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The radiation conditions in Moscow and the Moscow region are assessed using observations at the Roshydromet radiation monitoring network. The paper presents the dynamics of the radiation background caused by technogenic radionuclides in the environment, starting from the period of nuclear tests in the atmosphere to the present. A comparative analysis is provided for the radiation characteristics in Moscow and the Moscow region, in different regions of the center of European Russia, and in the background areas during the period of the most significant radiation events in the recent decades: the accidents at Chernobyl in 1986, Fukushima in 2011, and an incident in Elektrostal in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emissions from Russian NPP in 2011–2017, which, on the whole, taking the specifics of nuclear reactors into consideration, correspond to the global emissions, are analyzed. The public irradiation dose due to NPP emissions is estimated to be 0.01–0.1% of the dose due to natural background radiation. It is shown that the location of fixed stations for monitoring the radioactivity of the surface air layer and atmospheric fallout near NPP meets the requirements of Russian regulatory documents and IAEA recommendations. The volume activity of 137Cs, 60Co, and other technogenic radionuclides in the surface air layer in the NPP observation zones are 104–108 times lower than the volumetric activity admissible for the public. To improve the monitoring of the radiation conditions, the 14C and 3H present in the emissions from NPP must be monitored, and collection of atmospheric fallout at fixed observation stations near NPP must be more efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]