Ambient radioactivity monitoring over the past ten years in water samples of the Elbe river, suspended matter, and sediment specimens

The report is intended to draw a balance of the past ten years of radioactivity monitoring in the Elbe river in the area of Hamburg, for the purpose of verification of goals, analysis of development of examination strategies, and compilation of data acquired in these years into a compact documentation. The data collected are baseline data showing the types and dose levels of radionuclides detected in this river section which might contribute to the ambient radiation dose to the population living in this area. They also reveal the contribution from the fallout of the Chernobyl reactor accident, as contained in the river, and they allow to determine contamination sources beyond the monitored river section whose emissions might otherwise be interpreted to stem from enhanced contamination by sources from the area of Hamburg. Taking into account the relatively high sampling frequencies, particularly of the surface water, it can be excluded with most probability that any radioactivity input of importance into the river section monitored over the given time period has been left undetected. (orig./SR)