ASSESSMENT OF RADIOECOLOGICAL RISKS FOR SIBERIAN ROE DEER (CAPREOLUS PYGARGUS PAL., 1771) LIVING IN NATURAL CONDITIONS IN THE SEMIPALATINSK TEST SITE AREA

The article presents the findings on assessment of dose loads in the natural population of Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus Pal., 1771) living in the Semipalatinsk Test Site area. The calculated expected dose rate for roe deer living in the "conditionally background" area of the STS will not exceed 3.7 µGy/day, while for those in areas affected by radioactive fallout plumes, it will not exceed 150 µGy/day. The main contribution to the dose comes from internal exposure to ⁹⁰Sr. According to radiation effect scales for biota, depending on the dose rate of chronic exposure in various animal species, the calculated dose for the “conditionally background” areas of the STS correspond to natural background radiation. In areas with radioactive fallout plumes at the STS, the expected dose may reach the threshold for minor cytogenetic effects and stimulation in sensitive vertebrate species. According to the set of derived reference levels, the calculated dose for roe deer living in the “conditionally background” areas of the STS correspond to natural background radiation. In contrast, the doses calculated for roe deer living in areas with radioactive fallout plumes at the STS indicate an extremely low probability of any biological effects. At the technical sites of the STS, under the most conservative exposure scenario, the maximum possible dose rates may range from 1.6·10⁴ –1.7·10⁷ µGy/day. There are risks of a fairly wide range of effects, up to the occurrence of fatal radiation sickness (at the “Experimental Field”, “4” and “4A” technical sites). According to the risk of various effects, the studied areas can be arranged in the following decreasing order: RWA test sites (“4” and “4A”) > Experimental Field test locations > Degelen test locations > Balapan test locations > Sary-Uzen test locations > area of radioactive fallout plumes at the STS > areas of the STS without radioactive fallout plumes and test locations.

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