Radiological Conditions at the Former French Nuclear Test Sites in Algeria

71 Pages·2005·5.27 MB·English

RADIOLOGICAL
ASSESSMENT
R E P O R T S
S E R I E S
Radiological Conditions
at the Former French
Nuclear Test Sites in Algeria:
Preliminary Assessment
and Recommendations
The cover photograph shows the area at Taourirt Tan Afella where nuclear explosions were performed from
1961 to 1966.
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RADIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AT
THE FORMER FRENCH NUCLEAR
TEST SITES IN ALGERIA:
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The following States are Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency:
AFGHANISTAN GREECE PARAGUAY
ALBANIA GUATEMALA PERU
ALGERIA HAITI PHILIPPINES
ANGOLA HOLY SEE POLAND
ARGENTINA HONDURAS PORTUGAL
ARMENIA HUNGARY QATAR
AUSTRALIA ICELAND
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
INDIA
AUSTRIA
ROMANIA
INDONESIA
AZERBAIJAN
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF
BANGLADESH
IRAQ SAUDI ARABIA
BELARUS
IRELAND SENEGAL
BELGIUM
ISRAEL SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
BENIN
ITALY SEYCHELLES
BOLIVIA
JAMAICA SIERRA LEONE
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
JAPAN SINGAPORE
BOTSWANA
JORDAN
SLOVAKIA
BRAZIL
KAZAKHSTAN
SLOVENIA
BULGARIA
KENYA
BURKINA FASO KOREA, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
CAMEROON KUWAIT SPAIN
CANADA KYRGYZSTAN SRI LANKA
CENTRAL AFRICAN LATVIA SUDAN
REPUBLIC LEBANON SWEDEN
CHILE LIBERIA SWITZERLAND
CHINA LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
COLOMBIA LIECHTENSTEIN TAJIKISTAN
COSTA RICA LITHUANIA THAILAND
CÔTE D’IVOIRE LUXEMBOURG THE FORMER YUGOSLAV
CROATIA MADAGASCAR REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
CUBA MALAYSIA TUNISIA
MALI
CYPRUS
TURKEY
MALTA
CZECH REPUBLIC
UGANDA
MARSHALL ISLANDS
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
MAURITANIA UKRAINE
OF THE CONGO
MAURITIUS UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
DENMARK
MEXICO UNITED KINGDOM OF
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MONACO GREAT BRITAIN AND
ECUADOR
MONGOLIA NORTHERN IRELAND
EGYPT
MOROCCO UNITED REPUBLIC
EL SALVADOR
MYANMAR
OF TANZANIA
ERITREA
NAMIBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ESTONIA
NETHERLANDS
URUGUAY
ETHIOPIA NEW ZEALAND
FINLAND NICARAGUA UZBEKISTAN
FRANCE NIGER VENEZUELA
GABON NIGERIA VIETNAM
GEORGIA NORWAY YEMEN
GERMANY PAKISTAN ZAMBIA
GHANA PANAMA ZIMBABWE
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held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the
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© IAEA, 2005
Permission to reproduce or translate the information contained in this publication may be obtained by
writing to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria.
Printed by the IAEA in Austria
March 2005
STI/PUB/1215
RADIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORTS SERIES
RADIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AT
THE FORMER FRENCH NUCLEAR
TEST SITES IN ALGERIA:
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
VIENNA, 2005
IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Radiological conditions at the former French nuclear test sites in Algeria :
preliminary assessment and recommendations. — Vienna :
International Atomic Energy Agency, 2005.
p. ; 29 cm. — (Radiological assessment reports series, ISSN
1020-6566)
STI/PUB/1215
ISBN 92–0–113304–9
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Radiation — Algeria — Safety measures. 2. Nuclear weapons —
Algeria — Testing. 3. Radioactive pollution — Algeria. 4. Algeria —
Environmental conditions. I. International Atomic Energy Agency.
II. Series.
IAEAL 05–00392
EDITORIAL NOTE
Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this publication,
neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use.
The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher,
the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the
delimitation of their boundaries.
The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not
imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or
recommendation on the part of the IAEA.
FOREWORD
There are various locations around the world that have been affected by radioactive residues. Some of
these residues are the result of past peaceful activities, while others result from military activities, including
residues from the testing of nuclear weapons. Stimulated by concern about the state of the environment,
movement away from military nuclear activities and improved opportunities for international cooperation,
attention in many countries has turned to assessing and, where necessary, remediating areas affected by
radioactive residues.
Some of these residues are located in countries where there is a lack of the infrastructure or expertise
necessary for evaluating the significance of the radiation risks posed by the residues and for making decisions on
remediation. In such cases, governments have felt it necessary to obtain outside assistance. In other cases, it has
been considered socially and politically necessary to have independent expert opinions on the radiological
situation at the sites. As a result, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been requested by the
governments of a number of Member States to provide assistance in relation to its statutory obligation “to
establish…standards of safety for protection of health…and to provide for the application of these
standards…at the request of a State”.
On 22 September 1995, a resolution of the General Conference of the IAEA called on all States “to fulfil
their responsibilities to ensure that sites where nuclear tests have been conducted are monitored scrupulously
and to take appropriate steps to avoid adverse impacts on health, safety and the environment as a consequence
of such nuclear testing”.
Representatives of the Algerian Government requested the IAEA to carry out a study of the radiological
situation at the former French nuclear test sites in Algeria. The findings of this assessment are summarized in
this report.
BLANK PAGE
CONTENTS
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. TEST SITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. BACKGROUND ON THE NUCLEAR TESTING PROGRAMME IN ALGERIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1. Historical information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2. Pre-survey estimation of the current radiological situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2.1. Gerboise atmospheric tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2.2. Underground tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2.2.1. Béryl test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2.2.2. Améthyste test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2.3. Experiments with plutonium pellets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2.4. Pollen experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3. IAEA MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.1. Mission team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.2. Mission itinerary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. SAMPLING AND MEASUREMENT PROGRAMME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1.1. Reggane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1.2. In Ekker (Taourirt Tan Afella and Adrar Tikertine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.2. Field measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3. Field sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3.1. Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.3.2. Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.3.3. Vegetation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.4. Results of sampling and measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.4.1. Field measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.4.1.1. Reggane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.4.1.2. In Ekker — Taourirt Tan Afella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.4.1.3. In Ekker — Adrar Tikertine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.4.2. Laboratory measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.4.3. Major conclusions based on the laboratory measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.4.3.1. Samples from Reggane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.4.3.2. Samples from In Ekker — Taourirt Tan Afella. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.4.3.3. Samples from In Ekker — Adrar Tikertine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5. ESTIMATES OF PRESENT AND FUTURE DOSES TO PERSONS ARISING
FROM RESIDUAL RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL AT THE SITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5.1. General methodology for calculating doses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5.2. Sources and pathways of exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5.2.1. Atmospheric test site at Reggane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5.2.2. Underground test site at In Ekker — Taourirt Tan Afella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.2.3. Adrar Tikertine experimentation site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.3. Radiation doses due to residues from nuclear testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.3.1. Reggane atmospheric test site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30