Radiostrontium transport in plants and phytoremediation

authored by: Dharmendra K. Gupta, Wolfgang Schulz, Georg Steinhauser, Clemens Walther
Abstract: Radiostrontium is a common product of nuclear fission and was emitted into the environment in the course of nuclear weapon tests as well as from nuclear reactor accidents. The release of ⁹⁰Sr and ⁸⁹Sr into the environment can pose health threats due to their characteristics such as high specific activities and easy access in human body due to its chemical analogy to calcium. Radiostrontium enters the human food chain by the consumption of plants grown on sites comprising fission-derived radionuclides. For humans, Sr is not an essential element, but, due to solubility in water and homology with calcium, once interred in the body, it gets deposited in bones and in teeth. This concern has drawn the attention of researchers throughout the globe to develop sustainable treatment processes to remediate soil and water resources. Nowadays, phytoremediation has become a promising approach for the remediation of large extents of toxic heavy metals. Some of the plants have been reported to accumulate Sr inside their biomass but detailed mechanisms at genetic level are still to be uncovered. However, there is inadequate information offered to assess the possibility of this remediation approach. This review highlights phytoremediation approach for Sr and explains in detail the uptake mechanism inside plants.
Organisation(s): Centre for Radiation Protection and Radioecology
Type: Review article
Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Volume: 25
Pages: 29996-30008
No. of pages: 13
ISSN: 0944-1344
Publication date: 10.2018
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Pollution, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Environmental Chemistry
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3088-6 (Access: Closed)