HR9900027
RADIOLOGICAL INCIDENT IN SPAIN AND ITS
INFLUENCE INSLOVENIA
Peter JOVANOVIČ
Institute of Occupational Safety, Bohoričeva 22 a, 61000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
ABSTRACT
At the end of May 1998 in Acerinox steel factory in Algeciras in Spain the
137
source of Cs with the activity of 8 to 80 Ci was melted. Spanish network of
laboratories did not detect any increase in caesium activity because the isotope was
dispersed beyond the Spanish coast. In Slovenia we found the first and the highest
st
137
3
increase on June 1 in Ljubljana. The activity concentration of Cs was 1.03 mBq/m .
3
rd
The highest level measured in Libna (Krško) was 0.96 mBq/m on June 3 and in
Pesje on June 2 nd , 0.72 mBq/m3. On different locations in Slovenia where our
radioactivity network is going on, different values in different days were measured.
Contamination of air with 137Cs depends from meteorological conditions. The effective
dose from the intake via inhalation for the public is less than 1 nSv, effective dose from
ingestion is negligible.
INTRODUCTION
At the end of May 1998 in Acerinox steel factory in Algeciras in Spain the source of
137
Cs with the activity between 8 and 80 Ci was melted. Spanish network of
laboratories did not detect any increase in caesium activity because the isotope was
dispersed beyond the Spanish coast.
Activity concentration measurements of radionuclides in samples of air, rain water
(fallout) and food are carried out within the permanent radioactivity monitoring in the
Republic of Slovenia. There are several measuring locations for air sampling, 7 around
nuclear power plant Krško (Libna, Pesje, Šentlenart, Stara vas, Brege Leskovec and
Dobova) and 3 on other places in Slovenia (Ljubljana, Jezersko and Predmeja).
Airborne particulate samples are collected on a filter with the aid of an air pump (1).
Air is pumping continuously through a filter with flow of 10 m3 per hour. Filters are
changing each day. Once a month filters are sampled, dry-ashed and prepared for
gamma spectrometry on high purity germanium detector.
Also fallout and some foodstuff samples were prepared and measured but there was no
evident increase of I37 Cs.
IV. simpozij HDZZ
177
RESULTS
In a period from June 1st to June 5th daily filter samples were prepared and
measured. Four locations for air sampling were chosen, Ljubljana, Libna near Krško
,
and Pesje. Activity concentrations for 1"3 7Cs
are presented in a Table 1.
Table 1. Activity concentrations on a filter samples
Date
June 1
st
June 2
nd
June 3
rd
June 4
th
June 5
lh
Ljubljana
1.03 ±0.06
0.72 ±0.07
0.43 ±0.09
0.09 ±0.04
< 0.002
Activity concentration (mBq/m3)
Pesje
Libna (Krško)
< 0.001
0.29 ±0.11
0.38 + 0.06
0.71 ±0.156
0.96 ±0.14
0.03 ±0.01
< 0.001
0.17 ±0.10
Dobova
0.78 ±0.15
0.55 ±0.13
0.47 ±0.11
0.06 ±0.01
< 0.002
On 4 other locations filters from June 1st to 4* were measured together (Table 2)
Table 2. Activity concentrations on a 4 day filter samples
Activity concentration (mBq/m3)
Jezersko
Leskovec
Predmeja
Stara vas
0.34 ±0.07
0.68 ±0.09
0.64 + 0.08
0.63 ±0.08
The highest activity concentration in Ljubljana was 1.03 mBq/m3 on June 1st.
The highest level measured in Krško was 0.96 mBq/m3 on June 3 rd and in Pesje on
June 2"d, 0.72 mBq/m3. Differences were caused by meteorological conditions and
different time of filter changing (on some locations filters are changing at 7 a.m., on
other at 12 noon or later). The values are compared with activity concentrations in
different countries in Europe, the highest measured values were around 1 mBq/m3. The
highest activity concentrations measured in 1986 (Chernobyl accident) were several
1000 times higher, in Ljubljana up to 4 Bq/m3 (2). In year 1986 also gamma dose rate
was increased.
IV. simpozij HDZZ
178
CONCLUSIONS
The effective dose from the intake via inhalation for the public is less than 1 nSv
(3), effective dose from ingestion is negligible. The methodology of permanent
monitoring in our country based on monthly measurements of gamma emitters. We
know for this accident in a delay of three weeks, because we have not a continuous
contamination monitoring system. For accidents where only contamination increases
it will be much better to use continuous measurements of beta emitters, which we used
years ago.
REFERENCES
1.
Measurement of radionuclides in food and the environment, Technical reports
series No. 295, IAEA, Vienna 1989.
2.
Kandu<v7 M., JovanoviU P., Kuhar B., Estimates of effective equivalent dose
commitments for Slovene population following the Chernobyl accident, Proc. of
the Int. Symp. on post-Chernobyl Environmental Radioactivity Studies in East
European Countries, Kazimierz, Poland, 1990, Zaklad Poligrafu, Lublin (1991)
3.
Safety Series 115, International Basic Safety Stanadards for Protection against
Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources, IAEA, Vienna 1996.
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