Radioecological transfer model helps recovery
A sophisticated model can pinpoint the precise radiation risks of different land types and environments, paving the way for the reuse of abandoned contaminated areas. Background The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 exposed scientific ignorance about how to counter and limit the effects of radioactivity on a large population across a wide area. While a lot of experimental work had been done in laboratories, there was little practical knowledge about how radioactivity would spread through food, and how factors such as soil type could reduce or enlarge the contamination processes. Radioactivity readings taken after the disaster helped construct a picture of contamination levels but stopped short of explaining the processes at work and why one area presented a greater risk than another. Description, impact and results More than a decade later, the problem of contamination still exists. Large parts of Belarus are out of bounds for agricultural use and a 30-kilometre exclusion zone remains around the power plant. Selective measures, such as the use of potassium fertilisers and giving cattle special feed prior to slaughter, can help rehabilitate land and reduce the threat of contamination to man. But such programmes are expensive and have been largely shunned by the increasing number of private smallholders in the affected region. Using geographical information systems (GIS) and a large database of information on radioactive depositions, soil characteristics, and transfer values of contamination in different ecosystems, the European Commission's Restore project (Research DG) has built up a picture of where the main contamination risks are. This model should pave the way for authorities and individuals to make better decisions concerning land use and resources. Twinned with an increasing knowledge about local eating habits, it is also possible to give highly targeted dietary advice to residents. Tests have shown a high correlation between the model's results and known levels of contamination. This model could also be adapted for other pollution risks, such as detecting contamination by heavy metals. Working partnerships Using post-Chernobyl understanding and data on radiation from Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus, Restore has constructed a detailed model which allows authorities to determine contamination risks from different variables such as soil type, crop patterns, local diet and the affects of flooding on radiation levels. The project team comprises experts from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. Scientists from the former Soviet Union have also been closely involved.