Publication Abstract

International Arctic Seas Assessment Project

International Arctic Seas Assessment Project

D. Woodhead, K. Sjoblom, A. Salo, M. Bewers, J. Cooper, R. Dyer, N. Lynn, M. Mount, P. Povinec, T. Sazykina, J. Schwarz, M. Scott, Y. Sivintsev, J. Tanner and J. Warden

The International Atomic Energy Agency responded to the news that the former Soviet Union had dumped radioactive wastes in the shallow waters of the Arctic Seas, by launching the International Arctic Seas Assessment Project in 1993. The project had two objectives: to assess the risks to human health and to the environment associated with the radioactive wastes dumped in the Kara and Barents Seas; and to examine possible remedial actions related to the dumped wastes and to advise on whether they are necessary and justified. The current radiological situation in the Arctic waters was examined to assess whether there is any evidence for releases from the dumped waste. Potential future releases from the dumped wastes were predicted, concentrating on the high-level waste objects containing the major part of the radionuclide inventory of the wastes. Environmental transport of released radionuclides was modelled and the associated radiological impact on humans and the biota was assessed. The feasibility, costs and benefits of possible remedial measures applied to a selected high-level waste object were examined. Releases from identified dumped objects were found to be small and localised to theimmediate vicinity of the dumping sites. Projected future annualdoses to members of the public in typical local population groupswere very small, less than 1 mu Sv - corresponding to a trivialrisk. Projected future doses to a hypothetical group of military personnel patrolling the foreshore of the fjords in which wastes have been dumped were higher, up to 4 mSv/year, which still is ofthe same order as the average annual natural background dose.Moreover, since any of the proposed remedial actions were estimated to cost several million US$ to implement, remediationwas not considered justified on the basis of potentially removing a collective dose of 10 man Sv. Doses calculated to marine fauna were insignificant, orders of magnitude below those at which detrimental effects on fauna populations might be expected tooccur. Remediation was thus concluded not to be warranted on radiological grounds.

Reference:

D. Woodhead, K. Sjoblom, A. Salo, M. Bewers, J. Cooper, R. Dyer, N. Lynn, M. Mount, P. Povinec, T. Sazykina, J. Schwarz, M. Scott, Y. Sivintsev, J. Tanner and J. Warden, 1999. International Arctic Seas Assessment Project. Science of the Total Environment, 237/238: 153-166.

D. Woodhead*, K. Sjoblom, A. Salo, M. Bewers, J. Cooper, R. Dyer, N. Lynn, M. Mount, P. Povinec, T. Sazykina, J. Schwarz, M. Scott, Y. Sivintsev, J. Tanner and J. Warden

Science of the Total Environment, 237/238: 153-166