title: Assessment of current exposure of the population living in the Techa River basin from radioactive releases of the Mayak facility.
abstract: Current doses arising from external and internal pathways have been estimated for the residents of two villages, Muslumovo and Brodokalmak, alongside the Techa River, which was contaminated by radioactive releases from the Mayak production facility. The dose estimates are based on numerous environmental measurements supplemented by further human whole body measurements and studies on occupational and dietary habits of Slavic and Turkish ethnic groups. Estimated doses arise mainly from use of the contaminated floodplains alongside the Techa River. The current average annual effective dose attributable to Cs and Sr in the environment, under conditions where restrictions on some river-related activities are in place, may exceed the Russian national action level of 1 mSv only in the hypothetical critical group of herdsmen in Muslumovo. The dose to this critical group in Brodokalmak is assessed to be 3 times less than that in Muslumovo and 2 fold below the action level. The external and internal exposures give comparable contributions to the total dose in both settlements and population groups: 47% and 53% in Muslumovo and 40% and 60% in Brodokalmak, respectively. About one quarter to one half of the internal dose in adults arises from the intake of Sr. In order to avoid substantial increases in the dose received by Muslumovo residents, it is expedient to prolong the current policy of restriction of some river-related population activities in this village.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiation Hygiene (IRH), St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Mikhail I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Balonov
authors.forename: Gennady Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Bruk
authors.forename: Vladislav Y
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Golikov
authors.forename: Anatoly N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Barkovsky
authors.forename: Eleonora M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kravtsova
authors.forename: Olga S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Kravtosova
authors.forename: Akhat A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mubasarov
authors.forename: Vladimir N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Shutov
authors.forename: Irena G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Travnikova
authors.forename: Brenda J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Justin Emrys
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strand
mesh_terms: D001822:Body Burden; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D009689:Nuclear Warfare; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D045483:Rivers; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive