Concentration of fallout Cesium-137 in soils of the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15392/bjrs.v4i2.236Keywords:
Cesium-137, Soil, Radioactivity MappingAbstract
The distribution of fallout 137Cs in soil samples of the Rio de Janeiro State was investigated. Two-hundred sixty-two samples of soil were analyzed for 137Cs by gamma spectrometry. A reference data set was built containing thirty-six detected values (14%) and two hundred twenty-six (86%) multiple detection limits of non-detected observations. Distribution pattern of the radionuclide, as well their controlling factors were evaluated based on statistical methods for censored data set (with non-detected observations). The mean of concentration values of thirty-six detected observations was 1.25 Bq.kg-1, while for the censored data sets the mean value was 0.51 Bq.kg-1. The references values for the Rio de Janeiro State were estimated as 1.44 Bq.kg-1 (75th) and 1.78 Bq.kg-1 (90Th) (considering the year of 2015). 137Cs concentrations tend to be higher in soils with high levels of organic matter and clay and locations with high levels of these parameters would provide higher Cs fixation. No influence of the rainfall index and soil pH on the Cs content in soil was observed. The data and information gathered in this study provide valuable information for decision making purposes in case of soil contamination.
Downloads
References
UNSCEAR – United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Ionizing Radiation: Sources and Biological Effects: 1982 Report to the General Assembly. New York: UN, 1982, 727p.
ZAPATA, F. Handbook for the assessment of soil erosion and sedimentation using environmental radionuclides. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002.
RITCHIE, J. C.; HENRY, J. R. Application of radioactive fallout caesium-137 for measuring soil erosion and sediment accumulation rates and patterns: a review. Journal of Environmental Quality, v. 19, p. 215-233, 1990.
DURRANCE, E. M.. Radioactivity in geology: principles and application. Chichester: Ellis Horwood Ltd., 1986.
ANSPAUGH, L. R.; SIMON; S. L.; GORDEEV; K. I.; LIKHTAREV; I. A.; MAXWELL; R. M.; SHINKAREV; S. M. Movement of radionuclides in terrestrial ecosystems by physical processes. Health Physics, v. 82, p. 669 – 679, 2002.
BECK, H. L. Environmental gamma radiation from deposited fission products 1960-1964. Health Physics, v. 12, p. 313-322, 1966.
RITCHIE, J. C.; MCHENRY, J. R.; GILL, A. C.; HAWKS, P. H., 1970. The use of fallout cesium-137 as a tracer of sediment movement and deposition. p. 149-162. In: Proc. Miss. Water Resour. Conf., Jackson, MS. 15 April. Mississippi Water Resources Institute, Mississippi State, USA.
RITCHIE, J. C.; MCHENRY, J. R.; GILL, A. C.; HAWKS, P. H. Fallout 137Cs in reservoir sediment. Health Physics, v. 22, p. 97-98, 1972.
CLINE, J. F.; RICKARD, W. H. Radioactive strontium and cesium in cultivated and abandoned field plots. Health Physics, v. 23, p. 317-324, 1972.
RITCHIE, J. C.; MCHENRY, J. R. Vertical distribution of fallout cesium-137 in cultivated soils. Radiat. Data Rep. v. 14, p. 727- 728, 1973.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Licensing: The BJRS articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
How to Cite
