579 



ted 50-100 km Trom SRW disposal areas. Direct monitoring of radiation conditions in such 

 waste disposal areas themselves has not been performed for 25 years. 



It should be noted that the dumping of RW in containers does not guarantee absolute safety 

 from the standpoint of possible seawater contamination, since the container material is subject to 

 corrosion. Metal containers fail in seawater after 10 years, and concrete ones in 30 years. The 

 possible pollution of the marine environment by flirfiirol, which was used to seal many reactor 

 compartments when they were sunk, has been insufficiently studied. 



On the whole, the state of radiation and sanitary-hygienic monitoring at RW disposal sites in 

 both northern and far eastern seas in recent years should be recognized as unsatisfactory. Despite 

 the fleets' annual generation of a large quantity of RW requiring disposal and dumping at sea over 

 the course of decades (including high-level and potentially hazardous RW), a system for observing 

 and monitoring the condition of radioactive objects dumped at sea is practically nonexistent, al- 

 though the systems of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Industry, and Ministry of 

 Atomic Energy have numerous scientific research institutes involved with the development and 

 operation of nuclear-powered vessels. 



Work to develop a system of marine radioecological monitoring in disposal areas was not be- 

 gun by the Navy until 1 992 



3.2. Radiation Conditions in Seas Used for Radioactive Waste Disposal 



In the course of radiation hygiene inspections conducted at SRW disposal sites before 1967 

 and areas of LRW discharge before 1990, no cases of dangerous radioactive contamination of the 

 marine environment were discovered, either in the disposal areas themselves or in adjacent water 

 areas, with the exception of brief (up to several days) local increases in radionuclide activity in 

 seawater during discharge of LRW. 



Information is lacking on the status of radiation conditions at SRW disposal sites themselves 

 in northern and far eastern seas. This has evoked not only concern by specially authorized gov- 

 ernment agencies of the Russian Federation for monitoring of the status of the environment in the 

 Russian Federation, but also sharp criticism directed at Russia on the part of other countries and 

 international public organizations. 



An assessment of the total radioactive contamination of sea surface waters where RW dis- 

 posal took place requires more detailed data. Levels of radioactive contamination of northern and 

 far eastern seas discovered so far show no dangerous rise in levels of radionuclides in the marine 

 environment (Table 10). 



3.3. Anticipated Changes in Radioecological Conditions 

 at Sites of Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea 



An estimation and prediction of possible radiation hygienic and radioecological consequences 

 of sea disposal of RW produced during the operation, refueling and repair of nuclear-powered 

 vessels and ships were performed on the basis of a study of documentary data on the quantitative 

 and qualitative composition of RW, analysis of technology and radiation protection measures used 

 in preparing RW for disposal and disposing of it, and a comparison of various sources of radioac- 

 tive contamination of Russia's Arctic and Pacific coastal seas. 



The analysis shows that there are important differences in the estimated impact of liquid and 

 solid RW dumped at sea. 



37 



