engleski

Radionuclides in soil, mosses, and mushroom of the Prašnik rainforest (Croatia)

War in Croatia was fought 23 years ago, when numerous mines were planted in the Prašnik region, having threatened visitors and scientists until recently. During August 2015, we collected 10 topsoil samples, as well as mosses and mushrooms growing on oak trees near soil locations. The aim of the study was to determine whether moss and mushroom communities, and ultimately the forest itself, were possibly affected by roadside and long-range atmospheric emissions related to anthropogenic activities. Since mosses and mushrooms don't have roots and waxy cuticles, they are used as sensitive bioindicators of air quality and environmental health. The results show increasing Cs-137 and Cs-134 activity concentrations, particularly for moss samples whose Cs-134 activity concentrations were 1.0 ± 0.6, and 6 ± 1 Bq/kg. Generally, caesium (Cs-137, and Cs-134), occurs in the biosphere as a result of nuclear explosions as well as nuclear accidents (like the one in Chernobyl in April 1986). Hereby, Cs-134 was detected in all samples, even in mushrooms, below the detection limit though, what is indicative of a certain contamination of the Prašnik study area as a consequence of the global atmospheric contamination following the nuclear accident in Fukushima in March 2011. The impact of the nuclear events in Japan has been seen in the atmosphere throughout the world. Therefore, it has been also detected in Croatia in a form of the additional radioactivity. It is noteworthy that the bioindicators like mosses accumulate that radioactivity. However, our measurements have confirmed that the consequences of this additional radioactivity have fortunately been small in Croatia. Although the detected activity concentrations of Cs-134 were elevated again for the first time following the Chernobyl accident, due to the Fukushima accident, the detected values have not significantly increased the total effective dose of ionising radiation received by either inhabitants of Croatia, or the environment.

Radionuclides; soil; mosses; mushroom; Prašnik rainforest

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