Chernobyl related research and radiological protection activities in Ireland

Following the Chernobyl accident a programme of monitoring and research was initiated in the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland to address questions concerning the immediate and longer term impact of the fallout. Prior to the Chernobyl accident the scientific literature contained limited information on the behaviour of radionuclides in the environment and their entry into food-chains. In response to this lack of information the monitoring programme assessed the contamination status following the accident, while the research programme was aimed at gaining a fuller understanding of the processes of radionuclide transfer. Investigations were undertaken into the pathways through which Chernobyl radionuclides may be transferred to man i.e. via agricultural crops, meat and milk production. The results showed that the behaviour of the fallout radionuclides is complex and highly variable, being influenced by weather, topography, season, crop type, land management etc. The research continues today and its aim is to identify pathways of radiation dose transfer to man and to determine strategies for minimising risk and cost to man and the environment. Examination of the factors which control radionuclide behaviour has revealed practical strategies for dealing with contaminated lands and foods. A significant factor controlling the behaviour of radionuclides in ecosystems is the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil. These physico-chemical characteristics have proved to be useful parameters which can be manipulated to reduce the transfer of radionuclides in agricultural systems. In semi-natural ecosystems (peatlands and commercial forests) the controls on the behaviour of radionuclides are generally more complicated and intervention is more difficult. These ecosystems present a challenge in terms of the identification of possible practical rehabilitation measures. The task for the future is to compile the experience gained to date to establish a management strategy, for use in the event of a radioactive contamination event, which minimises dose to man while respecting the potential economic, social and ecological consequences of the actions taken