E1213
Vol. 9
Review and comments on the Environmental Assessment Report', Radionuclide Report2,
Radiation Risk Assessment Report for the Irtysh Forest3 and Supplemental Report on
Irtysh Forest Radioactive Pollution
by Dr. Kerry I. Bums
At the request of the World Bank, I have undertaken a review of two documents 1,2 and
two associated documents3'4 related to an environmental assessment of a forest protection
and reforestation project under consideration in Kazakhstan. My review and comments
have focused on and are restricted to radionuclide levels in the Irtysh forest, which may
have elevated levels of radioactive fallout as a result of the nuclear tests undertaken in the
neighboring Semipalatinsk region during the period of 1949-1963.
First let me briefly summarize the available nuclear testing data and radionuclide
contamination information that has been included in the environmental assessment' (EA)
report. A total of 470 nuclear weapons tests were conducted by the former Soviet Union
in the Semipalatinsk region during the period 1949-1963. There is some evidence that
several of the tests lead to radioactive contamination of villages on the border of the
Irtysh forest as a result of transport of radioactive fallout from these nuclear tests by
prevailing winds and weather conditions. Although there is reasonable information on
radioactive contamination levels in villages on the border of the Irtysh forest, there is
very little information on radionuclide levels and contamination in the Irtysh forest itself.
If work is to be undertaken in the Irtysh forest region, which is potentially contaminated
with fallout radionuclides, then there is a potential that workers may be exposed or at risk
to external and intemal exposure to radionuclides, and it is prudent that any EA address
this issue of radionuclide exposure and associated risk.
It is well known that radioactive fallout from intentional (nuclear tests) or accidental
(nuclear accidents) release of radioactivity, is highly variable and depends on many
conditions including local weather conditions, source term (reactor accident, nuclear
above ground or underground test), the specific radionuclide and the distance from the
source. Radioactive fallout is highly variable and can fluctuate by a factor of 100 to 1000
between two contaminated areas that are within a distance of several hundred meters.
This is especially true for long-lived radionuclides like 9OSr, 141Am and 2r9pu that are
associated with nuclear fuel particulates, usually termed "hot particles". These
radionuclides are of particular concem because they are long-lived, are pure beta- or
alpha-emitting radionuclides and therefore are difficult to measure non-destructively and
do not necessarily correlate with gamma-emitting radionuclides ('37Cs), which are the
radionuclides that are typically surveyed and reported in the literature. These long-lived
radionuclides are of particular concem when dealing with intemal exposure and resultant
dose due to inhalation or ingestion of contaminated materials (air dust or contaminated
food) as they require extensive and time consuming follow-up bioassay methods to
accurately assess dose. The bioassay methods must have exceptionally low levels of
detection for these long-lived radionuclides (typically giBq per sample) and achieve very
high decontamination levels from interfering radionuclides, in order to achieve accurate
dose assessments. Given these facts, it is only prudent that the EA consider the potential
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dose and risk from these long-lived radionuclides as a result of implementation of this
project in the Irtysh forest.
There has been a commendable attempt to assess the dose and risk associated with this
project based on the limited existing radionuclide information available in villages
bordering the Irtysh forest. The dose and risk has been calculated and estimated based on
various models, assuming the radionuclide data from bordering villages can be used as a
conservative estimate of the radionuclide levels in the Irtysh forest under consideration.
The results of these calculations and resultant recommendations have been summarized
in three reports 2-4. The results and conclusions of these three reports may be correct,
however all three recognize that the radionuclide information in the Irtysh forest is very
limited and that the conclusions derived from the model calculations would benefit from
additional data in the forest region to cross check and verify the assumptions and model
calculations.
After carefully reviewing all four reports, the author concludes that the EA report
presents a very reasonable summary of the current situation. The author supports the
recommendations in the EA that the existing radionuclide data be supplemented with a
carefully conceived and planned sampling and analysis campaign to generate the
radionuclide data that can be used by the dose-assessment models to more accurately
assess the dose and risk to workers and the local population associated with the
implementation of this project in the Irtysh forest. The author believes this EA is a
reasonable approach and endorses its content with respect to the way it proposes to deal
with the radionuclide contamination issue and legacy of the nuclear testing as it relates to
the implementation of the project in the Irtysh forest.
References
1. Jacobs Gibb, Helsinki Consulting Group, Joint Environment Programme II,
"Forest Protection and Reforestation Project, Kahakhstan: Environmental
Assessment and Management Plan" August 2005
2. Jacobs Gibb, Helsinki Consulting Group, Joint Environment Programme II,
Authors: G. Bruk, V. Golikov and Y. Dubasov,, "Assessment of the Radiation
Risk Connected to the Contamination of the Pine Forest Located Near to.the
Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site" Final Report, St. Petersburg, June 2005
3. Jacobs Gibb, Helsinki Consulting Group, EU Tacsis: Joint Environment
Programme II, Authors: A. Miroshnichenko and Y. Strilchuk, "Radiation Risk
Assessment in Pine Forests in the Pre-Irtysh Area", Report 26 December 2004.
4. Jacobs Gibb, Helsinki Consulting Group, Authors: A. Miroshnichenko and Y.
Strilchuk, "Additional Information for the Materials on the Pri-Irtysh Forests
Radioactive Pollution", February 2005
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