DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THE FORMATION AND MIGRATION OF RADIOACTIVE
CONTAMINATION IN THE IPUT RIVER AFTER THE ACCIDENT AT THE CHERNOBYL
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT 
O. M. Zhukovaa, N. M. Shiryaevab,
N. K. Myshkinab, E. D. Shagalovaa,
V. V. Denisovab, and V. V. Skuratb

UDC 504.453.054

With the example of the Iput river, studies are performed 
and based on them an analysis is made of the formation of contamination 
of elements of a river system by radionuclides 137Cs and 
90Sr  after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power 
Plant. It has been revealed that before the years 1990-1994 the 
contamination of the river system was mainly formed by the primary 
fallout of radionuclides on the water surface of the river but after 
the year 2000 it will be determined only by the ingress of radioactive 
contaminants with surface flow from a water catchment. The studies 
have shown that the contamination of the Iput river in the territory 
of Belarus is substantially influenced by the transfrontier transfer 
of radionuclides from the territory of Russia. According to our estimates, 
at the end of 1986, this contribution amounted to 30% for 137Cs 
and 96% for 90Sr; as of now, it is 86% and 65% for 137Cs 
and 90Sr, respectively.

aRepublic Center of Radiation Control and Monitoring 
of the Natural Environment, State Committee for Hydrometeorology of 
the Republic of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus; email: us206@fax.by.mecom.ru; 
bInstitute of Radioenvironmental Problems, National Academy 
of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus; email: irep@sosny.bas-net.by. 
Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 74, No. 5, 
pp. 182-186, September-October, 2001. 
Original article submitted January 16, 2001.

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