Total volume beta activity of atmospheric air as an integrated criterion of assessment of natural and technogenic radionuclides emissions in the atmosphere

One of parameters which should be controlled and annually logged in the territories radiation hygiene passports is the total volume beta activity of the atmospheric air in the form of an average annual value in Bq/m3 units. On different years in the territories radiation hygiene passports there were logged the data on the content of certain radionuclides; however the data on the atmospheric air total volume beta activity were the most informative in all the years. In majority of territories these data are obtained by the Federal Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Service divisions, in some Russian Federation entities the measurements are carried out by Rospotrebnadzor bodies. However, in the recent years in most Russian Federation entities radiation hygiene passports there are entered design values of the air total volume beta activity, derived using the method of averaging the data on geographic areas.

This article is an attempt to generalize the data on the air total volume beta activity in radiation hygiene passports of the Russian Federation entities, to assess long-term stability of this parameter and opportunity to establish numerical values which may be used as a reference at atmospheric air radiation hygienic monitoring. The article proves that at normal operation of radiation objects on the territory of some Russian Federation entities (excluding zones of large radiation objects supervision in these territories) the atmospheric air average annual total volume beta activity value is stable enough. It is determined that on some years the parameter average annual values in the territories of Saint-Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk region and Khanty-Mansi autonomous region – Yugra differ up to 50% from the average levels derived by long-term observation. The atmospheric air average annual total volume beta activity numerical values assessment is obtained; these values may be accepted as reference levels at atmospheric air radiation hygienic monitoring. Possible reasons are analyzed of atmospheric air total volume beta activity level distinctions on the territory of considered Russian Federation entities.

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