Chornobyl radiation spikes are not due to military vehicles disturbing soil
| Autor: | Wood, Michael D., Beresford, Nicholas A., Barnett, Catherine L., Burgess, Peter H., Mobbs, Shelly |
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| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: | |
| Druh dokumentu: | Working Paper |
| Popis: | On 25th February 2022, increased gamma radiation dose rates were reported within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). This coincided with Russian military vehicles entering the Ukrainian part of the CEZ from neighbouring Belarus. It was speculated that contaminated soil resuspension by vehicle movements or a leak from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) complex may explain these spikes in radiation dose rates. The gamma dose rate monitoring network in the CEZ provides a crucial early warning system for releases of radioactivity to the environment and is part of the international safeguards for nuclear facilities. With the potential for further military action in the CEZ and concerns over nuclear safety, it is essential that such anomalous readings are investigated. We evaluate the hypotheses suggested to explain the apparent gamma dose rate increases, demonstrating that neither military vehicle-induced soil resuspension nor a leak from the ChNPP are plausible. However, disruption of the Chornobyl base-station's reception of wireless signals from the CRMS network may potentially explain the dose rate increases recorded. Comment: 14 pages including 5 figures. M.D.W. conceived the study; M.D.W. and N.A.B. wrote the paper; All authors discussed results and commented on the manuscript; C.L.B compiled the CRMS gamma dose rate data, which M.D.W. and N.A.B QCd; P.H.B. developed the modelling approach, with input from N.A.B., M.D.W. and S.M.; M.D.W. developed the figures; C.L.B compiled the reference list |
| Databáze: | arXiv |
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