NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY AND BACKGROUND VALUES OF ANTHROPOGENIC RADIONUCLIDES IN GROUNDWATER AROUND THE LENINGRAD NPP AREA    

V. A. Erzova^1,*, S. M. Sudarikov¹, V. G. Rumynin^2,3, A. A. Shvarts^2,3

¹St. Petersburg Mining University, St. Petersburg, 21st Line V.O., 2, 199106, Russia

²St.Petersburg Division, Sergeev Institute of Environmental Geoscience, Russian Academy of Sciences; Srednii pr. 41, St. Petersburg, 199004 Russia

³Institute of Earth Sciences, St. Petersburg State University,

Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199004 Russia

*E-mail: erzova.spmu@yandex.ru

The natural radioactivity and background content of anthropogenic radionuclides in groundwater near the Leningrad NPP was studied based on the results of monitoring observations. Radiation characteristics of the Quaternary, Lomonosov, and Vendian aquifer complexes were analyzed. The total alpha (α)- and beta (β) activities, as well as the  content of radon (²²²Rn), radium (²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra), polonium (²¹⁰Po), lead (²¹⁰Pb), thorium (²³²Th), potassium (40K), and uranium (²³⁸U, ²³⁴U) were measured. The increased activity of natural radionuclides in the the Vendian aquifer was noted. A typical level of natural radioactivity was estimated for the groundwater in the study area. The total alpha (α)- and beta (β) activities, the content of cesium (¹³⁷Cs), strontium (⁹⁰Sr), tritium (³H) were measured among the anthropogenic radionuclides. The background levels of anthropogenic radionuclides in groundwater in the study area were measured and provided.

Keywords: Leningrad NPP, groundwater monitoring, natural radioactivity, anthropogenic radionuclides, background values of radionuclides, groundwater pollution

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