The Techa River dosimetry system: Methods for the reconstruction of internal dose

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2000 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-200007000-00007· OSTI ID:20080415

Degteva, M O; Kozheurov, V P; Tolstykh, E I; Vorobiova, M I; Anspaugh, L R; Napier, B A; Kovtun, A N

The Mayak Production Association (MPA) was the first facility in the former Soviet Union for the production of plutonium. Significant worker and population exposures occurred as a result of failures in the technological processes in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Residents of many villages downstream on the Techa River were exposed via a variety of pathways; the more significant included drinking of water from the river and external gamma exposure due to proximity to contaminated bottom sediment and shoreline. After the extent of the major contamination of the Techa River became known, several villages on the upper part of the Techa River were evacuated. Organ doses are being reconstructed on the basis of derivation of an historical source term and a simple river model used to simulate the transport of radionuclides downstream and their retention on sediments; measurements of {sup 90}Sr content in teeth and the whole body of half of the members of the cohort; and development of the Techa River Dosimetry System for computation of the doses.

• Research Organization: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk (RU)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy; US Environmental Protection Agency; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Federal Department of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
• OSTI ID: 20080415
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Journal Name: Health Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 79; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
CONTAMINATION
DOSIMETRY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
MAYAK PLANT
RADIATION DOSES
STRONTIUM 90
TECHA RIVER