Radioactive pollution of the Baikal area as a result of nuclear ground tests

Results of analyses for 137Cs in soils sampled in more than 800 localities have shown that the Baikal area pollution is much contributed by local radioactive fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear ground tests. We studied the effect of the amount of atmospheric precipitation and the types of landscapes and soils on the content of 137Cs in regional soils. Local radioactive fallout is confirmed by the total beta activity of daily atmospheric precipitation measured at regional weather stations.