Assessment, analysis and prospects of researching radiation ecology in Penza region

Background. Environmental pollution with radionuclides nowadays appears to be one of the most dangerous ecological threats. In Penza region the problem of radiation safety is especially urgent due to the below mentioned reasons. Many areas of Penza region have been harmed by the Chernobyl NPS disaster. In many districts there is registered a constant outflow of radon from the subsoil. After the age of nuclear weapon testing the soil in many districts of the region has been polluted with heavy long-living radionuclides (for example, with americium-241 with the half-life period around 500 years). The aim of the article is to monitor the biosphere for the presence of the mentioned radionuclides therein within Penza region. Materials and methods. For the experimental research the authors used a set of high-precision radiometric equipment: a spectrometric complex SKS-07P, designed to measure samples' activity by alpha-, beta- and x-ray radiation, to estimate a degree of uranium enrichment and plutonium isotopic composition in geometry, different from punctual, to automatically process the results of measurement and estimation, to store and input the information; a radon radiometer RRA-01-M-01, designed for experimental measurement of radon volumetric activity in the air, water, soils. Results. The authors developed a deterministic model of radon shifting in the air and checked the concordance between model and experimental data. The given model is based on solution of equations that reflect a functional dependence of radon outflow on properties of the soil and physical processes taking place therein. The researchers developed a statistic model of radon shifting. As a smoothed distribution one should accept the second and third realization of a translated three-parameter Weibull-Gnedenko distribution. The use of the said distribution as a smoothed one denotes that in summer there exists a significantly large source of radon volumetric activity, located in the Penza city territory under investigation. Conclusions. In the Penza region territory the authors have revealed the zones with an exceeding level of ionizing radiation. At the present time an increased activeity of $^{241}Аm$ is being observed in the western direction. The aim of further researches is to obtain high credibility information on levels of ionizing radiation of anthropogenic and natural origin insoils, atmosphere, water bodies and vegetation; on the basis thereof there will be developed practical recommendations and forecasts of the radiological situation, devoted to protect population against penetrating radiation.