Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 218 |
| Journal | Toxics |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 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.
Keywords
- americium, bryophytes, cesium, fallout, mosses, radioactivity, strontium
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics(all)
- Toxicology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
- Chemical Engineering(all)
- Chemical Health and Safety
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Toxics, Vol. 11, No. 3, 218, 25.02.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
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.
PY - 2023/2/25
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.
AB - 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.
KW - americium
KW - bryophytes
KW - cesium
KW - fallout
KW - mosses
KW - radioactivity
KW - strontium
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151126288&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/toxics11030218
DO - 10.3390/toxics11030218
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85151126288
VL - 11
JO - Toxics
JF - Toxics
IS - 3
M1 - 218
ER -