engleski

Honey-dew honey as a long term indicator of 137^Cs pollution

Deposited caesium penetrates from the soil surface very slowly into deeper layers but, as well as the other radionuclides that behave like cations, it can be moved upward by plant"s uptake. 137Cs activity measurements in different honey types were used to determine the indicator capability of the specific plant, and to follow the behaviour and the fate of caesium in the environment. Caesium activity in various types of honey-dew honey collected in Austria, Germany and Slovenia indicate caesium fallout peaks, but the significant decrement of 137Cs content has not been observed relatively long time after fallout peaks from weapon testing and Chernobyl. Significant differences in activity and long-term behaviour of 137Cs were found between nectar honey and honey-dew honey samples collected in Croatia. Relatively high 137Cs activities found in honey-dew honey long time after caesium contamination peaks, more than tenfold higher than in nectar honey from the respective years, suggest than honey-dew honey could be used as the indicator of 137Cs pollution. Meanwhile, honey-dew honey is probably one of the best random samples, which is representative for the broader area covered by coniferous forests. Caesium activity measurements in distinctive parts of the long-live plant (spruce-tree and fir-tree) grooved after 1986 show relatively high caesium mobility long time after contamination in tree branches and needles. It seems that spruce and fir, their youngest branches and needles especially, could be used as indicators of caesium pollution also.

honey-dew honey ; indicator ; 137-Cs ; fir ; spruce ; soil

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