Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Autoren

  • Brigitte Schmidt
  • Felix Kegler
  • Georg Steinhauser
  • Ihor Chyzhevskyi
  • Sergiy Dubchak
  • Caroline Ivesic
  • Marianne Koller-Peroutka
  • Aicha Laarouchi
  • Wolfram Adlassnig

Externe Organisationen

  • Universität Wien
  • Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
  • Technische Universität Wien (TUW)
  • State Specialized Enterprise Ecocentre (SSE ECOCENTRE)
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Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer218
FachzeitschriftToxics
Jahrgang11
Ausgabenummer3
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 25 Feb. 2023

Abstract

The “Chernobyl nuclear disaster” released huge amounts of radionuclides, which are still detectable in plants and sediments today. Bryophytes (mosses) are primitive land plants lacking roots and protective cuticles and therefore readily accumulate multiple contaminants, including metals and radionuclides. This study quantifies 137Cs and 241Am in moss samples from the cooling pond of the power plant, the surrounding woodland and the city of Prypiat. Activity concentrations of up to 297 Bq/g (137Cs) and 0.43 Bq/g (241Am) were found. 137Cs contents were significantly higher at the cooling pond, where 241Am was not detectable. Distance to the damaged reactor, amount of original fallout, presence of vascular tissue in the stem or taxonomy were of little importance. Mosses seem to absorb radionuclides rather indiscriminately, if available. More than 30 years after the disaster, 137Cs was washed out from the very top layer of the soil, where it is no more accessible for rootless mosses but possibly for higher plants. On the other hand, 137Cs still remains solved and accessible in the cooling pond. However, 241Am remained adsorbed to the topsoil, thus accessible to terrestrial mosses, but precipitated in the sapropel of the cooling pond.

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Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. / Schmidt, Brigitte; Kegler, Felix; Steinhauser, Georg et al.
in: Toxics, Jahrgang 11, Nr. 3, 218, 25.02.2023.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Schmidt, B, Kegler, F, Steinhauser, G, Chyzhevskyi, I, Dubchak, S, Ivesic, C, Koller-Peroutka, M, Laarouchi, A & Adlassnig, W 2023, 'Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone', Toxics, Jg. 11, Nr. 3, 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030218
Schmidt, B., Kegler, F., Steinhauser, G., Chyzhevskyi, I., Dubchak, S., Ivesic, C., Koller-Peroutka, M., Laarouchi, A., & Adlassnig, W. (2023). Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Toxics, 11(3), Artikel 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030218
Schmidt B, Kegler F, Steinhauser G, Chyzhevskyi I, Dubchak S, Ivesic C et al. Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Toxics. 2023 Feb 25;11(3):218. doi: 10.3390/toxics11030218
Schmidt, Brigitte ; Kegler, Felix ; Steinhauser, Georg et al. / Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. in: Toxics. 2023 ; Jahrgang 11, Nr. 3.
Download
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T1 - Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

AU - Schmidt, Brigitte

AU - Kegler, Felix

AU - Steinhauser, Georg

AU - Chyzhevskyi, Ihor

AU - Dubchak, Sergiy

AU - Ivesic, Caroline

AU - Koller-Peroutka, Marianne

AU - Laarouchi, Aicha

AU - Adlassnig, Wolfram

N1 - Funding Information: Funding was provided by the Joachim Lenz Foundation directly to Georg Steinhauser and Sergiy Dubchak. Open Access Funding by the University of Vienna.

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Y1 - 2023/2/25

N2 - The “Chernobyl nuclear disaster” released huge amounts of radionuclides, which are still detectable in plants and sediments today. Bryophytes (mosses) are primitive land plants lacking roots and protective cuticles and therefore readily accumulate multiple contaminants, including metals and radionuclides. This study quantifies 137Cs and 241Am in moss samples from the cooling pond of the power plant, the surrounding woodland and the city of Prypiat. Activity concentrations of up to 297 Bq/g (137Cs) and 0.43 Bq/g (241Am) were found. 137Cs contents were significantly higher at the cooling pond, where 241Am was not detectable. Distance to the damaged reactor, amount of original fallout, presence of vascular tissue in the stem or taxonomy were of little importance. Mosses seem to absorb radionuclides rather indiscriminately, if available. More than 30 years after the disaster, 137Cs was washed out from the very top layer of the soil, where it is no more accessible for rootless mosses but possibly for higher plants. On the other hand, 137Cs still remains solved and accessible in the cooling pond. However, 241Am remained adsorbed to the topsoil, thus accessible to terrestrial mosses, but precipitated in the sapropel of the cooling pond.

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