DOSE ESTIMATES OF 137Cs IN BANK VOLES INHABITING RESEARCH SITES WITHIN THE CHORNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE CONSIDERING THE AGE-RELATED DYNAMICS OF CHANGE IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

Methods for dose estimation of Cs-137 in mouse-like rodents, specifically bank voles ( Myodes glareolus), ), commonly found within the research sites in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, are being proposed. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends using the specially developed " BiotaDC " software, but it needs to be adapted to solve specific applied issues. It is shown that the " BiotaDC " approach adequately describes dose accumulation of Cs-137 for external exposure inside nest chambers if the mean integral value of soil activity concentration at a depth of 0.5 m is used, for external exposure above soil - if the mean integral value of soil activity concentration at a depth of 0.2 m is used. However, the authors propose a method considering the age of animals at the time of capture and the age-related dynamics of changes in such parameters as excretion and accumulation of radioisotopes for internal dose estimation using the "BiotaDC" software. . A detailed dose estimation algorithm is being proposed. Dose estimates for internal irradiation according to the authors' method and the method of the International Commission on Radiological Protection are being compared.