Ядерна фізика та енергетика Nuclear Physics and Atomic Energy   ISSN: 1818-331X (Print), 2074-0565 (Online)   Publisher: Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine   Languages: Ukrainian, English   Periodicity: 4 times per year   Open access peer reviewed journal

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S. Levchuk^*, V. Kashparov, V. Morozova, V. Pavliuchenko

Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

^*Corresponding author. E-mail address: levchuk.s@nubip.edu.ua

Abstract: Transfer factors are key inputs for modelling the transport of radionuclides in the environment and for assessment of risk to humans and wildlife. However, for many combinations of soil conditions, plant species (products), and radionuclides, such information is limited. The use of the transfer factors of stable elements in the absence of information on their radioactive isotopes is quite common. The question of the legality of such an approach arises. For this purpose, work was carried out to establish the relationship between the accumulation coefficients of radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr) and their stable isotopes. The research covered the dominant soil types of the Ukrainian Polissia and the main crops. It is shown that the transfer factors of stable cesium and strontium, calculated from their total content in the soil, are significantly lower than the corresponding coefficients for their radioactive isotopes and cannot be used to estimate the corresponding transfer factors of radioisotopes. The use of such estimates can lead to a significant underestimation of the transfer factors of radionuclides and, accordingly, human exposure doses. In the absence of information on the bioavailability of ⁹⁰Sr, the transfer factors of stable strontium for productive organs of plants, calculated for the exchangeable or acid-soluble fractions of the element in soil, can be used to estimate the corresponding transfer factors of radiostrontium. For a conservative estimate, it is recommended to use the transfer factors of the exchangeable fraction of stable strontium.

Keywords: transfer factor, plants, cesium, strontium.

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