Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

authored by: 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.
Organisation(s): Centre for Radiation Protection and Radioecology
External Organisation(s): University of Vienna
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
TU Wien (TUW)
State Specialized Enterprise Ecocentre (SSE ECOCENTRE)
Type: Article
Journal: Toxics
Volume: 11
Publication date: 25.02.2023
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Toxicology, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Chemical Health and Safety
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030218 (Access: Open)