Radiological condition of soils in areas of conducting military operations within the Narodychi territorial community

On a scale of radioactive contamination, Zhytomyr region is one of the most affected regions as a result of Chornobyl accident. Due to high density of radionuclide contamination, more than 70 thousand hectares of land have been withdrawn from economic use. According to scientists, certain improvement of radiological situation occurred in the post-accident period due to countermeasures taken to minimise the accident consequences, as well as due to the natural processes of physical half-life of radionuclides. However, with the outbreak of hostilities, the environmental situation in the radioactive contamination zone has significantly deteriorated. Military actions of the russian army during more than a month of occupation of Chornobyl exclusion zone led to an increase in the radiation background level and created an additional radiation impact on the natural ecosystems of the region. To assess the radiological state of the soils, the density of contamination with artificial and natural radionuclides was determined in the areas of shelling of settlements in Naroditsky territorial community. According to the research results it was established that the density of 137Cs contamination of the soil cover within Narodytska territorial community is 4.07–484.70 kBq/m2 (0.11–13.10 Ci/km2 ), 90Sr – 0.44–8.10 kBq/m2 (0.012–0.219 Ci/km2 ). The highest level of caesium and strontium contamination is observed within Klishchiyivka village. Natural radionuclides level within the studied settlements was as follows: 40K – 12.95–118.03 kBq/m2 ; 232Th – 1.92– 5.22 kBq/m2; 226Ra – 2.00–11.47 kBq/m2 . It has been established that with increasing distance from the shelling site, the density of soil contamination with radionuclides (137Cs, 90Sr, 40K, 232Th) increases, reaching maximum values in samples taken within a radius of 50 m from the crater formation site. The opposite dependence was observed for 226Ra, the maximum density of which was recorded directly at the sinkhole formation site. Key words: radiological state of soils, natural and artificial radionuclides, caesium, strontium, potassium, thorium, radium, contamination density.