Much has been written about Chernobyl in the 30 years since the disaster. Much more will be written. But no one will ever tell the whole truth, because no one knows the whole truth. An objective assessment of the consequences of the accident is the subject of many years of debate among specialists from different countries, but this assessment is often politicized. Belarusian specialists in the field of radiation monitoring know a lot. But they are officially silent, only in an informal setting telling what is shocking.

10 years ago, at the Belarusian State Institute of Metrology (BelGIM), I had a chance to see classified official documents from one of the closed conferences at which the real state of both natural resources and the health of Belarusians was discussed. Genetic changes in the human body, mutation of trees, dilution of pure products with contaminated ones to an acceptable level - all this is not new, but when you read official documents about it, the world takes on a different shape. Rumors are supported by facts, facts are surrounded by rumors. Piece by piece, from scattered puzzles, we are putting together a mosaic of the past, present and future. For now it is obvious that Chernobyl continues. Because Chernobyl is forever.

About the reactor

— To imagine the scale of the disaster, you need to understand what the RBMK-1000 reactor is. The basis is a concrete shaft with dimensions of 21.6 × 21.6 × 25.5 m, at the bottom of which lies a steel sheet 2 m thick and 14.5 m in diameter. On this plate rests a cylindrical graphite masonry, pierced with channels for fuel rods and coolant and rods.

— The diameter of the masonry is 11.8 m, the height is 7 m. It is surrounded by a shell with water, which serves as additional bioprotection. The top of the reactor is covered with a metal plate with a diameter of 17.5 m and a thickness of 3 m.

— The total mass of the reactor is 1850 tons, and all this mass was thrown out of the mine by an explosion. Such destruction could result from a very powerful explosion, which can only be produced by a nuclear charge.

About the explosion itself

— The 73-meter atomic monster has shrunk by almost half. Pieces of the reactor rod scattered across nearby fields.

— The destroyed reactor contained more than 190 tons of nuclear fuel. Up to 60 tons of fuel were released into the environment in the form of small fragments, dust and aerosols.

— The release of radioactive isotopes from the destroyed reactor continued for more than 10 days and was 600 times greater than the explosion in Hiroshima in terms of environmental contamination with cesium-137.

— For almost two weeks, explosions and a fire in the fourth unit released 1.85 × 1018 Bq of activity into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the consequences of the explosions of 500 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

— About 80 different isotopes entered the atmosphere. The main danger is not uranium itself, but highly active isotopes of its fission - cesium, iodine, strontium, as well as plutonium and other transuranium elements.

- The radiation level at the epicenter of the explosion on the night of April 25-26 reached 2000 roentgens per hour: in 18 minutes - a lethal dose!

— Since the explosion of the 4th unit, there have been about 40 more fires in the reactor area, which only a select few knew about.

Causes of the accident

— In 1990, the Gosatomnadzor State Commission analyzed 13 versions of the causes of the accident. The most probable version is associated with the presence of a reactivity effect of the reactor control and protection system. It has been proven that the operators performed such prohibited actions as blocking some emergency protection signals and turning off the emergency core cooling system; worked with a reactivity margin on the control rods below the value allowed by regulations; The reactor was put into operating mode with flow rates and water temperatures through the channels above the regulated ones, with a reactor power lower than that provided for by the program.

— Many documents refute the official version of the Chernobyl accident. The cause of the accident was not a personnel error, but a super-weak earthquake - this version is confirmed by scientists from the Academy of Sciences, participants in the liquidation of the accident, and people who experienced tremors. Why is the reason not recognized? Due to the likelihood of repetition of similar tremors at any point. Just look at the secret map of earthquake-prone areas of Moscow, where particularly dangerous nuclear and chemical facilities are located.

— In the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area there were three seismic stations that carried out secret missions of the Ministry of Defense. There is a document in which the station management, six months before the accident, asks the Academy of Sciences to send specialists to study unknown tectonic phenomena that occur under the fourth power unit. The study was postponed until mid-May. The station did not live to see the May holidays...

“According to researchers, a possible cause of the explosion could be a new type of radiation, which under special conditions appears due to an electromagnetic pulse. Such an impulse, according to scientists, leads to a “cold mutation of chemical elements.” That is, to the transformation of some elements into others with a change in their isotopic composition. At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the source of the powerful pulse could have been a short circuit on the run-out generator. The pulse could lead to a change in the isotopic composition and enrichment of almost spent uranium fuel in the reactor itself. That is, instead of birch logs, “in the firebox” suddenly there were sticks of dynamite.

Liquidation…

— To extinguish the fire in the reactor, more than 6 tons of lead were dropped from helicopters. The lead content in the blood of children in nearby areas exceeded the permissible standards by 150 times!

- The USSR authorities all clouds moving towards Scandinavia, Moscow and St. Petersburg were shot over Belarus - 2/3 of the radionuclides fell on its territory, contaminating a quarter of the Belarusian land (in Ukraine 4.8% of the territory, in Russia 0.5% of the land ).

Every fifth Belarusian (half are children) received radiation. At the same time, in Belarus 18 diseases are recognized as related to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in Ukraine - 176, in Russia - 150.

— The disaster site was covered with a mixture of lead, boron and dolomite, after which a concrete sarcophagus was erected over the reactor in November 1986. Its construction required over 400 thousand cubic meters of concrete, several thousand tons of a mixture that attenuates radioactive radiation, and 7,000 tons of metal structures. Today the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is not functioning, but almost 750 people are currently working on it to replace the old “sarcophagus” with a new one. The progress of work is broadcast around the clock on the official website of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant http://www.chnpp.gov.ua/.

What else were the authorities silent about?

— In the zone of increased radioactive contamination after the accident, more than 3 thousand tons of meat and 15 tons of butter were stored. The meat was processed into canned food, and the oil was put on sale after storage.

— The Ukrainian intelligence services knew about defective Yugoslav equipment used in the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, about errors in the design of the station, about cracks and delamination of the foundation. And on February 4, 1986 (three months before the disaster) it was warned about a possible emergency.

— Indirect evidence that scientists gave the government the go-ahead to remain silent about Chernobyl can be the fact that scientist Valery Legasov, who voiced the official version of what was happening to the foreign press, hanged himself in 1988, leaving a dictaphone recording in his office about the details of the accident. That part of the recording, which chronologically should have contained a story about the authorities’ reaction to the events in the first days, turned out to be erased by unidentified persons.

Consequences for the body

— Within 12 years after the accident, the incidence of cancer among children and adolescents in Belarus increased 25 times! According to professor, oncologist-pathomorphologist of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Oncology and Medical Radiology Gennady Muravyov, after 30 years or more, it is among the adult population of the country that the number of cases will increase. All those who were under 18 years of age at the time of the accident remain at risk. According to statistics, the number of people of this age in our country then reached more than 2.5 million people.

— In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, children under 10 years of age suffered the most from thyroid cancer, and the highest risk occurred between 15 and 29 years after exposure. Cancer rates in Japan remained elevated even after 40 years. 60 years after irradiation, victims began to experience myelodysplastic syndrome, which is called the “second blood cancer.” We have now crossed the 30-year mark.

Recently, a world-famous Japanese professor, Kazuo Shimizu, noted that according to statistics, the incidence of thyroid cancer in children in Japan after Fukushima was higher than in Belarus after Chernobyl: in Belarus there was 1 case of thyroid cancer per 10 thousand people, in Japan after Fukushima - 1 in 2 .5 thousand people. Despite the fact that the Chernobyl disaster is 6-10 times larger than the accident in Fukushima: the radiation leakage at the Japanese nuclear power plant amounted to 370 thousand terabecquerels, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant - 5.2 million terabecquerels. In addition, Japan is rich in iodine, while Belarus is iodine deficient. What is the reason for the paradox? One explanation could be errors in screening the Japanese population, Kazuo Shimizu delicately suggested. The Japanese scientist who worked in our country on the implementation of screening programs did not say that the population of Belarus may not be sufficiently examined.

— The respiratory system is practically not susceptible to radiation damage with minor chronic exposure, but this turned out to be sufficient to suppress the synthesis of surfactan, which is responsible for straightening the lungs immediately after birth.

— In the blood, with simultaneous irradiation, the number of platelets, leukocytes, and erythrocytes decreases. With chronic irradiation, the development of increasing neutropenia, lymphocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia is possible.

— Nonspecific defense is disrupted in the immune system, which leads to a sharp weakening of the body, an increase in infectious morbidity and an increase in chronic pathologies. The incidence of children in the “contaminated” zone is increased 5 times. According to unofficial estimates, tens of thousands of crayfish are expected.

— Only 5% of all Belarusian children are born completely healthy. According to statistics, every year at least 2,500 children are born with bone abnormalities, defects of internal organs, and anencephaly (absence of the brain).

- In women at the age of 70, lactation appears, in children - accelerated aging, the epithelium in the digestive tract turns into the epithelium that can be observed in 60-70 year olds.

— Half of the newborns in the Chernobyl area, irradiated in the womb, are mentally retarded.

— In the exclusion zone, where the background radiation exceeds 40 curies, and it would seem impossible to live, people live, drink water, grow vegetables on contaminated soil, harvest wood, raise livestock, and conduct experiments in the field of agriculture.

— The level of mutation increased 10 times and the consequences of Chernobyl began to be transmitted to subsequent generations, in which more than 50 thousand cases of deformities and mutations were recorded among infants - 30% of all births, instead of 4% of the generally accepted “mistakes of nature.” Think about it - a third of women in contaminated areas had a high probability of giving birth to a “mutant”.

— Among the population of radiation-contaminated areas, the incidence of various diseases is 20-30% higher, and among children - by 50%. Accidents, injuries, alcoholism, suicides and sudden deaths for unknown reasons are more often recorded there. The psychological consequences of the accident were very severe.

“I can say right away: hereditary and congenital malformations will definitely be removed from this list,” said Eldar Nadyrov, deputy director of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Radiation Medicine. “Over the past 15 years, not a single case of disability or mortality from such defects has been causally related [to the accident."

Nature has mutated too

— The forest accumulated 80% of the emissions after the accident. In the Gomel region, the frequency of mutations in coniferous species increased 2-3 times, in the Polesie radioecological reserve - almost 12 times.

— In the early 90s, it was discovered that there was a process of accumulation of radioactive substances in wood from the soil, and the peak of accumulation would occur in 2000-2005. Then a half-life (half-decrease) period should begin, which will be 20-45 years (until 2025-2050), and only then will it be possible to knit brooms for the bath without any fear. In the meantime, forests in “contaminated” areas are a stable and uncontrollable source of radiation.

“The flora and fauna of the infected places also underwent a strong mutation - animals with six legs, two heads, four horns and other deformities will not surprise anyone there. It is known that many collections of specimens with mutations that belonged to famous scientists and researchers of the contaminated zone were seized by the authorities in the first decade after the accident.

Bandazhevsky's research

— In 1999, the rector of the Belarusian Gomel Medical Institute, Yuri Bandazhevsky, showed with his research that the incidence of cardiovascular diseases has increased 4 times.

— Today, the acceptable standards are 340 becquerels of radiocesium per day for city residents, 463 for rural residents! According to the professor, confirmed by research, receiving 80-100 becquerels of radiocesium per day can be considered severe cesium intoxication.

— Almost 300 autopsies in contaminated areas showed: in the body of the deceased - 100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, in the heart - 1000, and in the kidneys - 3000.

— When examining several hundred teenage girls in Gomel, a terrible picture emerged - female reproductive cells are being replaced by male ones!

— Bandazhevsky argued against the return of contaminated land to agriculture, the sale and export of contaminated vegetables, and criticized official research conducted by the government. For this, in 1999 he was sentenced to 8 years in prison and after 6 years he was released on parole.

— In February 2003, the scientist was declared an honorary citizen of Paris and 15 French cities. The European Parliament issued him a Freedom Passport, giving him the right to free entry into any EU country.

Chernobyl is forever

— Half-lives for strontium-90 are 28 years. It accumulates in large quantities in legumes and cereals, is dangerous as a source of internal radiation, has a high degree of resorption and is very slowly eliminated from the body.

— The half-life of cesium-137 is 30 years, during which time it is halved.

— The exclusion zone is contaminated with long-lived transuranium isotopes, so it cannot be returned to economic circulation even in the long term.

— Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,000 years. One of the plutonium isotopes decays within 14 years and turns into americium with a half-life of 432 years. Americium, unlike plutonium, is a much stronger emitter and soluble in water. The "cleansed" land again becomes a slow killer. It is believed that in the contaminated areas of Belarus, due to the increase in the amount of americium, by 2086 the background will be 2.5 times higher than immediately after the accident. So it goes.

Radiation situation on the territory of the Republic of Belarus

RADIATION SITUATION IN

TERRITORIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

Radiation monitoring in the Republic of Belarus was carried out in accordance with the “Instructions on the procedure for conducting observations of natural background radiation and radioactive pollution of atmospheric air, soil, surface and ground water at radiation monitoring observation points”, approved by order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus dated 01/01/2001 No. 000 - OD and “List of radiation monitoring observation points under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus”, approved by Resolution of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus dated 01/01/2001 No. 20 ( Resolution No. 20).

In accordance with Resolution No. 20, in the fourth quarter of 2016, 42 radiation monitoring observation points operated on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, at which gamma radiation dose rate (hereinafter referred to as MD) measurements are carried out daily. At 24 observation points located throughout the Republic of Belarus, radioactive fallout from the atmosphere was monitored (sampling was carried out using horizontal tablets). At 5 observation points (Mozyr, Naroch, Pinsk, Braslav and Mstislavl), samples were taken daily to determine the total beta activity of natural atmospheric fallout, at 19 points - once every 10 days.

At 7 observation points located in the cities of Braslav, Gomel, Minsk, Mogilev, Mozyr, Mstislavl, Pinsk, sampling of radioactive aerosols in the ground layer of the atmosphere was carried out using filter ventilation units. Of these: at 5 points located in areas affected by nuclear power plants of neighboring countries, sampling is carried out daily; at two points (Minsk and Mogilev) - sampling is carried out on duty (once every 10 days).

All information on the MD of gamma radiation, radioactive fallout from the atmosphere and the content of radioactive aerosols in the air was entered into an automated data bank where meteorological data is stored.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, the radiation situation in the republic remained stable; not a single case of MD levels exceeding the established long-term values ​​was detected.

As before, increased MD levels were recorded at observation points in the cities of Bragin and Slavgorod (average value for the quarter 0.54 µSv/h and 20 µSv/h, respectively), located in zones of radioactive contamination (Fig. 13, Fig. 14).

Figure 13 - Average MD value at radiation monitoring observation points in the Gomel region in the 4th quarter of 2016

Figure 14 - Average MD value at radiation monitoring observation points in the Mogilev region in the 4th quarter of 2016

In the rest of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, MD levels ranged from 0.10 to 0.12 μSv/h.

1. Levels of gamma radiation dose rate, radioactivity of natural fallout and aerosols in the air on the territory of the Republic of Belarus corresponded to the established long-term values.

2. In the territories contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, at radiation monitoring observation points, elevated MD levels remained as before in the cities of Bragin and Slavgorod (0.54 μSv/h and 20 μSv/h, respectively). In the rest of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, MD levels ranged from 0.10 to 0.12 μSv/h.

3. Current information on gamma radiation dose rate levels in the observation zones of the Chernobyl, Ignalina, Smolensk and Rivne nuclear power plants, received in the fourth quarter of 2016, indicates that the radiation situation remained stable.

4. The maximum monthly average values ​​of the total beta activity of radioactive fallout from the atmosphere and the values ​​of the total beta activity of aerosol concentrations in the surface layer of the atmosphere were significantly lower than the control levels of total beta activity.

* Location of border troops units

More than 1.15 million people (12% of the total population) live in Belarus in areas of radioactive contamination. Of these, 115.7 thousand are residents of the Mogilev region.

Official statistics published on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant indicate that the consequences of the tragedy in Belarus have not yet been overcome. People continue to live in contaminated radionuclides (mainly cesium-137 - approx. website) towns and villages.

Thus, according to Belstat, at the beginning of 2011, this list included 29 cities and towns and 2,372 rural settlements (10.1% of all settlements in the republic).

Of the 1,140.4 thousand residents of these settlements, the majority (782.5 thousand) are city dwellers. Children aged 0 to 17 years make up 219.6 thousand (19.3%), and they are also predominantly city dwellers.

The statistics for the three most affected areas are as follows:

• Gomel region - 879.3 thousand people (61.3% of the total population of the region);
• Brest region - 116 thousand people (8.3%);
• Mogilev region - 115.7 thousand people (10.6%).

How the situation has changed

Data from the statistical report indicate that since 1991, the number of citizens living in zones of radioactive contamination has decreased by 712.6 thousand people.

This happened as a result of resettlement from these zones, as well as due to the “improvement of the radioactive situation.”

The half-life of cesium-137 is 30 years. To prevent the spread of radionuclides in areas adjacent to areas of cesium-137 contamination, forests are planted in Belarus. In 2010, in the Mogilev region, Belstat notes, 1.8 thousand hectares (ha) of forest were planted, and in the Gomel region - 0.4 thousand hectares.

As reported on the website of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee, in the region “1252.984 thousand hectares of land are contaminated with radionuclides, including 804.184 thousand hectares of agricultural land and 448.8 thousand hectares of forest land.”

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Radiation monitoring of these territories is carried out by the Mogilev State Industrial Forestry Association.

To resolve issues related to overcoming the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (distribution and control of financial resources, benefits), a special department operates in the regional executive committee.

The conclusions of scientists about the causes of the disaster at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant should be taken into account when constructing nuclear power plants in Belarus. As the BelaPAN agency reported, this was stated on April 25 in Minsk by the Charge d'Affaires of Japan in Belarus Matsuzaki Kiyoshi.

The Japanese diplomat noted that “every government, state has the right to decide for themselves whether to build or not build a nuclear power plant,” and wished the Belarusian side that the work “goes successfully.” He knows that Belarus “consulted with the IAEA” on this issue.

What financial losses did Belarus suffer from the Chernobyl accident?

Total concentration of cesium-137 in European countries

The half-life of cesium-137 has ended, the half-life of benefits for Chernobyl victims continues, and the half-life of secrets has begun (publication of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, 2003)

Radiation background and pollution maps

Download:

After the greatest nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) in 1986, large amounts of radioactive fallout (radionuclides) fell over vast areas. We present to your attention fragments of maps of contamination of the Brest region with Cesium-137 (half-life 30 years).

The distance from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to Domachevo is 452 km.

Measurement data of gamma radiation dose rate (μSv/h) on the radiation monitoring network in the Republic of Belarus

The natural background radiation in Belarus is 0.10 μSv/h

Maps of Cesium-137 pollution in the Brest region

(Fig. 1) As of 1998

(orange color shows the pollution zone from 1 to 5 Ku/km²)
(purchased from www.beltc.info )

(Fig. 2

→

(Fig. 3

(downloaded from www.chernobyl.gov.by)

(Fig. 4) Map of contamination with Cesium-137 g.p. Domachevo and neighboring villages (1998)

Provided by: Administrator

Dosimeter readings Radex RD 1503 in Domachevo

Radex RD1503 is a household pocket device that assesses the radiation situation by the value of the ambient dose equivalent rate of gamma radiation (hereinafter - the dose rate), taking into account the contamination of objects by sources of beta particles, or the value of the exposure dose rate of gamma radiation (hereinafter - the exposure dose rate), taking into account the contamination of objects by sources of beta particles. It is used to assess the level of radiation on the ground, indoors and to assess radioactive contamination of materials and products.

For our area, background radiation (natural) is 10-11 microR/h (micro-Roentgen per hour). And everything higher is a man-made factor - Chernobyl.

Photos:

(near the "strip") 95.5KB

(near the abandoned monument to those killed border guards) 189KB

(near "system") 230KB

(near the abandoned monument to the fallen border guards) 165KB

(as you all know, granite and other rocks emit ionizing radiation, as I was convinced of) 164KB

(in the background on the left is the Velcom antenna, and on the right is MTS) 73KB

(against the background of the Chabarok bar) 167KB

We were exposed to natural radiation exposure even before the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. TUT.BY visited four research institutions, studied documents, some of which have not yet been published, and learned how “natural exposure” to radon affects the health of Belarusians.

Belarusian scientists who have studied the problem are unanimous: radon affects the level of morbidity - including oncology - now much more than the echoes of Chernobyl. The problem of radon exposure exists in almost all countries, as well as ways to combat it. But it is in Belarus that everyone is focused on the topic of Chernobyl radiation - there are foreign funds, there are grants to overcome the consequences of the man-made disaster. Radon, from the point of view of attracting funds, is “uninteresting”, something that Belarusians should, in an amicable way, cope with themselves. But in times of crisis at the state level, funding for radon research is being reduced and the problem is simply not advertised.

What kind of gas is this?

First, let's define what radon is. This is a gas that is formed when radium decays. It is 7.5 times heavier than air and therefore accumulates in basements and on the first floors. Radon is odorless and cannot be “smelled.” It enters the body through the lungs; some cases of lung cancer can be explained by its exposure.

Although many people’s first association with the word “radon” is the sanatorium of the same name. Like, what kind of cancer, we remember - radon is useful. But the whole question is in the dosage. Here, as with the sun, without it - rickets, and if you spend a day in the sun in swimming trunks - burns, heat stroke, the threat of developing skin cancer.

“Radon is contained in soil air and water and can penetrate into rooms if they are located in areas where its content is high, in particular in tectonic fault zones,” explains Director of the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences Alexander Karabanov. — In Belarus, at least 40% of the territory is potentially radon hazardous. The maximum permissible norm for residential premises is considered to be 200 becquerels per cubic meter. Excess of radon was recorded in the premises of a number of settlements in the country, most often in the Grodno, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions. Minsk also stands on faults, although there is no exact map of them.

The main sources and routes of radon penetration into buildings. Gas enters premises from soil, water, and building materials. Source: Geoliss.ru

Scale of the problem

According to UN materials, in the annual exposure of humanity, the share of exposure to products from various tests is 0.7%, from the operation of nuclear power plants - 0.3%, from medical examinations - 34%, from natural factors - 22%, and from radon decay products - 43%. This is indicated in the article “Concentration of radon in soil air”, published on the website of the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

“Almost 30 years later, the radiation situation in Belarus has improved significantly. The contribution of “Chernobyl” radionuclides to the total radiation dose of the population of Belarus from all natural and man-made radiation sources currently does not exceed 5%,” says the “Monitoring of radon in the air of buildings in populated areas in the Brest region.” But the value of the average annual effective doses of radon radiation in four separate regions of the country exceeds the effective radiation dose of the population from “Chernobyl” radionuclides by 2.4-13.8 times, in the Brest region - by 6 times.

— Relevant studies have been carried out in a number of countries. Where the concentration of radon is higher, the morbidity rate is higher, including cancer, says Professor Alexander Karabanov.— A connection has also been established between gastritis, diabetes, and rheumatism with long-term stay in such areas.

Chief radiologist of the Mogilev Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology Leonid Lipnitsky took part in a study of the risks of disease from natural radiation.

“There is a misunderstanding in society about the radon problem,” he states. — Average annual effective radiation doses per resident of the Mogilev region were: from natural sources of ionizing radiation, including radon 2.5 millisieverts, from radioactive contamination due to the Chernobyl accident (for radioactively contaminated areas) — 0.34 mSv . The difference is significant.

This is not classified information. Volumes of scientific works abroad are devoted to the problem of protecting public health from radon.

“At the same time, the radiation danger of natural radon in Belarus has received little coverage. A national research program on the problem of radon and protecting the population from exposure to this gas has not yet been developed. But epidemiological studies have long discovered a direct connection between radon exposure and cancer, says Leonid Lipnitsky.

Where does radon come out?

In general, there are hundreds of faults running under Belarus. Full size map of them

“On the territory of Minsk, one fault runs approximately along the Svisloch, the second - from southwest to northeast, the third - along the western part of the city, partially under Pushkin Avenue,” says Alexander Karabanov. — Faults can be more than a kilometer wide (it differs in different areas) and do not run in a straight line.

In the 1990s, measurements of radon content were taken over faults in Belarus, and there its concentration increased several times. In addition to it, anomalies of geophysical fields are noted in these places.

However, it’s not only the faults that cause noise.

“High concentrations of radon in the soil air are formed in zones of gravel-pebble, moraine and some other clay deposits, as well as in the shallow occurrence of granite rocks,” notes engineer of the Joint Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research (Sosny) Lev Vasilevsky.— In the Gomel region there is a fault on a fault, but there is less radon there compared to the Vitebsk region. However, in the north they are less studied. Radon can come not only from faults, but also from boulders and stones.

Where is "fonit" Minsk

The United Institute also carried out measurements in Minsk.

— We found an increased level of radon in Loshitsa, on the street. Mayakovsky, on Pushkin Ave., but these are isolated premises, for example, the registry office of the Frunzensky district. There is a lot of this gas in the Sosyny area. For example, in a quarry near the Moscow Ring Road there is 800 Bq per cubic meter, which is four times higher than the norm established for residential premises, the specialist adds.

Chief geophysicist of the Geophysical Expedition Alexander Belyashov agrees that where there are moraines (glacial deposits. - TUT.BY note), there is increased radioactivity. In the north it is higher than in the south. There are a lot of clay rocks there.

“Our radiologists made a correlation map between cancer incidence and exposure dose rate. Conclusion: soil composition is associated with cancer and other diseases,” the interlocutor clarifies.

Zoning scheme for radon concentration in soil air (No. 1−4, 6 - potentially radon-hazardous areas). Source: Institute of Natural Resources Management of the National Academy of Sciences

In general, when doctors say that they do not always understand why people in a certain area get sick more, they may simply not be taking into account the radon factor.

Logically, citizens living on fault lines and in “dark” territories should be warned about the danger.

— In these areas, special work must be carried out to prevent the penetration of radon into premises, especially residential ones, by concreting and other methods. It is important! - insists Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Alexey Matveev.

But the population is not warned. However, it cannot be said that Belarus is completely ignoring the problem.

“In our country, during new construction, radon in the soil must be measured, and building materials undergo careful control,” clarifies Alexander Belyashov.

Abroad, the problem has been given due attention for so long that no one notices that “anti-radon” protection is being done.

— A Swedish specialist came to us and advised us on faults. They have a clear correlation between the amount of radon in the home and the incidence of cancer. The problem there intensified long ago, when energy-saving housing with insulated facades and airtight windows came into fashion. They began to save on heating, but the number of diseases, including cancer, increased, says Alexander Belyashov. — In countries with a high radon hazard, there is forced sealing and ventilation of basements. This is in the building regulations. And it's not even discussed.

Indeed, there are no other ways to combat radon: only concreting and regular ventilation. It's enough.

The money has run out

Research on radon is carried out to the best of our ability by the Joint Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research, the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Geophysical Expedition of the Research and Production Center for Geology.

Through the efforts of Belarusian scientists, a map of radon risk was created based on measurements in the air of buildings. It was presented in 2015. Judging by the map, increased concentrations of radon are in the premises of the Vitebsk, Grodno, and northeastern regions of the Mogilev regions. There are “spots” with dangerous radon concentrations ranging from 200-400 Bq per cubic meter in the Vitebsk, Grodno and Mogilev regions. To compile the radon risk map, 3594 measurements were used in 454 localities.

Map of radon concentration in rooms (No. 5 - the darkest spots - 200−400 Bq).