RECONSTRUCTION OF EXTERNAL DOSES TO OZYORSK RESIDENTS DUE TO ATMOSPHERIC RELEASES OF INERT RADIOACTIVE GASES FROM THE STACKS OF THE “MAYAK” PA REACTOR PLANT FROM 1948 TO 1989

The article provides the results of reconstruction of external doses to population due to atmospheric releases of inert radioactive gases of activation (41Ar) and fission origin (xenon and krypton isotopes) from the stacks of the “Mayak” PA industrial reactors from 1948 to 1989. Calculation of surface volumetric activities was performed using the RATCHET code. Dose estimate was obtained in a semi-infinite cloud approximation. It is demonstrated that more than 90% of external dose was accumulated from 1948 to 1956. It is established that, generally, the calculation results are in good agreement with archive instrument monitoring data on exposure dose rate and thermoluminescence dosimetry data. External effective doses to the residents of Ozyorsk obtained for different age groups of population with consideration of shielding properties of buildings and duration of time spent outdoors were estimated in the range from 16 to 23 mSv.