Decontamination of Contaminated Areas, Environmental Objects and Infrastructure of Settlements in Radiation Accidents

Purpose: To consider the issues of physical-mechanical decontamination of contaminated territories, environmental objects and infrastructure of settlements during a radiation accident and to develop a mathematical tool for evaluating forces and means during physical-mechanical decontamination. Materials and methods: Analyzed possible contamination of territories and facilities with radioactive materials during the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) and the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi NPP, the methods used for decontamination and technical means, and the effectiveness of their use. The experience in dealing with the consequences of large scale radiation accidents at NPP, including the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi NPPs, shows that the decontamination of contaminated territories and settlements is a very time-consuming and costly undertaking, which is carried out to resume economic activity on large contaminated areas. To carry out such work, it is required to evaluate the needful amount of various sets of technical equipment involved, as well as the involvement of numerous organizations with their specialists and personnel. Results: The issues of physical-mechanical decontamination of roads and sections of the terrain, forest land, soil, buildings and structures and technical equipment are considered. The mathematical tool for evaluation the forces and means involved in decontamination measures is given. The developed methodological approaches can be used to assess the necessary forces and means, responding to emergency incidents of a different nature: in responding spills of oil and its products, disinfection of various objects and in other emergency situations. Conclusion: The developed calculation tool allows evaluate the forces and means necessary for decontamination in a contaminated area.

Download Full-text

On the Root Causes of the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster from the Perspective of High Complexity and Tight Coupling in Large-Scale Systems

Symmetry ◽

10.3390/sym13030414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 414

Author(s):

Atsuo Murata ◽

Waldemar Karwowski

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Large Scale ◽

High Complexity ◽

Tight Coupling ◽

Large Scale Systems ◽

Safety Issues ◽

Loss Of Coolant ◽

Station Blackout ◽

Fukushima Daiichi

This study explores the root causes of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster and discusses how the complexity and tight coupling in large-scale systems should be reduced under emergencies such as station blackout (SBO) to prevent future disasters. First, on the basis of a summary of the published literature on the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, we found that the direct causes (i.e., malfunctions and problems) included overlooking the loss of coolant and the nuclear reactor’s failure to cool down. Second, we verified that two characteristics proposed in “normal accident” theory—high complexity and tight coupling—underlay each of the direct causes. These two characteristics were found to have made emergency management more challenging. We discuss how such disasters in large-scale systems with high complexity and tight coupling could be prevented through an organizational and managerial approach that can remove asymmetry of authority and information and foster a climate of openly discussing critical safety issues in nuclear power plants.

Download Full-text

Agricultural Land Management Options Following Large-Scale Environmental Contamination: Evaluation for Fukushima Affected Agricultural Land

Volume 2: Facility Decontamination and Decommissioning; Environmental Remediation; Environmental Management/Public Involvement/Crosscutting Issues/Global Partnering ◽

10.1115/icem2013-96231 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Hildegarde Vandenhove

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Management ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Management Option ◽

Management Options ◽

Fukushima Daiichi ◽

Agricultural Land Management

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has raised questions about the accumulation of radionuclides in soils, the transfer in the foodchain and the possibility of continued restricted future land use. This paper summarizes what is generally understood about the application of agricultural countermeasures as a land management option to reduce the radionuclides transfer in the food chain and to facilitate the return of potentially affected soils to agricultural practices in areas impacted by a nuclear accident.

Download Full-text

Decommissioning Radioactive Waste Storage Facilities of FSUE RosRAO’s Murmansk Department Branch in the North-Western Territorial District

Radioactive waste ◽

10.25283/2587-9707-2020-2-17-24 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 17-24

Author(s):

D. N. Vlasov ◽

◽

D. N. Zamaskin ◽

O. O. Kaminsky ◽

A. V. Kamorny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radioactive Waste ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Large Scale ◽

Technical Equipment ◽

Special Equipment ◽

Engineering Structures ◽

The North ◽

Waste Storage ◽

Radioactive Waste Storage ◽

Storage Facilities

The article discusses one of today’s challenges, namely, the decommissioning of nuclear power facilities. It summarizes the experience in the decommissioning of radioactive waste storage facilities belonging to RosRAO’s Murmansk department branch of the Northwest Territorial District providing detailed overview of pre-decommissioning activities, as well as the decommissioning operations themselves, relevant technology and technical equipment applied. Pre-decommissioning stage involved large-scale efforts (2011—2015) on accumulated RW identifi cation and its inventory taking, as well as a comprehensive engineering radiation survey. Decommissioning projects have been developed and approved, a state environmental examination has been carried out with a Sanitary and Epidemiological Statement on compliance with state sanitary and epidemiological rules and regulations issued by FMBA of Russia. The paper presents the practice of constructing some engineering structures to provide additional safety and security of RW storage facilities during their dismantlement. Particular attention was paid to the problems associated with the use of special equipment.

Download Full-text

Problems of Population Radiation Safety Support in Case of Radiation Accidents

Medical Radiology and radiation safety ◽

10.12737/article_5b17a3e6864907.56652758 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 74-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

С. Гончаров ◽

S. Goncharov ◽

Г. Аветисов ◽

G. Avetisov

Keyword(s):

Russian Federation ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Nuclear Power Plants ◽

Radiation Safety ◽

Disaster Medicine ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Emergency Situations ◽

Radiation Accidents ◽

The Russian Federation

The article presents the results of 25-old activity of the head agency of the Service for Disaster Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation – All Russian Centre for Disaster Medicine «Zaschita» (ARCDM «Zaschita») of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in the sphere of medical support of population in case of radiation accidents. The Service is a functional subsystem of the Unified State system of prevention and liquidation of emergency situations, intended for elimination of medical and sanitary consequences of emergency situation. In Russia, it is legally established that in case of radiation accident the Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia (the FMBA of Russia) is responsible for radiation safety of the population living in the NPP surveillance zone (approximately 25 km). Responsibility for the radiation safety of the rest of the population living outside the surveillance zone is assigned to the Service for disaster medicine. In accordance with the current document “Model content of the protection plan of the population in case of an accident at the radiation facility” developed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, mandatory protective measures are provided in the territory that radius is 25 km around the radiation object (planning zones of preventive and emergency measures). Early planning in the restrictive planning zone is not envisaged, and protective measures outside the 100-kilometer zone are considered inappropriate. The article presents the concept developed by the specialists of ARCDM «Zaschita» for drafting protection of the subjects of the Russian Federation for the nuclear power plants operating on the territory of Russia. The concept is based on experience of consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident. The concept argues that the outer boundary of the planning area for protective measures around nuclear power plants should have an outer radius of 1000 km. Radius of the emergency planning area is 100 km. The problems of preparedness for radiation safety of population support in case of radiation accidents are discussed. They are: the need for elaboration of regulatory and normative documents of the federal level on obligatory advance planning of protective measures against the possibility of radiation accidents on radiation-hazardous objects from the nuclear power plants on the territory of Russia for the population, not supervised by the FMBA of Russia (living both in the observation zone and abroad) and regulating the need and procedure of planning, organization and carrying out in case of necessity iodine prophylaxis for the population on territories up to 1000 km from operating NPPs of Russia. Same approaches to the solution of the considered problems are suggested.

Download Full-text

Dialogue, radiation measurements and other collaborative practices by experts and residents in the former evacuation areas of Fukushima: A case study in Yamakiya District, Kawamata Town

Radioprotection ◽

10.1051/radiopro/2020061 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 215-224 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. Yasutaka ◽

Y. Kanai ◽

M. Kurihara ◽

T. Kobayashi ◽

A. Kondoh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Large Scale ◽

Research Approach ◽

Interactive Program ◽

Collaborative Practices ◽

Research Activities ◽

Fukushima Daiichi ◽

Radiation Measurements

This paper describes the involvement of the residents of the Yamakiya district of the Kawamata town, a former evacuation area after the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), in the on-going research activities of the authors on the behaviour of radioactive caesium in the environment. By relying on dialogue, measuring radiation, and other collaborative practices, this involvement enabled a series of actions to be taken to resolve the challenges related to the recovery after the lifting of the evacuation order that were appreciated by the residents. The paper also discusses the effects of the interactive program led by the Yamakiya School organized by the authors in cooperation with the residents including among others lectures, voluntary works and radiological surveys on local issues. Based on the above, the authors make recommendations on the desirable form of relationship between residents and experts after an event of large-scale environmental pollution including radiological contamination. Through these activities the authors have also gradually changed their research approach.

Download Full-text

Safe development of nuclear power technologies in the Arctic: prospects and approaches

Nuclear Energy and Technology ◽

10.3897/nucet.4.31870 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 235-241

Author(s):

Dmitry Smolentsev ◽

Ashot Sarkisov ◽

Sergey Antipov

Keyword(s):

Low Power ◽

Mathematical Models ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Modular Design ◽

World Ocean ◽

The Arctic ◽

Model Calculations ◽

Emergency Situations ◽

Methodological Approaches

The demands for nuclear power technologies in the Arctic for solving social and economic problems of the state can only be satisfied if adequate strategies of their safe handling at all stages from design to decommissioning are defined, methodological approaches and mathematical models for predicting and minimizing adverse environmental impacts of potential emergency situations at such facilities are developed, and scientifically-based results yielded within a decision-making support system for the elimination of such emergencies are applied. Special relevance of these requirements is determined by unique features of the Arctic nature and its role in the generation of climatic and hydrological processes in the World Ocean. Main results and generalized conclusions based on the analysis of radiological consequences of the large-scale application of nuclear power industry for the benefit of economic development of the Arctic region are provided in the present paper. The analysis was performed within the framework of the complex research project “Development of the methodological approaches and mathematical models to access the environmental impact of the possible accidents at the floating nuclear power objects, model calculations of the radiation propagation in the Arctic aquatic territories in case of emergency situations”. The increasing demand for the low-power nuclear power plants for the benefit of development of remote areas, the technological and economic advantages of such power plants as well as minimal possible environmental consequences of the hypothetic accidents resulted in the qualitative changes in the attitude towards their usage. Estimation was made of the scale of application of nuclear power and results were obtained of numerical modeling of distribution of reactivity in case of accidents. The conclusion was drawn on the necessity to adhere to the low-power nuclear energy generation development strategy based on the modular design concept.

Download Full-text

Radioactivity and radionuclides in deciduous teeth formed before the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

10.21203/rs.3.rs-136601/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Atsushi Takahashi ◽

Mirei Chiba ◽

Akira Tanahara ◽

Jun Aida ◽

Yoshinaka Shimizu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Large Scale ◽

Natural Radionuclides ◽

Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Deciduous Teeth ◽

Fukushima Accident ◽

Fukushima Daiichi

Abstract The Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident in March 2011 released substantial amounts of radionuclides into the environment. We collected 4,957 deciduous teeth formed in children before the Fukushima accident to obtain precise control data for teeth formed after the accident. Radioactivity was measured using imaging plates (IP) and epidemiologically assessed using multivariate regression analysis. Additionally, we measured 90Sr, 137Cs, and natural radionuclides which might be present in teeth. Epidemiological studies of IP showed that the amount of radioactivity in teeth from Fukushima prefecture was similar to that from reference prefectures. We found that artificial radionuclides of 90Sr and 137Cs, which were believed to have originated from past nuclear disasters, and natural radionuclides including 40K and daughter nuclides in the 238U and 232Th series contributed to the generation of radioactivity in teeth. We also found no evidence to suggest that radionuclides originating from the FNPP accident significantly contaminated pre-existing teeth. This is the first large-scale investigation of radioactivity and radionuclides in teeth. The present findings will be indispensable for future studies of teeth formed after the FNPP accident, which will fall out over the next several years and might be more contaminated with radionuclides.

Download Full-text

Radioactivity and radionuclides in deciduous teeth formed before the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89910-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Atsushi Takahashi ◽

Mirei Chiba ◽

Akira Tanahara ◽

Jun Aida ◽

Yoshinaka Shimizu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Large Scale ◽

Natural Radionuclides ◽

Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Deciduous Teeth ◽

Fukushima Accident ◽

Fukushima Daiichi

AbstractThe Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident in March of 2011 released substantial amounts of radionuclides into the environment. We collected 4,957 deciduous teeth formed in children before the Fukushima accident to obtain precise control data for teeth formed after the accident. Radioactivity was measured using imaging plates (IP) and epidemiologically assessed using multivariate regression analysis. Additionally, we measured 90Sr, 137Cs, and natural radionuclides which might be present in teeth. Epidemiological studies of IP showed that the amount of radioactivity in teeth from Fukushima prefecture was similar to that from reference prefectures. We found that artificial radionuclides of 90Sr and 137Cs, which were believed to have originated from past nuclear disasters, and natural radionuclides including 40 K and daughter nuclides in the 238U and 232Th series contributed to the generation of radioactivity in teeth. We also found no evidence to suggest that radionuclides originating from the FNPP accident significantly contaminated pre-existing teeth. This is the first large-scale investigation of radioactivity and radionuclides in teeth. The present findings will be indispensable for future studies of teeth formed after the FNPP accident, which will fall out over the next several years and might be more contaminated with radionuclides.

Download Full-text