The purpose of the research is to study and analyze the environmental condition of small streams and reservoirs in the southwestern part of the Altai Territory (Russia), which were previously exposed to radiation as a result of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site. Conducting the research, the authors obtained the results of studying the content of artificial and natural radionuclides in the bottom sediments of the water bodies under investigation. Sampling of bottom sediments and their analytical studies were carried out in 2020–2022. The sampling involved measurements of the dose rate of bottom sediment gamma radiation. Having dried and ground the samples, the authors measured the flux density of alpha and beta particles from the surface. Laboratory studies of the samples were carried out using highly sensitive analytical equipment including an ORTEC GEM25P4-70 gamma spectrometer, an Alpha Analyst A1200-32AM CANBERRA alpha spectrometer, and a TRI-CARB 3110TR PerkinElmer beta spectrometer. The activities of natural radionuclides (potassium-40, thorium-232, radium-226) and artificial radionuclides (americium-241, plutonium-239+240, cesium-137 and strontium-90) were identified in the bottom sediments. It was determined that the radiation parameters of bottom sediments of water bodies in the southwestern part of the Altai Territory do not exceed the standard level, and the remains of traces of nuclear tests that took place at the test site are not found in the studied water bodies today.
Ecological research findings on surface waters and bottom sediments in water bodies of the southwestern part of the Altai Territory are presented. Samples were collected and analyzed between 2020 and 2021. Activities of natural (40К, 226Ra, 232Th) and artificial (241Am, 239+240Pu, 137Cs and 90Sr) radionuclides were determined in bottom sediments, research into the content of heavy metals (copper, zinc, lead and cadmium) in surface waters and bottom sediments was undertaken. As a result, it was found that radiation parameters of bottom sediments in water bodies of the southwestern part of the Altai Territory did not exceed the regulatory level. No residual nuclear plumes at the Semipalatinsk Test Site are currently detected in water of water bodies of interest. The content of heavy metals in bottom sediments does not correspond to the regulatory level. Ground water contamination with heavy metals was not detected.
Based on the environmental monitoring materials of Joint-stock company “Sibir-Polimetally”, as well as Altai State Technical University scientific research, an analysis was made of the ecological state of the surface waters of small streams in the south-west of the Altai territory: the Nikitikha, Krutishka and Korbolikha rivers. The main pollutants in these water bodies are identified. The research results are relevant for the Altai territory, where small watercourses in the area where industrial enterprises are located can be a source of pollution of large waterways, which are of great economic importance for the Siberian region.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.