Anthropogenic radioactivity in the vicinity of the Bilibino nuclear power station, Chukotka, Russia¹

We thank Andrew Reed and Scott Dolvin for assistance in field and laboratory sample processing. The District Governor of Bilibino, Anatoliy Fyodorovich Simonov, and the Deputy Governor, Galina Yevdokimova, extended very helpful assistance during our stay in Bilibino. Alexander L. Kononovich of the All‐Russia Research Institute of Nuclear Power Stations provided assistance in obtaining permission to collect samples in the vicinity of the power plant. We also are very thankful for information on the power plant operations provided by Eugene V. Olenin and Dimitrii Golobokoff of the Bilibino Nuclear Power Station. C. W. Francis, C. T. Garten (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), E. R. Landa (U.S. Geological Survey), and an anonymous reviewer provided constructive comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. The U.S. Department of Defense Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program, managed by the Office of Naval Research, provided financial support for this work. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE‐AC05–96OR22464. Environmental Sciences Division Publication No. 4583.

Abstract

During vegetation, soil, and water sampling conducted in 1995, we were unable to confirm previous reports that the Bilibino Nuclear Power Station in the Russian Far East is a significant source of anthropogenic radioactivity to the surrounding region. A localized area of radionuclide contamination was observed for at least 400 m downstream of an effluent discharge point into a small stream, underlain by permafrost, which drains the area surrounding the power plant. It appears likely that the localized contamination observed is the result of poor drainage and the lack of adequate mixing of the discharge, rather than radionuclide discharges that are abnormally high. Radionuclides such as Co and ⁵ Mn that are associated with nuclear energy generation also were detected on upland vegetation at distances of 700 m (<100 Bq/kg dry weight) to 4 km (<10 Bq/kg dry weight) from the power station, indicating that airborne releases from the power plant also contribute to the overall radionuclide burden. Total ¹³⁷Cs inventories in soil suggest that weapons testing fallout is still the predominant anthropogenic radionuclide source for this region and that the Bilibino Power Station currently has only a very localized influence on the surrounding area.

Notes

We thank Andrew Reed and Scott Dolvin for assistance in field and laboratory sample processing. The District Governor of Bilibino, Anatoliy Fyodorovich Simonov, and the Deputy Governor, Galina Yevdokimova, extended very helpful assistance during our stay in Bilibino. Alexander L. Kononovich of the All‐Russia Research Institute of Nuclear Power Stations provided assistance in obtaining permission to collect samples in the vicinity of the power plant. We also are very thankful for information on the power plant operations provided by Eugene V. Olenin and Dimitrii Golobokoff of the Bilibino Nuclear Power Station. C. W. Francis, C. T. Garten (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), E. R. Landa (U.S. Geological Survey), and an anonymous reviewer provided constructive comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. The U.S. Department of Defense Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program, managed by the Office of Naval Research, provided financial support for this work. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE‐AC05–96OR22464. Environmental Sciences Division Publication No. 4583.

Also at Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996.