1. NATO SfP RESCA Project Peter Stegnar
Jožef Stefan Institute and Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Brit Salbu, UMB, Aas, Norway
Osnovna vsebina mojega individualnega raziskovalnega dela je ocena doz ionizirajočih sevanj v srednje azijski državi Kirgiziji. Ta država je bila vključena v projekt NATO Znanost za mir, o okviru katerega smo ocenjevali vpliv na okolje in zdravje ljudi zaradi rudarjenja in predelave uranove rude, ko je bila Kirgizija še del Sovjetske zveze.

2. NATO SfP Legacy Projects in CA
RESCA (Radioactivity Environment Security Central Asia): on Legacy of U Extraction and Environmental Security in Central Asia
JNKKT (Joint Norway Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan) Project (UMB) supported RESCA
SEMIRAD I (Semipalatinsk)
SEMIRAD II (Semipalatinsk)
UMREG 2012

4. U Legacy Related Problems
Uranium legacy sites in inhabited areas prone to natural disasters
Majority of sites not properly managed due to lack of money and inadequate regulatory infrastructure
Low living standard of resident populations, health and social problems, migration, etc.
Concern of resident population due to lack of information
UMREG 2012

5. RESCA OBJECTIVES
Characterisation of source-term and determination of local contamination at selected uranium legacy sites
Radiation dose and impact assessment
Identification of appropriate mitigation/remediation countermeasures
Budget: NATO – 430,000 EUR
Slovenia – 150,000 EUR
Norway – ?
UMREG 2012

6. RESCA PARTICIPANTS Volkovgeologiya, Kazakhstan Al-Farabi, Kazakhstan
CHU EcoLab, Kyrgyzstan
INP, Uzbekistan
Vostokredmet,Tajikistan
J. Stefan Institute,Slovenia
UMB, Norway
RESCA: from 2006 to 2010
UMREG 2012

7. U Legacy Sites Investigated
Kurday // Kadji Sai // Taboshar
Digmai // Minkush // Shekaftar
Charkesar – 15 multinational field missions
UMREG 2012

8. Hazards Radioactivity Gamma, alpha + Rn doses
Drinking water/food intake
Particles/aerosols (JNNKT)
Ecosystem transfer (JNNKT)
Metals – levels, transport, uptake (JNNKT)
Multiple stressor exposures (JNNKT)
Geohazards: earthquakes, landslides, flooding – physical risk
BODOČE DELO
V nadaljnje raziskave bom:
vključila oceno doz v zunanjem okolju raziskanih področij,
izračunala doze za toron v bivalnem okolju,
izdelala oceno doz v drugih državah srednje Azije, ki so sodelovale v projektu NATO (Kazahstan, Uzbekistan in Tadžikistan),
opredelila končno oceno tveganja, ki bo osnova za sprejetje ustreznih ukrepov za zmanjšanje obremenitve lokalnega prebivalstva zaradi ionizirajočih sevanj.
UMREG 2012

9. Samples - measurements
Gamma dose rate, alpha track, Rn dose rates
Analysis of radionuclides in environmental samples
Particle analysis: 2D composition, size, structure
Water: In situ fractionation, lakes, rivers, groundwater, run-off
Fish: gills, organs, trophic levels, BCF
Soils/sediments: sequential extractions
Vegetation: transfer factors
Methods: alpha-, gamma-spectrometry, beta counting, INAA, RNAA, ICP-MS, ICP-OES, FIMS, IRMS, SEM, 2D synchrotron XRD, XRF
UMREG 2012

10. RESULTS Environmental Impact Assessment
Radioactivity of the source (tailings): elevated
Radioactivity of the environment: gamma dose rates and Radon: high at some sites/places; drinking water, food products – clean
UMREG 2012

11. Intervention needed
Digmai, high gamma,
Rn emanation, dust
UMREG 2012

12. Digmay – Tajikistan, outdoor Rn
Intervention needed
CRn = 1500 Bq m−3
CRn = 1000 Bq m−3
CRn = 450 Bq m−3
Digmay – Tajikistan, outdoor Rn
UMREG 2012

13. Min-Kush; Kyrgyzstan
Dose rates at Tuyuk-Suu - remediated: 0.2 to 1.0 µGy/h, Rn: up to 10 Bq/m3
Indoor Rn: low (~100 Bq/m3), higher in some public buildings
Tuyuk-Suu tailings dump: landslide threat, transfer to D recommended
Spent filter materials from former U mill: immediate removal needed
U waste rock and coal used for insulation purposes of houses
IAEA TM on

14. Charkesar, Uzbekistan Gamma doses
Contaminated mine water drunk by animals and used for irrigation
Gamma dose rates of the soil from µGy/h
Ra-226 in contaminated soil: 10 kBq/kg,
Ra-226 in water: 2.7 Bq/L
More information needed

15. Hot spots – Radioactive particles - digital autoradiography
Soil from Kadji-say, Kyrgyzstan
Sediment from Taboshar Pit Lake
Soil from Kurday, Kazakhstan
High gamma doses
In situ measurements

16. Drinking water Taboshar village: exceeds WHO U limit
Downstream Taboshar extraction site
Drinking water Taboshar village: exceeds WHO U limit
U=1384 µg/L
Ra-226= 26 mBq/L
As=31 µg/L
High transfer
Max dose rates = 0.4 µGy/h

17. Other findings High U and As levels in Taboshar pit lake
High 210Po and Hg uptake in fish
226Ra key dose contributor
to terrestrial plants
UMREG 2012

18. Dose and Risk Assessment
Radiation doses low, radiological risk low with no actual health impact on resident populations
Radiological risk versus non-radiological:
Chemical contaminants
Physical risk – due to free access to legacy sites, geohazard impact
Perceived radiological risk versus actual risk:
Perceived risk by population high, based on lacking information, low living standard, emotions – radiophobia
Actual radiological risk: low
UMREG 2012

19. Upgrading analytical labs – provision of equipment (some cost-shared with IAEA): ɣ,α spectrometers, radiochemistry, Rn equipment, field instruments, sampling kits, etc.
Training of personnel - young specialists: on-the-job, basic, advanced (spectrometry, Rn, other techniques)
Promoting education (several MSc and PhD degrees completed or in progress)
UMREG 2012

20. Conclusions
Radiation doses to man relatively low, insignificant radiological risk and no actual health impact on resident populations
Radiation at investigated sites localised to limited areas, could potentially influence/impact downstream areas due to river and airborne transport
Metal exposure, especially of As, is high at mining sites, and is transported downstream
High ecosystem transfer of selected radionuclides and metals
Multiple stressor aspect should be considered
UMREG 2012

21. RESCA CONTRIBUTIONS
Upgrading analytical labs – provision of equipment (some cost-shared with IAEA): ɣ,α spectrometers, radiochemistry, Rn equipment, field instruments, sampling kits, etc.
Training of personnel - young specialists: on-the-job, basic, advanced (spectrometry, Rn, other techniques)
Promoting education (several MSc and PhD degrees completed or in progress)
UMREG 2012

22. RESCA CONCERNS
Lack of national financing for self-sustainable activities for follow-up programme/projects, i.e. site specific monitoring
Leaving of already trained/experienced personnel for other jobs
Utilisation (availability, technical support, repair possibilitis, etc.) of equipment
QA/QC issues – reliability of results
UMREG 2012

23. FUTURE RESCA follow – up: radioactivity + metals
Comprehensive EIA of investigated sites
EIA of other sites:
Sumsar (heavy metals pollution),
Shekaftar (radioactivity)
Ak-Tyuz, Orlovka (radioactive tailings from rare earth elements production, heavy metals)
Taboshar
Digmai
UMREG 2012

24. Special Issue Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 2012
10 peer review articles 24