Environmental radiation monitoring in the Chernobyl exclusion zone--history and results 25 years after.

This paper describes results of the radiation environmental monitoring performed in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) during the period following the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. This article presents a brief overview of five comprehensive reports generated under Contract No. DE-AC09-96SR18500 (Washington Savannah River Company LLC, Subcontract No. AC55559N, SOW No. ON8778) and summarizes characteristics of the ChEZ and its post-accident status. The history of development of the radiation monitoring research in the ChEZ is described also. This paper addresses the characteristics of radiation monitoring in the ChEZ, its major goals and objectives, and changes in these goals and objectives in the course of time, depending on the tasks associated with the phase of mitigation of the ChNPP accident consequences. The results of the radiation monitoring in the ChEZ during the last 25 years are also provided.