Activities of Pu radionuclides and 241Am in soil samples from an alpine pasture in Romania

Activity concentrations of Pu radioisotopes and ²⁴¹Am were determined in the organic and mineral layers of four soil sections collected in 1996, providing for the first time information on the levels of these radionuclides in soil samples from Romania. The investigated site was an alpine pasture located in the Charpathian Mountains, in an area found as one of the most affected in Romania after the Chernobyl accident. In the examined soil sections radioactive inventories were estimated to be 500 Bq/m² for ²⁴¹Pu, 115 Bq/m² for ^239+240Pu, 8 Bq/m² for ²³⁸Pu and 50 Bq/m² for ²⁴¹Am. On the basis of activity ratios in the soil profile, the source of the radioactive release is discussed.