V.M. Shestopalov, M.V. Naboka, O.O. Likhosherstov, O.P. Chaban. POTENTIAL PROPERTIES OF GEOCHEMICAL LANDSCAPES FOR RADIOCAESIUM TRANSFER FROM SOIL TO MAN THROUGH THE FOOD CHAIN, AND PUBLIC SAFETY

The study of radiocaesium (Cs) migration from soil to vegetation is the subject of many studies since its fallout after nuclear tests, and especially after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 year. But by this time the issue is still important because, despite the large amount of some data, accumulation of a significant amount of field and experimental data on transfer factors of soil, there were different explanations for this phenomenon of anomaly. It is important that the results for the same soil types varied greatly among different researchers. For example, the conversion factor (CF) of the peat-bog soils is defined as the highest among the Polissya soils ranged from 30.0 to 189.0 Bk \ kg \ kBk \ m2. Based on the fact that with the same levels of soil contamination by Cs, contamination of milk in Rivne Polissya was several times higher than in Kiev or Zhytomyr regions and the radiation dose – vice versa, which has to influence the local people life safety. The aim of our research was to identify anomalous areas in Rivne region, their impact on the internal radiation dose formation and morbidity (spread of digestive system diseases) among local child population and comparison with those of Zhytomyr region. It was found that when levels of soil Cs contamination are low, the number and distribution of its increased migration zones within the territory of Rivne Polissya becomes the leading natural transfer factor. These anomalous zones include peat bog, peat marsh and marsh soils on acid-clay classes of geochemical landscapes (GCL) and meadow-marsh soils on acid classes of GCL when soil is excessively wet at the outskirts of peat marshes. On the territory of Rivne Polissya the area of a predominantly peat-bog, marsh, meadow-bog and peat soils, is 5 times bigger than in Zhytomyr Polissya. Dynamics of internal radiation doses accumulated in children living within acid-clay GCL and peat-swamp soils displays a relentless steady growth towards the end of 2011 observations when 14 year old children were those born 10 years after the Chernobyl accident, unlike the dynamics of the accumulated internal dose in children living in the territory with acidic GCL and sandy-podosol soils.Trends in digestive system (DS) diseases prevalence are virtually parallel to the dose dynamics. Continued increase in radiation dose to date indicates the presence of Cs depot, which concentrates on the marshes outskirts. Longer time of the maximum chronic internal radiation dose accumulation influences the dynamics of the DS disease prevalence, i.e. the peak of DS diseases prevalence which has already realized in areas with sod-podosol soils still lies ahead for the residents of peat-bog areas. So the relationships: time – effect, dose – effect and dose – GCL have been revealed. The obtained data is important for adverse medical and geo-ecological situation detection and developing preventive and therapeutic measures necessary to successfully address current and planning future agricultural management challenges and implementation of various social projects, with safety of children in rural areas as first and foremost priority. We need to continue monitoring the dynamics of DS disease prevalence among children living in areas with peat-swamp soils, as it continues to grow to this day in children who were born 10 years after the Chernobyl accident and live in conditions of chronic low dose radiation exposure.