About 10,000 tons of radioactive wood pellets were imported by the Penal Court of Aosta in June, 18 of 2009. The radioactive wood pellets involved in this important Justice’s cause in Aosta came from sites of more than 29 Italian provinces. The radioactive wood pellets showed 300 becquerels per kg of inert material (the limit is 1000), while in ashes the radioactivity resulted about 40,000 becquerels. The ashes produced after combustion of these wood pellets showed the presence of ¹³⁷Cs and the value of radioactivity was tremendously and extremely higher than the acceptable one. The mega-store product, “Pellet Kraft” (“Nature Kraft”) radioactive wood pellets, was imported from Lithuania to Italy and distributed with an inadequate control of biomass. It was discussed that the most probable source of radioactivity could be the radioactive catastrophe of Chernobyl AEP on April, 26 of 1986.  The main objective of the so-called radioactive wood pellets contamination affaire in Italy, is to put in place a coherent policy including urgent actions aimed at eliminating the radioactive wood pellets commerce and use in Italy.

L. N. Belobrzeckaja-Kosta¹, Nicola B. Costa², G. Vernetto³, O. N. Novikov⁴, L. Ya. Tzarik⁴, A. B. Gil’man⁵ , A. V. Ryzhakov⁶

1. Coordinator of Euroscience in Italy (2004-2007): belobrzeckaja@libero.it
2. Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Genoa State University
3. Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Aosta, Region Aosta, Italy
4. Irkutsk State University, the lab of polymeric ecology, Irkutsk, Russia
5. Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymer Materials, RAS, Moscow, Russia
6. Karelian Research Center, RAS, Petrozavodsk, Russia
    

Dr. Ilya Prygogine, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1977, has written: “Nature speaks with a thousand voices, and we have only begun to listen” [1]. Scientists would not right if they ignored the importance of occasional irreversible facts, such as nuclear disasters, which are much more significant than the theoretical construction’s theory linking to the better understanding approach of the life and nature development’s phenomena [2]. Experimental and applied science should be enforced, because the environmental damage risks are dominating on the theoretical scientific view. It is necessary to use the new model of control and previous work for the nature protection, then the reconstruction and recovering approach/model which takes a lot of time, money and often we see an irreversible process about which we could make nothing – it is nothing to do – as it is too late after great catastrophes, for example, Chernobyl nuclear incident in 1986. Authors of paper point out our attention: “Don’t repeat, please, ecological catastrophes, incidents so on; do all you must stop their happening, I mean, incidents, in time!” “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it” [3].

As the radioactive-nuclide contamination due to the Chernobyl catastrophe along with all the extension of accident’s direct (near by this AEP nuclear reactor explosion) and indirect impacts, such as, soil/water contamination, radioactive cloud/atmosphere contamination, radioactive wood pellets produced in the high contaminated zones and so on, drastically changed the state of the environment, agricultural activities, the stability of society and resources in the former USSR independent states. The Chernobyl accident’s effect on the human health is a clear example of particularly huge long-term consequences, as the extremely dangerous increasing in some illness and death cases due to cancer formation [4].

About 10,000 tons of radioactive wood pellets which are distributed in a lot of places (shops/houses/local consumer places) of the Italian land were impounded by the Penal Court of Aosta in June,18 of 2009 [5]. The radioactive wood pellets involved in this important Justice’s cause in Aosta came from sites of more than 29 Italian provinces. For example, only in the region of Valle d’ Aosta (Italy) wood pellets showed 300 becquerels per kg of inert material (the limit is 1000), while in ashes it resulted about 40,000 becquerels. The ashes produced after combustion of these wood pellets showed the presence of ¹³⁷Cs (one of the radioactive isotopes of the chemical element cesium) and the value of radioactivity was tremendously and extremely higher than the acceptable one. The mega-store product, “Pellet Kraft” (“Nature Kraft”) radioactive wood pellets, was imported from Lithuania to Italy and distributed with an inadequate, it is better to say scarce, control of biomass. It was discussed if the source of radioactivity could be the radioactive catastrophe of Chernobyl AEP on April, 26 of 1986 [6].  

It is well-known that the Chernobyl catastrophe presents, as a sad example for humanity, a complex of a political, international, economical, social, and in particular ecological problem according to the traditional and new studies for the development of the nuclide contaminated territories [7]. Moreover, we remember the 4th nuclear reactor of the Chernobyl AEP that exploded on 26 April 1986, XX years ago and recently the containment system “sarcophagus” of the 4th block’s nuclear reactor showed various cracks in its construction (2006-2007). The Chernobyl AEP disaster is the most terrible nuclear civil accident of all times [8, 9, 10]. Moreover there are a lot of Atomic Electricity Power Plants, old-generation ones, nearby the Chernobyl AEP: Chernobyl-reactor2 (RBMK, it started to work in 1979, then the huge incident happened in 1991, the Chernobyl-2 was closed and stopped to work in 1991; it started to work in 1997); Khmelnitskiyy-1 (PWR, it started to work in 1988); Rivne-1 (RWR, it started to work in 1981); Sud dell’ Ucraina-1 (PWR; it stated to work 1983); Zaporizhzhya-1 (PWR, it started to work in 1985), Ignalina reactor in Lithuania [1, 2: numbers of reactors].
In this paper examples of radioactive elements produced by the Chernobyl incident are reported in Table 1 according to ref. [11].

The consequences of the Chernobyl industrial accident led to the huge contamination of 3.1 million ha of arable land, 1.5 million ha of natural pasture land, 3.5 million ha of forests, and changed the lifestyle for millions of people in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia [12]. Probably, the Chernobyl radioactive contamination remains currently the principal source of radioactivity. Table 1 reports the value of 30.0 years for the time of disintegration [T1/2] of ¹³⁷Cs and the output of the radioactive ¹³⁷Cs in atmosphere is equal to 20-40% of total output; the radioactivity of ¹³⁷Cs was measured and showed the value of 7,57 MCu in 1986 and 5,27 MCu (radioactive residue in nuclear reactor) in 1996, respectively. Table 1 also shows the highest value for the residue of radioactive material, as ¹³⁷Cs: 4,16 MCu and 1,81 MCu (output of radioactivity) respectively.
We remember: “Problem number one for humanity is to protect the environment for survival, peace and a better quality life for the individual… The future of humanity will depend on the outcome of the conflict between a viable politic and ecological culture and a global ecological disaster. It is a matter for the Court of human rights…” [13]

Table 1. Characteristics of different radioactive nuclides formed in Chernobyl nuclear accident

Characteristics of ¹³⁷Cs contamination of environment, and toxic / genotoxic effects on human health were demonstrated by a lot of human deaths (more than half million until April 2010) and tumour (leukaemia) diseases.
Now we underline that the radioactive wood pellets produced out of Italy, are contaminated by 137Cs from Chernobyl – the elapsed time since 26 April 1986 to June 2009 is about 23 years and 2 months which is shorter than T1/2 of ¹³⁷Cs (30 years as reported in Table 1). Thus, the Chernobyl accident could be the most probable dangerous source of radioactivity. What can we do? About 10,000 tonnes of radioactive wood pellets should be completely taken out of commerce, it is necessary to stop selling and using radioactive wood pellets in all places where the radioactive products (goods) are distributed in Italy; an utmost control of biomass “Kraft Nature” imported to Italy must be applied; the responsibility of companies, such as a “pellet” producing firms and an international trading company (Italian/Lithuanian/Russian/Ukrainian and so on) should be verified and immediately a rigorous respect of the Environment Protection regulations must be maintained (Draconian punitive measures) for all people responsible for the “radioactive pellet contamination in Italy”.
The construction of complex multilayer metal-concrete containers (extra-firm casks) for shipment of spent nuclear fuel and for durable radioactive storage according to Patent No. 2152097 [14] should be suggested .
For example, wide distribution and utilization of dosimeters such as Physiologically Optimized Dosimeters (POD) for Radon determination (proposed by Catholic University, Faculty of Medicine, Roma) should be recommended for individual and collective health protection [15].
According to some assessments, the damage to Ukraine due to the Chernobyl nuclear accident amounts to several hundreds of billions of US $. [16,17]. Much of this paper has focused on the relationship between the environmental security education and knowledge, including scientific/abstract papers; communications and collection of information, application of the given scientific data, and information for the successful environment and human health protection.

Conclusions
There is an urgent need for appropriate political/legal strategic choices using effective collaboration of all Scientific and Justice Court/Lawyers structures. The main objective of the so-called radioactive wood pellets contamination affaire in Italy (June 2009), is to put in place a coherent policy including urgent actions aimed at eliminating the radioactive wood pellets commerce and use in Italy.
The plan of actions should include short- and long-term controls and monitoring, which should be carefully elaborated by competent authorities in cooperation with “Procura di Aosta”, Italy. It is necessary to remember that the most probable cause of radioactive wood pellets production could be the Chernobyl AEP nuclear accident, which happened in 1986, according to the scientific/technical results of ¹³⁷Ce contamination as discussed in this paper. The development of the affected territories is indispensable. The discussion of all environmental and ecological proposals, including ecological education, should take place in Environment / security meeting in Italy and the EU.

Acknowledgements
Authors would like to thank “Procura di Aosta” and a lawyer, Adolfo Dujany; Prof. A. Giarrusso, Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and Medicine Faculty (Catholic University of Rome);  Dr. Leonardo GENTILE (Genoa, Jewish  Community); missioners of Mormon Church in Genoa (Italy).

References:

1. Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers, with a foreword by Alvin Toffler, “Order out of Chaos. Man’s new dialogue with nature”; Bantam Books, Toronto-New York-London-Sydney, 1984, page 77.
2. H. Weyl, Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1949.
3. Elder M. Russell Ballard „Leaning the Lessons of the past“, „The church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints: Liahoma, Vol. 33 No 5,Salt Lake City (USA) may 2009, p.32.
4. Pavel Zamostian “Studien zur interdisziplinären Deutschland- und Europaforschulang; New Europe: Transformation and Environmental Issues“, Lit Verlag, 1998-2000; Transaction publishers, pages  231-239.
5. Luglio-agosto 2009/La nuova ecologia, page 5.
6. Nello Trocchia, “La nuova ecologia”, ottobre 2009, pages 28-30.
7. “Chernobyl. La fine del sogno nucleare”, a cura “Observer”,  Mondatori, Milan, Italy (1986).
8. Prof.  Academician V.G. Bariachtar,  “Chernobyl catastrophe”, Editor Ukraine Academy of Sciences, “Naukova dumka” , Kiev, the Ukraine/exURSS (1996).
9.  National report of Ukraine : “Ten years after the accident at the Chernobyl NPP”, Minchernobyl, Kiev, the Ukraine/ex URSS (1996).
10. “International basic safety standards for protection against ionization radiation and for the safety of radiation sources” , Viena,  IAEA (1994).
11. L. N. Belobrzeckaja Costa, G. Delucchi, C. Pronzatti, A.B.  Gil’man, M. Fumagalli, S. Delucchi, “The security of the function of the Chernobyl AEP is required“ & “La sicurezza degli AEP può essere un’importante fonte di energia: indispensabile la sicurezza delle funzioni dell’AEP di Chernobyl”, Convegno, Genova, 6 Luglio 2004.  
12. idem in ref. [4], page 231.
13. Mario Pavan, « Ethics and environment in the changing Europe », “Studien zur interdisziplinären Deutschland-und Europaforschulang; New Europe: Transformation and Environmental Issues“, Lit Verlag, 1998-2000; Transaction publishers, page 28.
14. Prof. Belobrzeckaja-Costa (Kosta) Larisa Nikolaevna, Patent No 2152097:N. D. Shchigolev, O. M. Golubev; RAS (copies in Italian language at the Academies of Sciences Lincei/XL in Rome).
15. Pod (Individual) for gas radioactive determination Catt. Latt. Rome (2008)-- --
16. Economy of Ukraine in 1992, Eyiv, Iinstat of Ukraine, 1993.
17. L. N. Belobrzeckaja, M. Fumagalli, G. De Lucchi, O. N. Novikov, V. Syromyatnikov, International Conference “20 years after Chernobyl: strategy for recovery and sustainable development of the affected regions”, Minsk-Gomel, Belarus, 2006, p.5.

Keywords: radioactive wood pellets, AEP Chernobyl incident, ¹³⁷Cesium, radioactivity, MCu, becquerels environment, Procura di Aosta

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