Actual, current dose rate levels near Chernobyl.

[vanesch]

Does anyone have a source of the actual (today) dose rate levels in the 30 km zone near Chernobyl ?

 

[Astronuc]

I'm sure the data are collected and reported, but the results likely are not available on-line.

Here is some background -

Radio-Adaptive Response to Environmental Exposures at Chernobyl
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2478521

Exposures in the Chernobyl environment currently are from low-LET (linear energy transfer), low dose rate ionizing radiation, primarily gamma radiation from 137Cs and 90Sr as well as limited amounts of ß radiation. The highest levels of radiation are found in the Red Forest, 1.5 km West of the destroyed reactor, although levels are nonetheless considered low dose, low dose rate radiation.

http://www.lowdose.energy.gov/
http://www.lowdose.energy.gov/about_main.htm

Chernobyl Accident
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.htm

Studies on the gamma radiation environment in Sweden with special reference to 137Cs
http://gupea.ub.gu.se/dspace/handle/2077/17691


Chernobyl, 22 Years Later
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/31/eveningnews/main3984592.shtml

CBS News was on the site less than 10 minutes when one member of the group went over his exposure limit.

"Right now the dose rate is 200 times the background of what you'd have in Washington, D.C.," [Laurin] Dodd said.

Laurin Dodd is managing director of the Chernobyl Shelter Implementation Program (SIP) Project Management Unit, Bechtel International Systems, Inc.
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11801&page=96

 

[vanesch]

I'm sure the data are collected and reported, but the results likely are not available on-line.

It is because I've read wildly varying statements (but without any numbers or references) about this. I'm not talking about right next to the sarcophagus, I'm talking at, about, say, 5 km from the site, or 15 km, or 25 km - and probably this is not cylindrical.

 

[Astronuc]

There are periodic meetings on radiation protection, particularly for Pripyat.

Chernobyl disaster - numerous references
http://www.answers.com/topic/chernobyl-disaster-1
Prypiat, Ukraine - local town affected by fission product release from Chernobyl accident
http://www.answers.com/topic/prypiat-ukraine

Chernobyl: Assessment of Radiological and Health Impacts
2002 Update of Chernobyl: Ten Years On
http://www.nea.fr/html/rp/chernobyl/
Chapter IV. Dose estimates
http://www.nea.fr/html/rp/chernobyl/c04.html


10th Meeting of the Urban Remediation Working Group
Environmental Modeling for Radiation Safety (EMRAS) Project
http://www-ns.iaea.org/downloads/rw/projects/emras/urban/urban-wg-minutes-tenth-meeting.pdf

It's a matter of finding the right person(s) who are involved in the radiological monitoring program.

 

[Ohio River]

Having been very involved with Chernobyl issues for nine years, I would be happy to share any information that I have. Did an on site study through the UW at the "Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station" in 2004. Will tell you that radiation levels change daily, dependent upon factors including wind speeds. Also, variations will occur within mere feet of registering statistics, i.e. Blacktop areas of Prypit register within the hundreds, while in the soil just a few feet away it had registered, that day at 1,240.

Bottom line with Chernobyl, there is no finite, hence the wide spectrum of stats you will find, with includes official deaths (numbering only 31) due to the Chernobyl Nuclear holocaust.

As an addendum: You realize of course, that this nuclear facility was built for the express reason of extracting plutonium for military purposes, which also accounts for some of the instability of the "power plant."

 

[Ohio River]

Right you are Astronuc, "It's a matter of finding the right person(s) who are involved in the radiological monitoring program." Still, it changes daily.

Dr. Ron Chesser of Texas A&M has lead the team studying effects of radiation for many years, now. His work is easy to Google. I met with him, and found that the results were not were not what I had expected.

 

[Borek]

From what I have heard from the man who was there last year there are huge differences between places. There are places (in the closed zone) where the radiation level is that of normal bacgkround for this area, there are places where the radiation level is high. They are sometimes hundred meters apart. Bottom line: there is no such thing as a single number radiation level.

 

[Mk]

No numbers here yet have been stated, just a lot of links. I was expecting it in rem or sievert.

Bottom line: there is no such thing as a single number radiation level.

This?

 

[Sriram.S]

http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chornobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm"

I saw some mentions of dose rate levels in this link.Forgive me if it doesn't help.

Sriram

 

[Starvid]

So... what is the annual dosage for the people still living in the zone around the plant?

As they move around, I guess it should even out over the untouched and the contaminated areas?

Higher or lower dosage than they get in 260 mSv Ramsar, Iran?

 

[Morbius]

As an addendum: You realize of course, that this nuclear facility was built for the express reason of extracting plutonium for military purposes, which also accounts for some of the instability of the "power plant."

Ohio River,

Correct - the Soviet RBMK reactor at Chernobyl was a scaled up version of a previous weapons
production reactor. Chernobyl is primarily a weapons production reactor with a steam plant attached
in order to to convert the byproduct heat to electricity instead of just dumping the heat to the environmet.

In a way, Chernobyl is similar to the Hanford N Reactor. The previous reactors at Hanford - the
B, D, F, H, DR, C, KW and KE reactors just dumped their byproduct heat into the Columbia River.

The Hanford N Reactor which operated from Dec 1963 to Jan 1987 included a steam plant, turbine
and generator to make electric power from the byproduct heat.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

 

[trinsic]

Hi, I was looking up information on pripat for a screenplay I am working on and found this site. I was wondering if there is any way to estimate how long it would be until it is safe for humans to inhabit the location

 

[Borek]

Hi, I was looking up information on pripat for a screenplay I am working on and found this site. I was wondering if there is any way to estimate how long it would be until it is safe for humans to inhabit the location

It is not that easy. Problem is, terrain there is mostly safe, but there are patches of elevated radiation levels, and you can never say - without a correct equipment - what is the level of radiation where you stand.

 

[QuantumPion]

I wonder, where did the workers for the other Chernobyl units live when they were still operating? Did they still live in Pripyat, or did they commute from somewhere far away?

 

[ocdetails]

I found this image on Wikipedia and thought it was interesting.

That image is from 2003 according to the article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chernobylpowerplantradioactivity.jpg

 

[sclose]

I have readings taken from a recent tour. Here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7577652@N08/sets/72157626476941444/with/5610063617/

Hope that is of some use.

And in answer to QuantumPion's question - the town of Chernobyl is populated today and about 4000 people work in the exclusion zone. I think Chernobyl has always been populated as it was outside the 10km evacuation zone - unlike Pripyat.