The concentrations of artificial and natural radionuclides in the bottom sediments of south-west Altai territory water bodies

The purpose of the research is to study and analyze the environmental condition of small streams and reservoirs in the southwestern part of the Altai Territory (Russia), which were previously exposed to radiation as a result of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site. Conducting the research, the authors obtained the results of studying the content of artificial and natural radionuclides in the bottom sediments of the water bodies under investigation. Sampling of bottom sediments and their analytical studies were carried out in 2020–2022. The sampling involved measurements of the dose rate of bottom sediment gamma radiation. Having dried and ground the samples, the authors measured the flux density of alpha and beta particles from the surface. Laboratory studies of the samples were carried out using highly sensitive analytical equipment including an ORTEC GEM25P4-70 gamma spectrometer, an Alpha Analyst A1200-32AM CANBERRA alpha spectrometer, and a TRI-CARB 3110TR PerkinElmer beta spectrometer. The activities of natural radionuclides (potassium-40, thorium-232, radium-226) and artificial radionuclides (americium-241, plutonium-239+240, cesium-137 and strontium-90) were identified in the bottom sediments. It was determined that the radiation parameters of bottom sediments of water bodies in the southwestern part of the Altai Territory do not exceed the standard level, and the remains of traces of nuclear tests that took place at the test site are not found in the studied water bodies today.

1. Korovina O. Yu., Komarova L. F., Somin V. A. Selection of the main pollution sources of surface waters and bottom sediments during environmental monitoring for the case of the Altai Territory. In: Bezopasnost', zashchita i okhrana okruzhayushchei prirodnoi sredy: fundamental'nye i prikladnye issledovaniya: sb. dokl. Vseros. nauch. konf. = Safety, protection and conservation of the natural environment: fundamental and applied research: collection of reports of the All-Russian Scientific Conference. 14–18 October 2019, Belgorod. Belgorod: Belgorod State Technological University named after V. G. Shukhov; 2019, p. 22–25. (In Russ.).

2. Kolyado I. B., Plugin S. V., Tribunsky S. I. Aftereffects of the impact of the radiation exposure on the territory and the population of the Altai Krai. Gigiena i sanitariya = Hygiene and sanitation. 2018;97(7):609-617. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18821/0016-9900-2018-97-7-609-617.

3. Lukashenko S. N. Topical issues of Kazakhstan radioecology. Iss. 1. Radioecological condition of the “northern” part of the Semipalatinsk test site territory. Pavlodar: Dom pechati; 2010. 294 p. (In Russ.)

4. Shoikhet Ya. N., Kiselev V. I., Loborev V. M. Radiation impact of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site on the population of the Altai Territory. Barnaul: Research Institute of Regional Medical and Environmental Problems; 1999. 346 p. (In Russ.).

5. Raputa V. F., Yaroslavtseva T. V. Reconstruction of radioactive contamination traces from terrestrial nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk test site. In: Radioaktivnost' i radioaktivnye elementy v srede obitaniya cheloveka: materialy V Mezhdunar. konf. = Radioactivity and radioactive elements in the human environment: proceedings of the 5th International conference. 13–16 September 2016, Tomsk. Tomsk: STT; 2016, p. 541–545. (In Russ.).

6. Medvedev V. I., Korshunov L. G., Chernyago B. P. Radiation impact of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on South Siberia (long-term studies in Eastern and Central Siberia as compared with the data on Western Siberia). Sibirskii ekologicheskii zhurnal. 2005;12(6):1055-1071. (In Russ.).

7. Kolyado I. B. Plugin S. V., Konovalov B. Yu. Effects of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site and the new in the work of the Altai Medical and Dosimetric Register. In: Agrarnaya nauka – sel'skomu khozyaistvu = Agrarian science to Agriculture. Barnaul: Altai State Agricultural University; 2016, vol. 2, p. 296–297. (In Russ.).

8. Trapeznikov A. V., Chebotina M. Ya., Yushkov P. I., Guseva V. P., Trapeznikova V. N. Research of water ecosystems in the area of the Totsk radioactive trace in the Orenburg region. In: Problemy radioekologii i pogranichnykh distsiplin = Problems of radioecology and related disciplines. Nizhnevartovsk: Al'ster; 2007, p. 145–151. (In Russ.).

9. Trapeznikov A. V., Molchanova I. V., Karavaeva E. N., Trapeznikova V. N. Migration of radionuclides in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. Ekaterinburg: Ural Research Veterinary Institute; 2007. 400 p. (In Russ.).

10. Trapeznikova V. N., Trapeznikov A. V., Korzhavin A. V., Plataev A. P. The content of heavy metals and radionuclides in the fish of the Ob and Irtysh rivers on the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (Yugra). In: Ekologiya v srednei i vysshei shkole: sintez nauki i obrazovaniya: materialy Vseros. nauch.-prakt. konf. = Ecology in secondary and higher school: synthesis of science and education: proceedings of the All-Russian scientific and practical conference. 03–04 October 2012, Chelyabinsk. Chelyabinsk: Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University; 2012, p. 87–91. (In Russ.).

11. Sidorkina O. M., Smagin A. I. Self-purification dynamics of the Lake Irtyash water from radioactive contamination. In: Problemy geografii Urala i sopredel'nykh territorii: materialy II Mezhdunar. nauch.-prakt. konf. = Problems of the Urals and adjacent territories geography: proceedings of the 2nd International scientific and practical conference. 22–23 May 2020, Chelyabinsk. Chelyabinsk: Krai Ra; 2020, p. 164–171. (In Russ.).

12. Smagin A. I., Sidorkina O. M., Tikhonova M. A. Features of radionuclides behavior in freshwater reservoirs of the Industrial Group Mayak impact zone and their accumulation in fish. In: Nauka YuUrGU: materialy LXVI nauch. konf. = Nauka SUSU: proceedings of the 66th scientific conference. 15–17 April 2014, Chelyabinsk. Chelyabinsk: Publishing Center of South Ural State University; 2014, p. 394–399. (In Russ.).

13. Aidarkhanova A. K., Lukashenko S. N. The nature of radionuclide contamination of water bodies of the former Semipalatinsk test site. In: Radioaktivnost' i radioaktivnye elementy v srede obitaniya cheloveka: materialy V Mezhdunar. konf. = Radioactivity and radioactive elements in human environment: proceedings of the 5th International Conference. 13–16 September, 2016, Tomsk. Tomsk: STT; 2016, p. 40–43. (In Russ.).

14. Aidarkhanova A. K. Larionova N. V., Mamyrbaeva A. S., Svetacheva Yu. V., Kumiskhanova S. B. Modern levels of radionuclide contamination of natural lakes in the territory of the Semipalatinsk test site. In: Sovremennye problemy radiobiologii, radioekologii i agroekologii: sb. dokl. Mezhdunar. molodezhn. konf. = Modern problems of radiobiology, radioecology and agroecology: collected reports of the International youth conference. 3–4 October 2019, Obninsk. Obninsk: Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology; 2019, p. 114–117. (In Russ.).

15. Trapeznikov A. V., Yushkov P. I., Nikolkin V. N., Trapeznikova V. N., Chebotina M. Ya., Guseva V. P. Distribution of radionuclides among the main components of lake Chervyanoe in the Eastern Ural radioactive trace. Ekologiya. 2007;1:30-36. (In Russ.).

16. Korzhavin A. V., Trapeznikova V. N., Nikolkin V. N., Trapeznikov A. V. Comparative analysis of the accumulation levels of technogenic radionuclides in bottom sediments at various sites of the Ob-Irtysh river system. In: Radioaktivnost' i radioaktivnye elementy v srede obitaniya cheloveka: materialy VI Mezhdunar. konf. = Radioactivity and radioactive elements in the human environment: proceedings of the 5th International conference. 20–24 September 2021, Tomsk. Tomsk: National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University; 2021, vol. 1, p. 265–268. (In Russ.).

17. Paraskiv A. A., Tereshchenko N. N., Trapeznikov A. V., Proskurnin V. Yu., Plataev A. P., Chuzhikova-Proskurnina O. D. Plutonium radionuclides distribution in the bottom sediments of the salt lakes of Crimea in 2016-2018. In: Ozera Evrazii: problemy i puti ikh resheniya: materialy II Mezhdunar. konf. = Lakes of Eurasia: problems and solutions: proceedings of the 2nd International conference. 19–24 May 2019, Kazan. Kazan: Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan; 2019, pt. 2, p. 151–156. (In Russ.).

18. Tereshchenko N. N., Trapeznikov A. V., Paraskiv A. A., Proskurnin V. Yu., Plataev A. P., Chuzhikova-Proskurnina O. D. The current state of distribution of 238,239,240Pu plutonium technogenic radionuclides in the salt lakes of Crimea. In: Radiokhemoekologiya: uspekhi i perspektivy: materialy chtenii pamyati akad. G. G. Polikarpova = Radiochemoecology: successes and prospects: materials of the Readings in memory of the Academician G. G. Polikarpov. 14–16 August 2019, Sevastopol. Sevastopol: Federal Research Center "Institute of Biology of the South Seas named after A.O. Kovalevsky RAS"; 2019, p. 44. (In Russ.).

19. Tereshchenko N. N., Trapeznikov A. V., Paraskiv A. A., Proskurnin V. Yu., Plataev A. P. Modern levels of long-lived radioisotopes of plutonium in bottom sediments of salt lakes of Crimea. Radiatsionnaya biologiya. Radioekologiya = Radiation Biology. Radioecology. (In Russ.). 2020; 60(2):211-221. https://doi.org/10.31857/S0869803120020113.

20. Korovina O. Yu., Somin V. A. Environmental state of surface waters and bottom sediments in water bodies of the southwestern part of the Altai territory. Vestnik NYaTs RK = NNC RK Bulletin. 2022;(1):43-45. https://doi.org/10.52676/1729-7885-2022-1-43-45.