256 



was noted that contaminated fish swim a considerable distance 

 from the outflow, both upstream and downstream. ' Techno-genic 

 radiation was observed in fish from the Kransoyarsk region. 

 Maximum concentrations of phosphorous-32 (5.0x10-7 Ki/kg) , the 

 major dosage-generating nuclide, were observed in the carcasses 

 of grayling collected near Pavlovshina village, 60 km below the 

 outfall. The analysis shows that in almost all the portions of 

 the river along the 1000 km distance there was a collection of 

 contaminated fish and that their use as food by local inhabitants 

 results in measurable dosages. 



The density of the contaminated flood land in terms of total 

 nuclides changes as one gets further from the source from 160 to 

 0.2 uki/m2. According to the data of the Institute of Biological 

 Problems of the North, DVO RAMN, on Chukotka the general gamma 

 background of natural radioactivity is about 15-30 uR/h (which 

 does not exceed the allowable levels and differs little from that 

 of other regions) . 



To the north of the Kransoyarsk region, gamma background is 

 25-30 uR/h. In the Magadan region gamma background is 15-30 

 uR/h; cesium-137 and strontium-90 (eg. products of nuclear 

 fallout after blasts) do not contribute substantially to the 

 formation of background radiation in the north. 



The radioactivity of muscle in deer is 0.1-2.7/10-9 curies 

 per kg, which amount to 0.03 per kg (or 3%) and is' an allowable 

 amount in these products. 



In Mirnyy (Vilyui River basin) , the gamma background does 

 not exceed the allowable level. 



According to the Leningrad Institute of Radiation Hygiene, 

 natural background radiation in the north is a little higher than 

 is generally characteristic of the north. Reindeer moss absorbs 

 radioactive nuclides, therefore the radiation background in deer 

 and man is a little higher. It is known that health conditions 

 are most affected by radionuclide compounds, not gamma 

 background . 



Socio-demographic studies are underway to follow the 

 connections between pollution by radionuclides, chemical agents 

 and also physical make up of the radiation factors in the Altaysk 

 region. It was shown that beginning in 1950 (time of the first 

 nuclear tests) for 40 years, the continuous increase in the 

 ecological contamination has created a complicated demographic 

 situation. 



During the period from 1950 to 1990 the population grew from 

 2396.2 thousand to 2828.3 thousand individuals. The total 

 increase was 432.1 thousand persons or 18.0%. Such an increase 

 in population over a 40 year period cannot be considered great. 



Some indices of sickness and death in the population are 

 also indices of the growth of environmental contamination in the 

 region. 



In the region from 1950 through 1990 there was an 

 unfavorable tendency in the dynamics of the health indices in the 

 population with respect to malignancies. The growth in cases is 

 close to linear (first time cases increased by 4.6 times). The 

 most unfavorable changes in the indices of first-time Illness 

 occurred for malignant tumors of the lungs (increased by more 



