EXTERNAL DOSES FROM CHERNOBYL FALLOUT - INDIVIDUAL DOSE MEASUREMENTS IN THE BRJANSK REGION OF RUSSIA

Individual dose measurements in highly contaminated areas in the Brjan sk region of Russia are presented. The measurement programme comprised 285 persons living in six different villages, with contamination leve ls ranging from 0.8 to 2.3 MBq.m-2 of Cs-137. The measurements were pe rformed in the month of September in the years 1990, 1991 and 1992, wi th three participating dosimetry laboratories. Mean monthly dose value s between 148 and 287 muSv were recorded, including a natural backgrou nd contribution of 60 muSv. Not unexpectedly, people with outdoor occu pations living in wooden houses received the highest doses. The most h eavily contaminated villages were also most effectively decontaminated . The effect of this is clearly reflected in the dose data. The observ ed dose values are lower than theoretical estimates of external doses, based on published values for external dose levels relative to the le vel of contamination.