The impact of the Chernobyl accident - an evaluation from the German perspective

During the years 1991-1993, from May till October, specialists from the Federal Republic of Germany investigated both the environmental and population radiation exposure due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union. In the survey an area of approximately 100,000 km2 extending from Tula in Russia to Rovno in the Ukraine was investigated. This area included regions of low and high contamination levels in the three post-Soviet republics of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Up to seven environmental measuring vans from different German institutions took part in the field study on the determination of the local dose rates and of the burden of environmental samples and foodstuffs. The results agreed fairly well with those obtained by Russian scientists. The body content of radioactive cesium of more than 300,000 individuals was examined. Up to 7 mobile whole-body counting laboratories were operational with a total number of 20 counters. Each person examined received an official certificate giving the result of the measurement. Observed activity levels were generally much less and in no case higher than the annual limit of intake acceptable for professional radiation workers. Only for about 2% of the people examined did the results suggest the necessity of further observation by health physicists and physicians similar to the regular medical examination professional radiation workers undergo. The project was supplemented by the individual measurement of external doses. About 7000 thermoluminescence dosemeters were distributed and evaluated in the years 1992 and 1993. The results show a dependence on social and location factors. To complete the programme, blood samples from 100 Ukrainian individuals were investigated in 1993. The results of biological dosimetry show remarkable deviations from the normal distribution. (orig./HP)