Chernobyl radioactivity on the Black Sea coast of Turkey

After the Chernobyl reactor accident, Eastern Black Sea coast was one of the heavily contaminated regions of Turkey. Clouds loaded with radioactive isotopes arrived the region on May 1986 and emptied their contents with the heavy rains that are frequently seen in the region. In order to asses the current level of contamination, several different samples, moss, lichen, litter, surface soil and soil cores were collected on August 1994. Samples were brought to the laboratory and their moisture, pH and organic matter contents were determined. Gamma-ray spectra of the samples were collected with a HpGe detector. (137)Cs was the major isotope observed. Activity of most litter samples were below 1000 Bq/kg, while most of the moss samples had activities below 5000 Bq/kg, there were a few with higher (137)Cs activities. Surface soil samples generally had activities less than 2000 Bq/kg and depth profiles of cesium activities in the soil cores showed regional variations.     

The spatial distribution of cesium-137 in surface soils in the Gran Sabana and Sierra de Pacarima (Venezuela)

More than fifty surface (2-10 cm) soil samples were collected in the Gran Sabana and Sierra de Pacarima, State of Bolivar (Venezuela) and analyzed for their ¹³⁷Cs activity. The measurements were performed by high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry employing a hyperpure germanium detector with an energy resolution of about 1.8 keV for the 1.33 MeV line of ⁶⁰Co and a counting efficiency greater than 25%. About 500 ml portions of dried soil samples with less than 85 mm particle size were counted for 20,000 seconds and the data were collected, stored and analyzed with an IBM-compatible computer. The concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in most samples were below the detection limit of 1.2 Bq/kg, but many of these soil samples could have been disturbed not only by man but the nature itself, for example, by the large amount of rainfall in the wet season. Only 15% of the soil samples were determined to have values equal or greater than 2 Bq/kg and only two of these were greater than 10 Bq/kg. The study area was divided into five zones, which had different environmental characteristics: climate, annual average rainfall, temperature ranges, elevations (m.a.s.l.), soil types and vegetation. Finally, it was concluded that the high ¹³⁷Cs activities could be associated with the areas of higher annual rainfall and with very humid pre-mountainous climate rather than with humid tropical climate. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

238Pu, 239+240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr and 137Cs in mountain soil samples from the Tatra National Park (Poland)

Activity concentrations and inventory for ²³⁸Pu, ^239+240Pu, ²⁴¹Am, ⁹⁰Sr, and ¹³⁷Cs in soil from Tatra Mountains of Poland are presented. Soil samples were collected using 10 cm diameter cores down to 10 cm and sliced into 3 slices. Details of the applied procedure are described with the quality assurance program. The maximum activity concentrations found for various samples were: 1782±13 Bq/kg, 17.4±0.9 Bq/kg, 3.4±0.3 Bq/kg and 84±7 Bq/kg for ¹³⁷Cs, ^239+240Pu, ²⁴¹Am and ⁹⁰Sr, respectively. The maximum cumulated deposition of ^239+240Pu is 201±8 Bq/m². The origin of radionuclides is discussed, based mostly on the observed isotopic ratio of Pu. Significant correlations were found between ^239+240Pu, ²⁴¹Am and ¹³⁷Cs. The effective vertical migration rate seems to be in the order of: ⁹⁰Sr≫Pu>Am>Cs.     

The effect of the tropical cloud (fog) forest on the spatial distribution of cesium-137 in soils in the Henri Pittier National Park (Edo. Aragua, Venezuela)

Soils were collected at different elevations (m.a.s.l.) near the two roadways, that pass through the Henri Pittier National Park (Edo. Aragua, Venezuela) in order to determine the distribution of the concentrations of the ¹³⁷Cs fallout and its relation to the tropical cloud forest. Duplicate samples were taken at most elevations between 2–5 cm below the soil surface to confirm that the samples were representative of the area. In many cases, it was difficult or impossible to locate areas that were undisturbed by man or nature. The ¹³⁷Cs (Bq/kg) content was determined by conventional high resolution gamma ray spectroscopy employing a standard comparison method. The background of the ¹³⁷Cs fallout in soils, below the cloud (fog) baseline was calculated to be about 5 Bq/kg on both the south (land) side and north (ocean) side for both roadways. The concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs (Bq/kg) were between 2–3 times higher at the baseline of the cloud (fog) on both sides of the mountain range. The ¹³⁷Cs values at the highest elevations (1105 and 1625 m.a.s.l.) near the roadways were about 5–6 times higher than the determined background levels. Our estimates of the baseline of the cloud (fog) are in good agreement with other visual observations. Finally, we have concluded that the distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in soils in cloud forests can be employed to estimate the baseline and the concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs fallout can be related to the relative density of the cloud (fog) when it was deposited.     

Transfer of 137Cs and stable Cs in soil-grass-milk pathway in Aomori, Japan

The soil-to-grass transfer factors and grass-to-milk transfer coefficients were determined for ¹³⁷Cs and stable Cs in soil, grass and milk samples collected in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil and grass samples collected from 25 sampling sites were 13±12 Bq.kg^-1 and 2.0±2.1 Bq.kg^-1 dry wt., respectively. The geometric mean of soil-to-grass transfer factor of ¹³⁷Cs was 0.13 and its 95% confidence interval was 0.017-0.98. The transfer factor of ¹³⁷Cs was higher than that of stable Cs, and they had a positive correlation. The concentration of K in the soil affected both transfer factors. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in milk samples collected from 16 sites was 76±43 mBq.kg^-1 fresh wt. and had a good correlation with that of stable Cs. The geometric mean of grass-to-milk transfer coefficient of ¹³⁷Cs was 0.0027, assuming that a cow's total daily intake was 20 kg of dry grass. The transfer coefficient of ¹³⁷Cs was positively correlated with that of stable Cs.     

Radioactivity of plutonium isotopes, <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs and their ratio in sediment,seawater and biota from the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia

This study with sampling expeditions of marine sediment, seawater and biota were performed at 30 stations within Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). A total of >400 samples were collected to determine the activity concentration of anthropogenic radionuclides (^239+240Pu, ¹³⁷Cs) and their activity ratio (^239+240Pu/¹³⁷Cs) in sediments, seawater and biota. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration levels for these radionuclides and to evaluate any occurrence of radioactive contamination. Sediment cores were obtained using multicorer device, while water samples via co-precipitation techniques and biota was purchased from local fishermen. The activity concentrations of ^239+240Pu in sediment, seawater and biota were ranged 0.21–0.45 Bq/kg dry wt., 2.33–7.95 mBq/m³ and <0.008 Bq/kg fresh wt., respectively. Meanwhile, the values of ¹³⁷Cs were ranged <1.00–2.71 Bq/kg dry wt. in sediment, 3.40–5.89 Bq/m³ in seawater and <0.05–0.41 Bq/kg fresh wt. in biota, respectively. Activity ratios of ^239+240Pu to ¹³⁷Cs obtained seem to confirm that these artificial radioactivities were mainly due to global nuclear fallout.     

Radioactive Contamination of Lichens and Mosses Collected in South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula

Samples belonging to two species of lichen and one of moss collected on the Antarctic seashore (King George Island, Deception, Antarctic Peninsula) were analysed for gamma-emitters using HPGe gamma-spectrometry, and for alpha-emitters using alpha-spectrometry with silicon detectors. Observed ¹³⁷Cs activities show large variations: from 4.1±0.4 to 74±3 Bq/kg. Total activity of ²¹⁰Pb changed from <2 to 125±35 Bq/kg. The ^2391240Pu activity ranged from 0.07±0.02 to 2.95±0.16 Bq/kg. The activity of ²³⁸Pu ranged from <0.02 to 0.64±0.04 Bq/kg. Maximum ²³⁸U and ²³⁴U activity was 7 Bq/kg, respectively, and 0.3 Bq/kg for ²³⁵U, whereas minimum activities were below 0.5 Bq/kg for ²³⁴U and ²³⁸U and about 0.02 Bq/kg for ²³⁵U. The ²³⁵U to ²³⁸U activity ratio for most of the samples was natural. Thorium activities were about two times lower than those for uranium. The activities of ¹⁴⁷Sm ranged from 0.014±0.002 to 1.0±0.2 Bq/kg. One sample had relatively high activity of ²⁴¹Am: 3.38±0.11 Bq/kg, another did not exceeded 1 Bq/kg. Observed activity ratios confirmed differences between mosses and lichen accumulation properties for radionuclides. Lichens are more selective for plutonium accumulation. Some radiocesium and probably also americium can be leached from them.     

Concentrations of 137Cs and 40K in wild mushrooms collected in a forest on Noto Peninsula,Japan

A variety of wild mushrooms were collected in a forest on the Noto Peninsula, Japan, to determine the concentration of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K. The wild mushroom species belong to the orders Agaricales and Aphyllophorales. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs varied widely (1.4–4,100 Bq/kg dry weight) in mushrooms growing in soil. On the contrary, ¹³⁷Cs concentration levels were relatively low (1.9–20 Bq/kg-dry weight) in mushrooms growing on wood. The concentration of ⁴⁰K varied widely (12–2,400 Bq/kg-dry weight) in contrast with several previous reports that suggest relatively constant ⁴⁰K levels in mushrooms. Unusually low concentrations of ⁴⁰K were observed in a few mushroom species that had very hard fruiting bodies with peculiar shapes. The mean and median of ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the present study were similar to those previously reported for Japanese mushrooms. Among the Agaricales mushrooms, Entolomataceae and Tricholomataceae families growing in soil had the highest concentration of ¹³⁷Cs. Among the Aphyllophorales mushrooms, Gomphaceae and Ramariaceae families growing in soil also had the highest ¹³⁷Cs concentrations. The concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and stable Cs in mushroom samples were positively correlated. The concentration ratio of ¹³⁷Cs/Cs differed between Agaricales and Aphyllophorales mushrooms. The average ¹³⁷Cs/Cs ratio in mushrooms growing in soil was similar to that calculated for the top soil (<5 cm deep) alone because the mycelia of the mushrooms were mainly distributed near the surface of the soil.     

Accumulation of137Cs by mushrooms from Rogozno area of Poland over the period 1984–1988

The concentration of naturally occurring⁴⁰K and¹³⁷Cs from fallout were determined in various mushrooms as well as in a few samples of forest soil from the same region over the period of 1984–1988. The¹³⁷Cs content in mushrooms before the reactor accident at Chernobyl was generally below 500 Bq kg⁻¹ dry matter, except Paxillus involutus /2700 Bq kg⁻¹/. A remarkable increase of the¹³⁷Cs activity /up to ten times/ was observed in 1986. For almost all examined species this activity remained basically at the same level for the next two years. No correlation between⁴⁰K and¹³⁷Cs in mushrooms has been found.     

Correlation of natural and artificial radionuclides in soils with pedological,climatological and geographic parameters

Various types of soil samples were collected in the southern part of Brazil, with depth intervals of 5 cm, down to 50 cm, using a specially designed sampler. Pedological analysis of these soils were performed. Nuclear activities of¹³⁷Cs (expressed in Bq m^–2) and radioactive natural element (²²⁶Ra,²²⁸Ra and⁴⁰K) concentrations were determined by low background gamma-ray spectrometry.¹³⁷Cs concentrations were correlated with radioactive natural element concentrations and pedological, climatological and geographic parameters related to the soil samples collected.     

Current radioactivity content of wild edible mushrooms: A candidate for an environmental reference material

The paper presents the results of radiological investigation of several mushroom samples collected in the fall of 2004 in different parts of Europe. The work was performed in order to support decision making to develop and produce a certified reference material for quality assurance of radionuclide measurements in environmental samples. The levels of ¹³⁷Cs in mushrooms varied widely ranging from 0.6 to 4300 Bq/kg on dry mass basis, while those of natural ⁴⁰K were relatively constant. In one sample ⁶⁰Co of unknown origin was detected (25±2 Bq/kg dry mass), while ⁹⁰Sr concentrations were usually below the detection limit (<150 mBq/kg dry mass).     

The study on radioactive contamination in foodstuffs imported from Japan after the Fukushima accident

During the Fukushima nuclear accident, a large number of radionuclides were released, causing direct radioactive contamination to the environment and the ecosystem, and eventually indirect contamination to the foodstuffs. The Radiation Monitoring Group, Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been monitoring the foodstuffs imported from Japan, especially the Fukushima and nearby areas. This monitoring program covered the potentially contaminated foodstuffs. The measurements were mainly conducted using Gamma spectroscopy systems in order to analyze the radioactive concentration of ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹³⁷Cs fission products. From 442 samples collected between after the nuclear accident to the end of September 2012, 28 of contaminated food products of fission isotopes have been found with the contamination ranges of 0.63–15.25 Bq/kg fresh, 1.45–44.70 Bq/kg fresh, and 0.45–51.10 Bq/kg fresh) for ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹³⁷Cs, respectively. However, the contamination levels are still well under the Thailand standard of food contaminated with radionuclide and the relevant international standards. Finally, the research also investigated the relationship between the times the samples were collected and the contamination levels.     

Radioactivity levels in soil of three selected sites at and around Riyadh City

In this work the naturally occurring as well as some man-made radionuclidesin soil samples have been experimentally determined to establish the backgroundradioactivity levels in three selected sites at and around Riyadh City. Concentrationsof ²³⁸U and ²³²Th radionuclides together with theirdaughter ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁷Csin soil samples, collected from different locations in the selected siteshave been measured using a hyper-pure high-resolution germanium spectrometer.The obtained concentrations of the studied radionuclides in soil in the selectedsites are presented in tabular form in Bq/kg.     

Cs, Am and Pu isotopes as tracers of sedimentation processes in the Curonian Lagoon–Baltic Sea system

¹³⁷Cs, ²⁴¹Am and Pu isotopes were analyzed in seawater, bottom sediments (BS) and suspended particulate matter samples collected in the Baltic Sea during 1997–2011. The particle size distribution and sequential extraction studies were carried out with the aim to better understand the association of radionuclides with particles and their bonding patterns in the BS. δ¹³C_org was applied for identification of sources of organic matter in the studied area. It has been found that massic activities of ¹³⁷Cs in BS varied from 2.1 to 588 Bq/kg. High correlation of ¹³⁷Cs massic activities with total organic carbon (TOC) in BS (r = 0.75) and with clay minerals (r = 0.95) was found. ^239,240Pu massic activities in BS varied from 0.03 to 7.5 Bq/kg. High correlation with TOC was found for ^239,240Pu (R = 0.98) as well as for ²⁴¹Am (r = 0.96). δ¹³C_org in the studied samples ranged from ?22.3 to ?31.8 ‰.     

Monitoring the environmental contamination of Kara Sea and shallow bays of Novaya Zemlya

The distribution of ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu in various ecosystems of the Kara Sea as well as speciation of these radionuclides has been studied to assess their potential mobility. In bottom sediment and seawater samples collected in Abrosimov, Tsivolky, Stepovoy, and Sedov Bays and on the coast of Novaya Zemlya, the content of anthropogenic radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu does not exceed the values typical of the offshore zone in the Kara Sea (in sea water: 1.0–3.7 Bq/m³ for ¹³⁷Cs and 50–90 mBq/m³ for ^239,240Pu; in bottom sediments: 0.5–18.3 Bq/kg for ¹³⁷Cs and 4.3–7.3 Bq/kg for ^239,240Pu). The present monitoring study is important for the development of a long-term forecast for the dynamics of environmental contamination in the shallow bays of Novaya Zemlya.     

The ambient gamma dose-rate and the inventory of fission products estimations with the soil samples collected at Canadian embassy in Tokyo during Fukushima nuclear accident

In this study, soil samples were collected at Canadian embassy in Tokyo (about 300 km from Fukushima) on 23 March and 23 May of 2011 for purposes of estimating concentrations of radionuclides in fallout, the total fallout inventory, the depth distribution of radionuclide of interest and the elevated ambient gamma dose-rate at this limited location. Some fission products and actinides were analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry, alpha spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting. The elevated activity concentration levels of ¹³¹I, ¹³²I, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁶Cs, ¹³²Te, ¹²⁹mTe, ¹²⁹Te, ¹⁴⁰Ba and ¹⁴⁰La were measured by the gamma-ray spectrometer in the first sample collected on 23 March. Two months after the accident, the ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs became only detectable nuclides. A mass relaxation depth of 3.0 g/cm² was determined by the activities on the depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in a soil core. The total fallout inventory was thus calculated as 225 kBq/m² on March sampling date and 25 kBq/m² on May sampling date. The ambient gamma dose-rates in the sampling area estimated by the fallout fission products inventory and ¹³⁷Cs depth distribution ranged from 184 to 38 nGy/h. There was no detectable americium or plutonium in the soil samples by alpha spectrometry. Although ⁹⁰Sr or ⁸⁹Sr were detected supposedly as a result of this accident, it was less than the detection limit, which was about 0.4 Bq/kg in the soil samples.     

Determination of 137Cs in Soil Samples by Low-Level Compton Suppression Gamma-Counting

We have used Compton suppression gamma ray counting to effectively measure ¹³⁷Cs in undisturbed environmental samples weighing only one hundred grams of material. Our results have shown that Compton suppression is ideal in determining low levels (1–3 Bq/kg) of ¹³⁷Cs in soil samples, while the Compton advantage is negligible for higher concentrations. Quality assurance and quality control experiments show that for samples weighing 100–200 grams, gamma-ray attenuation is significant (up to 10% difference) when analyzing different soil compositions.     

Concentration of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs in seawater surrounding East Malaysia

Studies of ¹³⁷Cs distribution in East Malaysia were carried out as part of a marine coastal environment project. The results of measurements will serve as baseline data and background reference level for Malaysia coastline. Twenty-one locations were identified along the coastline of East Malaysia, and from each location water samples were collected at the surface of the seawater. Ten near-shore locations were also selected and seawater was collected at three different depths. Large volumes of seawater were collected and the co-precipitation technique was employed to concentrate cesium. A known amount of ¹³⁴Cs tracer was added as yield determinant, followed by addition of copper(II) nitrate salt and a solution of potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) trihydrate, to precipitate the total cesium. The precipitate slurry was oven dried at 60 °C for 1–2 days, finely ground and counted using gamma-ray spectrometry. The activity of ¹³⁷Cs was determined by measuring the peak area under the photopeak of the gamma-spectrum at 661 keV, which is equivalent to gamma-intensity corrected for detection efficiency, percentage of gamma-ray abundance of the radionuclide and recovery of ¹³⁴Cs tracer. There were no significant differences of ¹³⁷Cs activities both in surface and bottom water samples at 95% confidence level. The activity of ¹³⁷Cs (for all samples) was found to be in the range of 1.47 to 3.36 Bq/m³ and 1.69 to 3.32 Bq/m³ for Sabah and Sarawak, respectively.     

A simple correction method for isobaric interferences induced by lead during uranium isotope analysis using secondary ion mass spectrometry

The present study is to determine the activity concentration of radioactive nuclide in plant fertilizers used in agriculture in Iraqi Kurdistan region using high- purity germanium detector (HPGe) gamma spectrometer. The results showed that the range of activity concentrations for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs in chemicals and organic fertilizers are (0.1–134), (0.1–74), (1–12,000) and (0–1) Bq/kg respectively, based on the measured activities that were used to assess the radiological hazards. Radium equivalent activity in some samples exceeds the value (370 Bq/kg) which recommended by the OECD.     

210Pb and 137Cs geochronologies in the Cananeia-Iguape Estuary (Săo Paulo, Brazil)

Sediment cores were collected at the Cananeia-Iguape Estuary and thelevels of ²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra and ¹³⁷Cs were measuredby gamma-ray spectrometry. The total ²¹⁰Pb levels in sedimentsvaried from 13.5 to 122.5 Bq . kg ^—1 , for ²²⁶Raranged from 2.4 to 28 Bq . kg ^—1 and for ¹³⁷Csfrom 0.28 to 6.1 Bq . kg ^—1 . Sedimentation rates were calculatedfrom the slope of the excess ²¹⁰Pb profile in the core. The valuesobtained varied from 5 to 10 mm . y^—1 , depending on thesediment deposition inputs in the local of sampling.