Nuclear Accidents: Consequences for Human, Society and Energy Sector

The article examines radiation and hygienic regulations with regard to the elimination of consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident in the context of relationships with other aspects, primarily socio-economic and political factors. This experience is reasonable to take into account when defining criteria in other regulatory fields, for example, in radioactive waste classification and remediation of areas. The article presents an analysis of joint features and peculiarities of nuclear accidents in the industry and energy sectors. It is noted that the scale of global consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident is defined by the large-scale release of radioactivity into the environment, as well as an affiliation of the nuclear installation with the energy sector. Large-scale radiation accidents affect the most diverse spheres of human activities, what, in its turn, evokes the reverse reaction from the society and its institutions, including involvement of political means of settlement. If the latter is seeing for criteria that are scientifically justified and feasible, then the preconditions for minimizing socio-economic impacts are created. In other cases, political decisions, such as nuclear units’ shutdown and phasing out of nuclear energy, appear to be an economic price which society, as a whole and a single industry sector, pay to compensate the negative public response. The article describes fundamental changes in approaches to ensure nuclear and radiation safety that occurred after the Chernobyl NPP accident. Multiple and negative consequences of the Chernobyl accident for human and society are balanced to some extent by a higher level of operational safety, emergency preparedness, and life-cycle safety. The article indicates that harmonization and ensuring consistency of regulations that involve different aspects of nuclear and radiation safety are important to implement practical solutions to the nuclear legacy problems. The development of regulations on criteria for the classification of radioactive waste and the issues of remediation of radioactively contaminated areas are discussed as the examples.

1. The International Chernobyl Project. Assessment of Radiological Consequences and Evaluation of Protective Measures. Report by an International Advisory Committee. Moscow, IzdAT, 1991. 96 p. (in Russ.)

2. SOURCES AND EFFECTS OF IONIZING RADIATION. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. UNSCEAR 2008 Report to the General Assembly with Scientific Annexes. Volume II. Scientific Annexes C, D and E. New York: United Nations, 2011, 313 p.

3. The Chernobyl Forum. Chernobyl’s Legacy: Health, Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. IAEA Division of Public Information: Vienna, September 2005, 51 p.

4. Ilyin L.A., Kenigsberg Ya.E., Linge I.I., Lihtarev I.A., Savkin M.N. Radiation Protection of the Population in Response to the Chernobyl Accident. Meditsinskaya radiologiya i radiatsionnaya bezopasnost – Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety, 2016, 61 (3), pp. 5-16. (in Russ.)

5. Abalkina I.L., Blinov B.K., Linge I.I., Simonov A.V. Methodology for effectiveness assessment and selection of rehabilitation actions in elimination of consequences of natural and manmade catastrophes. In: Proceedings of IBRAE RAS. Issue 11. Moscow, Nauka, 2007, pp. 11-68. (in Russ.)

6. Romanovich I.K. Actual Tasks in Radiation Hygiene in the Context of FTP NRS Results. Proceeding of the Jubilee X Russian Scientific Conference «Radiation Protection and Radiation Safety in Nuclear Technologies». Moscow, 2015, pp. 97-110. (in Russ.)

7. Terms and Definitions in Nuclear and radiation Safety. Glossary: 2nd edition, revised and expanded. Moscow, SEC NRS, 2004, 445 p. (in Russ.)

8. LA-13638-TR. Report on Nuclear Accidents with SCR. 2003 version. Los Alamos (New Mexico, USA), Los Alamos National laboratory. (in Russ.)

9. IAEA SAFETY SERIES NO.75-INSAG-1 Summary Report on the Post-Accident Review Meeting on the Chernobyl Accident Report by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group. Vienna, IAEA, 2008 (in Russ.)

10. Nuclear Reactors in the World. 2015 Edition. Vienna, International Atomic Energy Agency, 2015, 79 p.

11. Nuclear Energy Agency Website: http://www.world-nuclear.org/information- library/facts-and-figures/world-nuclearpower-reactors-and-uranium-requireme.aspx (date of website visit: 08.07.2016 )

12. TSP data portal: http://www.tsp-data-portal.org/Breakdownof-Electricity- Generation-by-Energy-Source#tspQvChart (date of website visit: 21.04.2016)

13. Khoema data platform: http://knoema.ru (date of website visit: 21.04.2016)

14. Arutyunyan R.V., Bolshov L.A., Linge I.I., Melikhova E.M., Panchenko S.V. Lessons of Chernobyl and Fukushima and Actual Problems of Development of the System of Radiation Protection of the Population and Territories in the Case of a Nuclear Power Plant Accident. Meditsinskaya radiologiya i radiatsionnaya bezopasnost – Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2016; 61 (3): 36-51 p. (in Russ.)

15. Linge I.I., Savkin M.N., Vedernikova M.V. Management of special radioactive wastes: practical advances and current challenges. Radiatsionnaya gigiena – Radiation Hygiene, 2014, Vol. 7, No 4, pp. 5-22. (in Russ.)

16. Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards. № GSR Part 3. Vienna, IAEA, 2014, 471 p.

17. ICRP Publication 103. The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Moscow, 2009, 343 p. (in Russ.)

18. IAEA SAFETY STANDARDS SERIES № GSR Part 3. Decommissioning of Facilities. General Safety Requirements. Vienna, IAEA, 2014, 23 p.