Vol 57, No 1 (2006)
Review paper
Published online: 2006-03-20
The radiological situation before and after Chernobyl disaster
Endokrynol Pol 2006;57(1):45-52.
Abstract
The nuclear reactor accident, which occurred on 26 April 1986
at Chernobyl, has been one of the greatest ecological disasters
in human history. In our study we discussed the most recent
data on the accident, and the natural and synthetic sources of
radiation. According to the recent data, the air at Chernobyl
had been contaminated with about 5300 PBq radionuclide activity
(excluding rare gases), including 1760 PBq 131I and 85 PBq
137Cs. The highest radiation received by the liquidators (0.8-16
Gy), lower doses were received by the population which was
evacuated or inhabited the contaminated areas (in which the
level of 137Cs activity deposited in the earth was 37 kBq/m2). In
the European countries the highest mean radiation dose per
year for the whole body in the first year after the accident was
in Bulgaria (760 µSv), Austria (670 µSv) and Greece (590 µSv),
while the lowest radiation dose was observed in Portugal (1.8
µSv) and Spain (4.2 µSv). In Poland the mean effective equivalent
dose resulting from Chernobyl accident was 932 µSv and
is close to the limited dose permitted in Poland, equalling 1
mSv/year. The highest radiation dose to thyroid was received
by inhabitants of the states previously known as Bielskopodlaskie,
Nowosadeckie and the north-east region of Poland.
Lowest dose was received by inhabitants of the areas previously
known as Slupski and Rzeszowski.
Keywords: Chernobyl disasterradioactive contamination
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