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. 2024 Jan 19;65(1):36-46.
doi: 10.1093/jrr/rrad082.

Comparison of external dose estimates using different retrospective dosimetry methods in the settlements located near Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Republic of Kazakhstan

Valeriy Stepanenko  1 , Sergey Shinkarev  2 , Andrey Kaprin  3   4   5 , Kazbek Apsalikov  6 , Sergey Ivanov  1   4 , Peter Shegay  3 , Evgenia Ostroumova  7 , Ausrele Kesminiene  7 , Alexandra Lipikhina  6 , Viktoria Bogacheva  1 , Kassym Zhumadilov  8 , Masayoshi Yamamoto  9 , Aya Sakaguchi  10 , Satoru Endo  11 , Nariaki Fujimoto  12 , Bernd Grosche  13 , Vladimir Iatsenko  2 , Alla Androsova  2 , Zukhra Apsalikova  6 , Noriyuki Kawano  14 , Masaharu Hoshi  14
Affiliations

Comparison of external dose estimates using different retrospective dosimetry methods in the settlements located near Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Republic of Kazakhstan

Valeriy Stepanenko et al. J Radiat Res. .

Abstract

For correct assessment of health risks after low-dose irradiation, calculation of radiation exposure estimates is crucial. To verify the calculated absorbed doses, instrumental methods of retrospective dosimetry are used. We compared calculated and instrumental-based estimates of external absorbed doses in the residents of Dolon, Mostik and Cheremushki villages, Kazakhstan, affected by the first nuclear weapon test performed at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) on August 29, 1949. The 'instrumental' doses were retrospectively estimated using the Luminescence Retrospective Dosimetry (LRD) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) methods. Correlation between the calculated individual cumulative external absorbed whole-body doses based on typical input data and ESR-based individual doses in the same people was strong (r = 0.782). It was even stronger between the calculated doses based on individual questionnaires' input data and the ESR-based doses (r = 0.940). Application of the LRD method is useful for validation of the calculated settlement-average cumulated external absorbed dose to air. Reconstruction of external exposure can be supplemented with the data from later measurements of soil contamination with long-lived radionuclides, such as, 137Cs. Our results show the reliability of the calculational method used for the retrospective assessment of individual external doses.

Keywords: external dose; nuclear weapon tests; population exposure; radioactive fallout; retrospective dosimetry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Location of the radioactive plume formed after the first SNTS nuclear test on August 29, 1949 [31].
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A comparison of calculated cumulated external dose estimates based on typical input data with the dose estimates based on ESR measurements of tooth enamel (ESR dose) in the same people (n = 16 persons).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A comparison of calculated cumulated external dose based on individual information from questionnaires with the dose estimates based on ESR measurements of tooth enamel (ESR dose) in the same people (n = 7 persons).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
A comparison of individual external doses estimated using various data sources and different methods of retrospective dosimetry.
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