Results of modern radiation-hygienic surveys of settlements of Bryansk Oblast of the Russian Federation bordering the Republic of Belarus. Part 1: Characteristics of the settlements

This study presents results of radiation-hygienic surveys of the Bryansk Oblast settlements bordering the Republic of Belarus. The data were obtained in the course of implementation of measures of the “Program of joint activities of Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State for the protection of the population and rehabilitation of the territories affected by the Chernobyl NPP accident” in 2019–2022. The first part of the study presents a general characteristic of the current state of the problem of returning the residents of radioactively contaminated territories to normal living conditions and provides information on the settlements of the surveyed region. The modern demographic composition of the population is considered; the structure of private subsidiary plots is investigated. The results described in this part of the study indicate the main ways, which are relevant for the formation of the internal exposure dose of the public at the current stage of the radiation accident.