SREL Reprint #2026
Foliar absorption of resuspended 137Cs relative to other pathways of plant contamination
T. G. Hinton1, M. McDonald2, Y. Ivanov3, N. Arkhipov4, and A. Arkhipov4
1Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
2Sandia National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA
3Institute of Agricultural Radiology, Kiev, Ukraine
4Pripyat Research and Industrial Association, Chernobyl, Ukraine
Abstract: The foliar absorption of 137Cs sorbed to suspended soil particles was quantified at two Ukranian locations contaminated by different forms of Chernobyl fallout. Our experimental design, allowed us to separate the pathways of foliar absorption, root uptake, and contamination adhering to plant surfaces. Foliar absorption, root uptake, and the quantity of soil-attached 137Cs adhering to leaves were greater at a loamy sand site contaminated with condensation-type fallout (Polesskoye), than at a sandy site contaminated with fuel-particles (Chistogolavka) (0·7 vs 0·04 kBq kg-1; 20·8 vs 0·9 kBq kg-1; and 3·2 vs 1·1 mBq cm-2, respectively). We found that when 137Cs was very mobile in soils, root uptake grossly dominated all other plant contamination pathways. As the plant/soil concentration ratio decreased, a relative increase in foliar absorption from resuspension occurred, but it was quickly surpassed in importance by soil adhering to plant surfaces. The data suggest that although foliar absorption of 137Cs from suspended soil is measurable, it is inconsequential relative to other plant contamination pathways, and does not need to be considered as a critical pathway in routine radionuclide transport models.
SREL Reprint #2026
Hinton, T.G., M. McDonald, Y. Ivanov, N. Arkhipov, and A. Arkhipov. 1996. Foliar absorption of resuspended 137Cs relative to other pathways of plant contamination. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 30:15-30.
This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).