Environmental monitoring in the vicinity of the Mayak atomic facility.

The goal of radiation monitoring in the zone influenced by the operation of the Mayak Production Association is to provide information for activities aimed at environmental preservation in that territory. The priority tasks of the radioecological monitoring system are measuring all parameters of radiation impact on the environment (which contribute up to 95% of the total population exposure dose), and estimating all parameters required to support effective decision-making. The basic methods for radioecological monitoring are: unification and standardization of field and laboratory techniques for radionuclide analysis; measurement of gamma-irradiation dose rate; measurement of 137Cs, 90Sr, and plutonium concentrations in soils; measurement of radionuclide concentration in surface and ground waters and the atmosphere; study of the pathways of horizontal and vertical migration of radionuclides in natural media; and establishment of data bases including ecological mapping. Based on the information obtained, assessment of contamination and forecasts of the future radiation situation are prepared using models.