engleski

Dietary items as possible sources of 137cs in wild boar from the forest ecosystem, western Croatia

The mountain forest ecosystem of Gorski Kotar is distant from any significant sources of environmental pollution, though recent findings have revealed that this region is among the most intense radionuclide contaminated area in Croatia. Forests are very complex natural ecosystems where radionuclides persist longer among plants, mushroom and animals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate caesium and potassium load in wild boar muscle tissue and different dietary items approximately a quarter of century after the Chernobyl accident. Radionuclides mass activities were determined by the gamma-spectrometric method in the muscle tissue of 19 wild boar and 61 dietary samples. The average concentration of 137Cs found in wild boar in this study was 25.0 ± 19.6 Bqkg-1 (maximum 58.7 ± 6.22 Bqkg-1), while average concentration of 40K was 113 ± 4.01 Bqkg-1. Estimated effective equivalent dose for wild boar meat was 0.325 µSv and in some cases can represent a risk foodstuff. Activity concentration of 137Cs in 12 soil samples from the Gorski Kotar region varied between 19 Bqkg-1 and 346 Bqkg-1, with a mean value of 109 Bqkg-1. The most important source of radionuclides for the higher parts of the food-chain from the study area were found to be the mushroom species wood hedgehog (Hydnum repandum), with a transfer factor TF of 5.166, and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) as a plant species (TF = 2.096). Food items of animal origin, especially ants (larvae and mature animals) had a slightly higher mean caesium mass activity of 24.1 Bqkg-1 and therefore are possible moderate bioindicators of environmental pollution. The results also revealed that possible unknown wild animal food sources are a caesium source in the study region, and further study is required to illuminate this issue.

Sus scrofa; radionuclides; mountain forest ecosystem; environment pollution

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