Re[2]: Contaminated Crates?

[Kerrembaev Emil <kerrembaev@nscl.msu.edu>]

>>In 1991 we have analyzed the cross sections of the deciduous trees from
>>the area closed to the Unit 4 (3-5 km radius). The most of the conifers,
>>in that radius have died from the accumulative dose effect.
>The 1986 and 1989-1990 growth rings had damaged cellular structure.(Natural
>dosimeters)
>1986 from the external doses.
>1989-1990 from the internal uptake thru the roots.
>You my try to look at the cellular structure of the wood as well as do the
>spectroscopy.
>We performed the gamma spectroscopy of course the was Cs-137 and Cs-134,
>10/1 ratio at 1991.
>The activity levels I honestly do not remember ( it was a side project ).
>I don't think that in your case you will see any detectable levels in the
>wood materials. This wood  probably came not from the 30 km restricted zone
>( it is forbidden to harvest trees for this purpose)
>I had my whole body gamma count in 1994 and nothing from Chernobyl's items
>were observed although the radionuclides have different biological
>>half-lives in trees than in humans...
>
>best regards
>Emil Kerrembaev.
>National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.
>kerrembaev@nscl.msu.edu

You wrote:

>     Would you happen to have any information regarding the extent of
>     damage to the fauna, both domestic and wild, in the region of
>     interest? Thanks,
>     randy Brich, USDOE
>     randall_f_brich@rl.gov

No damage to the wild fauna. They were even better than before the accident
due to the luck of a civilian population ( tractors, hunting, pollution
etc.). Either that or the radiation effected them positively in some
way...??  :-)
The cattle were used in misc. research programs. The dogs became wild and
bread with wolfs when the locals left. I did not observe any radiation
damage (including mutations) to the local wild or domestic fauna.

There was a "Rizhy Les" ( Dead pine tree grove, orangish colored) at about
1-2 km distance from the reactor. This was one of the places where
fragments of the fuel rods and graphite fell. It  was eventually bulldozed
and covered with dirt. Near there many pine trees lost their needles from
all their lower branches. There seemed to be a linear relationship between
the radiation levels and the height to which there was damage. Surveys were
done by a regional forest ranger to try to aquire data regarding this
linear relationship. But he had no funding and his instruments were of poor
quality and had not been calibrated recently.
Deciduous trees were mostly uneffected due to annual regeneration of their
leaves. Obviously a few trees in very close proximity to the epicenter died
within a few weeks.

Emil Kerrembaev.
ORCBS @ MSU
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.
kerrembaev@nscl.msu.edu