Effective and environmental half-lives of radiocesium in game from Poland

Oloś, Grzegorz; Dołhańczuk-Śródka, Agnieszka

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106870

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The highest caesium-137 concentrations obtained were recorded for wild boar. The results of our study pertaining to game were generally consistent with those of Oloś and Dołhańchuk-Śródka ( 15 , 16 ), while activities above the permissible limit of 1,250 Bq/kg were found among wild game samples only in our study. The boar sample tested in which a value of 4,136.8 ± 238 Bq/kg was recorded is evidence of there being sites in Poland that are quite heavily contaminated with caesium-137, as are also described in the literature ( 10 , 20 , 29 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Because of wet deposition in the first days after the accident, 137 Cs flowed with rainwater from leaves to the surface of the soil litter ( 21 ). Literature data indicate that in this way radioactive caesium-137 entered the soil-plant-carnivore chain ( 5 , 15 , 16 , 22 ). The vast majority of caesium-137 accumulates in the topsoil, which is rich in organic and mineral compounds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Levels of caesium-137 in food of animal origin in Poland

Gembal,

Czerski,

Milczarczyk

et al. 2023

Journal of Veterinary Research

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Introduction Radioactive contamination of the environment is one of the greatest threats after a nuclear accident due to released radionuclides. From a radiotoxicological point of view, the most important radionuclide is caesium-137. Formed mainly during nuclear explosions, caesium-137 can persist in the soil for many years, from where it constantly enters the food chain. One of the elements of ensuring food safety is the monitoring of its radioactive contamination, mainly with radioactive caesium isotopes. The aim of the study was to determine the content of caesium-137 in food of animal origin. Material and Methods A total of 1,416 muscle samples from cattle, sheep, pigs, game and fish, as well as chicken eggs and dairy products were examined using gamma-ray spectrometry. Results Caesium-137 activities ranged from below the minimum detectable activity concentration (MDC) to over 4,000 Bq/kg wet weight (w.w.). Most often, the values did not exceed the MDC or were in a range below 100 Bq/kg. The exception was the muscle tissue of game animals, especially wild boar, where a significant activity of caesium-137 was recorded, the highest of which was 4,136.8 ± 238 Bq/kg w.w. Committed effective doses determined for each matrix ranged from 0.01 to 0.83 µSv/kg, with the highest value determined for wild boar. Conclusion The calculated exposure doses with values well below the accepted low radiation dose (100 mSv) did not indicate any significant amounts of ionising radiation from the food consumed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Levels of caesium-137 in food of animal origin in Poland

Gembal,

Czerski,

Milczarczyk

et al. 2023

Journal of Veterinary Research

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“…As a potent accumulator of 137 Cs, , regional wild boars (Sus scrofa) were subsequently contaminated, and the 137 Cs activity concentrations in their meat exceeded the regulatory limit by approximately 1–2 orders of magnitude. However, unlike most forest species, which initially also exhibited high 137 Cs contamination in their bodies followed by a decline with time (i.e., a short ecological half-life), , 137 Cs levels in wild boars have not shown a significant decline trend since 1986. , In certain locations and instances, the decline in contamination levels is even slower than the physical half-life of 137 Cs . This phenomenon has been termed “wild boar paradox” and is generally attributed to the ingestion of 137 Cs accumulating hypogeous fungi (e.g., deer truffle, Elaphomyces) by wild boars. , Depending on the soil composition, especially clay mineral content, these underground mushrooms are a critical repository of the downward migrating 137 Cs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disproportionately High Contributions of 60 Year Old Weapons-¹³⁷Cs Explain the Persistence of Radioactive Contamination in Bavarian Wild Boars

Stäger,

Zok,

Schiller

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Radionuclides released from nuclear accidents or explosions pose long-term threats to ecosystem health. A prominent example is wild boar contamination in central Europe, which is notorious for its persistently high 137 Cs levels. However, without reliable source identification, the origin of this decades old problem has been uncertain. Here, we target radiocesium contamination in wild boars from Bavaria. Our samples (2019–2021) range from 370 to 15,000 Bq·kg –1 137 Cs, thus exceeding the regulatory limits (600 Bq·kg –1 ) by a factor of up to 25. Using an emerging nuclear forensic fingerprint, 135 Cs/ 137 Cs, we distinguished various radiocesium source legacies in their source composition. All samples exhibit signatures of mixing of Chornobyl and nuclear weapons fallout, with 135 Cs/ 137 Cs ratios ranging from 0.67 to 1.97. Although Chornobyl has been widely believed to be the prime source of 137 Cs in wild boars, we find that “old” 137 Cs from weapons fallout significantly contributes to the total level (10–68%) in those specimens that exceeded the regulatory limit. In some cases, weapons- 137 Cs alone can lead to exceedances of the regulatory limit, especially in samples with a relatively low total 137 Cs level. Our findings demonstrate that the superposition of older and newer legacies of 137 Cs can vastly surpass the impact of any singular yet dominant source and thus highlight the critical role of historical releases of 137 Cs in current environmental pollution challenges.

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“…Thus, the range of values for animals across Europe is extremely wide [ 5 , 8 ]. The contamination was widely spread across Europe and in agreement with other sites showed a slower decline than what could be expected considering the half-life of 137 Cs in wild boar meat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cs is generally found in the top few centimeters of the soil, with different vertical profiles for the different isotopes [ 6 , 7 ]. In the soil environment, it can create bioavailable complexes and be absorbed by plants and mushrooms (secondary reservoirs) in the same way as potassium ions, thus becoming soil-independent sources of radionuclides and prolonging the contamination of sites [ 5 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

137Cesium (137Cs) assessment in wild boars from northwestern Italy

Pattono,

Mannelli,

Dalmasso

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Radionuclide contamination is a serious health issue caused by nuclear experiments and plant accidents, as seen for the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear plants. Italy has been especially interested in northwestern alpine regions, as have several other nations. The aim of this work was to indagate 134Cs and 137Cs contamination in wild boars, which were considered bioindicators sampled in the Chisone/Germanasca Valley and the Pellice Valley districts (Piedmont, Italy) in two hunting seasons (2014 and 2016). In the 2014 season, only the livers of the animals (n = 48) were sampled, whereas in 2016, five different anatomical sampling sites were sampled for each animal (n = 16). The analyses were conducted in an accredited laboratory (Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell’Ambiente–ARPA) by the aid of an HPGe detector (Ortec) with a relative efficiency of 50%. In general, the contamination levels registered in 2014 were under the detection limit for 134Cs and low for 137Cs (Chisone/Germanasca valley: min: 0.0, max: 23.9 median 11.0 Bq/kg vs Pellice valley: min 0, max: 31.7, median: 9.6 Bq/kg) and no health concern can be supposed. In the first-year samples, the liver showed a negative correlation between age and contamination level. In the second year of sampling, low levels were confirmed (min: 3.1 Bq/kg, max: 113.3; median 17.7 Bq/kg). Multiple sampling from the same animal showed that the diaphragm (median = 27.7 Bq/kg) kidney (27.4) and tongue (27.6) were more contaminated than the liver (17.7) and spleen (15.3). Moreover, a linear mixed model revealed a negative organ-by-age interaction, meaning that interorgan differences in contamination level were greater in younger (5–11 months) than in older (18–36 months) animals. Different feeding habits can be the explanation. Our paper shows that muscle sites (diaphragm and tongue) can be useful for radionuclide pollution surveillance in wild boar populations and that younger animals show more interorgan variability in contamination levels than older animals. More investigations are needed to confirm this correlation and to fulfill the request for more data to achieve better risk assessment.

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Effective and environmental half-lives of radiocesium in game from Poland

Cited by 6 publications

References 52 publications

Levels of caesium-137 in food of animal origin in Poland

Levels of caesium-137 in food of animal origin in Poland

Disproportionately High Contributions of 60 Year Old Weapons-¹³⁷Cs Explain the Persistence of Radioactive Contamination in Bavarian Wild Boars

137Cesium (137Cs) assessment in wild boars from northwestern Italy

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Effective and environmental half-lives of radiocesium in game from Poland

Cited by 6 publications

References 52 publications

Levels of caesium-137 in food of animal origin in Poland

Levels of caesium-137 in food of animal origin in Poland

Disproportionately High Contributions of 60 Year Old Weapons-137Cs Explain the Persistence of Radioactive Contamination in Bavarian Wild Boars

137Cesium (137Cs) assessment in wild boars from northwestern Italy

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Disproportionately High Contributions of 60 Year Old Weapons-¹³⁷Cs Explain the Persistence of Radioactive Contamination in Bavarian Wild Boars