An example of rehabilitation strategies for radioactive contaminated areas in Belarus

The potential for remediation and rehabilitation of areas contaminated by radionuclides is largely based on the predictions of individual doses, the internal doses being estimated by the potential contribution of major food products. As an example, the Chechersk region in the Gomel district has been selected to represent areas where, in 1995, individual doses exceeded the national dose limit of 1 mSv/yr. For this area, the contribution of food consumption to the total dose has been estimated, and measures for its reduction are proposed. The radical improvement of pastures for grazing of private dairy cows is one of the most effective measures to reduce internal 137Cs doses. It is shown that the use of herbage from a cultivated pasture with an average 137Cs contamination level of 405 kBq/m2 during five subsequent years leads to an individual accumulative averted dose from milk consumption of 0.98 mSv, which is below the given dose limit of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. In this paper estimates of fluxes of mainly 137Cs and to a smaller extent of 90Sr associated with foodstuffs derived from various ecosystems are given and account is also taken of the radioactivity exported from the area.