- plume that left SNTS and can be traced all the way to the cles, and thus, most of the atmospheric test fallout contamina- Chinese border. The two main objectives of the study were tion would be expected to lie near the soil surface (Val’kov to verify that the Cs-137 activity concentrations were low, as et al. 2004; Rafferty et al. 2000). For each grabs, the area expected, and to confirm that Cs-137 does not constitute a sampled was 100 cm2.Tomakeuponesample,soilwas health hazard. The dataset, although the sampling was not grabbed from five different places within a 50 m perimeter. conducted with this purpose, was also used to derive rough The five samples were then mixed together in a large contain- transfer factor values to compare with the values listed in the er.
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