563 



actual reactors with spent nuclear fuel [S^fF)) require the following clarification: 



Information in original sources used by the Commission on the activity of SRW is presented as 

 "activity (^Sr equivalent), curies." This artificial characteristic was recommended for practical use in 

 the departmental methodology Regulations for Discharge of Radioactive Wastes at Sea (PS-82) and 

 is designed for generalized description of various amounts of SRW (for example, a container) as a 

 source of radiation at the time of disposal. Numerical values of "activity ('*'Sr equivalent)" were es- 

 tablished on the basis of measurements of the dose power near the SRW mass using a simple empiri- 

 cal dependence, accounting for a priori knowledge of the radionuclide content of the SRW mass. 



Information on the activity of LRW is presented in the customary form "activity, curies," which 

 simplifies quantitative comparison with discharges made by other countries, which cannot be said of 

 SRW when the form "activity (^St equivalent), curies" is used. 



An assessment of the radioecological consequences of dumping of both solid and liquid RW on 

 the basis of the data presented in the Appendi.x is rather problematic due to the lack in various cases of 

 detailed information on the radionuclide composition of wastes and the shielding properties of the 

 containers or tanks. In this sense, work on a more detailed descnption of SRW dumpings and LRW 

 discharges must be continued. 



It must be noted that the summary results (for years, districts, etc.) presented in the tables in the 

 Appendix have no physical meaning, and therefore cannot be used in scientific research, although they 

 do have a certain illustrative meamng. Moreover, the lack of information on radionuclide content pre- 

 vents calculation of the actiMty at a given moment in time after disposal. 



Nevertheless, on the basis of the information presented in the Appendix, a relative comparison 

 can be made both for solid and for liquid RW of the amount of RW dumped in various areas of the 

 northern and far eastern seas, and a comparison can also be made with analogous data for other coun- 

 tries. — P. M. Rubtsov 



The geographic location of the five officially designated areas for dumping of LRW in north- 

 em seas was shown in Fig. 4. Characteristics of these areas are presented in Table Al of the Ap- 

 pendix. As noted in the previous section, these areas were selected in 1960-1966 by the Northern 

 Fleet Headquarters and approved by the Navy General Command. 



Detailed information on LRW dumping in northern seas is given in Table A2 of the Appen- 

 dix. A small portion of the dumping was conducted outside the designated areas. Information on 

 the rate of dumping of LRW in northern seas is illustrated in Fig. 5. 



The data show that according to available data,' the total activity of LRW is 24 kCi (903 

 TBq), distributed as follows across various seas: 



Baltic Sea 0.2 CI (0.0007 TBq) 



White Sea 100 Ci (3.7 TBq) 



Barents Sea 121S3Ci (4S0TBq) 



Kara Sea 8500 Ci (315 TBq) 



Liquid RW discharges at sea were extremely irregular (Fig. 5), with the maximum activities 

 of dumped RW occurring: 



• in 1965: northeastern Barents Sea, Area 2, about 1,000 Ci (37 TBq); 



• in 1975: central Barents Sea, Area 3, over 800 Ci (29.6 TBq), and Kara Sea, 8,500 

 Ci (3 15 TBq) (dumped from the Lenin); 



• in 1988: northeastern Barents Sea, Area 1, about 5,300 Ci (196 TBq); 



• in 1989: Ara Bay, 2,000 Ci (74 TBq) (result of an accident on an NS). 



' — The activity of liquid radioactive waste that entered [the sea| through leaks from shore storage bdlities and due 

 to accidents on nuclear submarines was not included. 



21 



