Chernobyl groundwater contamination

The Chernobyl disaster remains the major and most detrimental nuclear catastrophe which completely altered the radioactive background of the Northern Hemisphere. It happened in April 1986 on the territory of the former Soviet Union (modern Ukraine). The catastrophe led to the increase of radiation in nearly one million times in some parts of Europe and North America compared to the pre-disaster state.^[1] Air, water, soils, vegetation and animals were contaminated to a varying degree. Apart from Ukraine and Belarus as the worst hit areas, adversely affected countries included Russia, Austria, Finland and Sweden. The full impact on the aquatic systems, including primarily adjacent valleys of Pripyat river and Dnieper river, are still unexplored.

Substantial groundwater contamination is one of the gravest environmental impacts caused by the Chernobyl disaster. As a part of overall freshwater damage, it relates to so-called “secondary” contamination, caused by the delivery of radioactive materials through unconfined aquifers to the groundwater network^[1] It proved to be particularly challenging because groundwater basins, especially deep-laying aquifers, were traditionally considered invulnerable to diverse extraneous contaminants. To the surprise of scientists, radionuclides of Chernobyl origin were found even in deep-laying waters with formation periods of several hundred years.^[2]

^ ^a ^b Yablokov, Alexey V.; Nesterenko, Vassily B.; Nesterenko, Alexey V. (November 2009). "8. Atmospheric, Water, and Soil Contamination after Chernobyl". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1181 (1): 223–236. Bibcode:2009NYASA1181..223Y. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04831.x. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 20002050.
^ Bugai, D. A. (September 1997). "Effects of the Chernobyl accident on radioactive contamination of groundwater utilized for water supply". International Atomic Energy Agency: 349–356.

[:0-1] Yablokov, Alexey V.; Nesterenko, Vassily B.; Nesterenko, Alexey V. (November 2009). "8. Atmospheric, Water, and Soil Contamination after Chernobyl". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1181 (1): 223–236. Bibcode:2009NYASA1181..223Y. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04831.x. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 20002050.

[:1-2] Bugai, D. A. (September 1997). "Effects of the Chernobyl accident on radioactive contamination of groundwater utilized for water supply". International Atomic Energy Agency: 349–356.

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