Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

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

Organisationseinheit(en)
Institut für Radioökologie und Strahlenschutz
Externe Organisation(en)
Universität Wien
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Technische Universität Wien (TUW)
State Specialized Enterprise Ecocentre (SSE ECOCENTRE)
Typ
Artikel
Journal
Toxics
Band
11
Publikationsdatum
25.02.2023
Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Toxikologie, Gesundheit, Toxikologie und Mutagenese, Chemischer Arbeitsschutz
Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung
SDG 11 – Nachhaltige Städte und Gemeinschaften
Elektronische Version(en)
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030218 (Zugang: Offen)