Cycling of $sup 137$Cs in soil and vegetation of a flood plain 30 years after initial contamination Page: 2 of 30
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(plant/soil ratio 0.05 vs 0.03 by Auerbach et al., 1959). The results
also indicated that ratios were higher at low soil-137Cs concentration.
Thus, when soil and environmental conditions remain unchanged over a
30-year period, the relative concentration of 137Cs between plants and
soil does not appear to change significantly as a function of time.
Introduction
Radiocesium from fallout and from nuclear reactor wastes is an
important contributor to radiation dose when humans are exposed to
anthropogenic radioactivity. Maximum concentrations in foodstuffs
and biota are usually coincident with incipient introduction to eco-
systems (Russell, 1963; Ward et al,, 1966; Porter et al., 1967; Wilson
et al,, 1969); once 137Cs reacts with soil minerals, its availability
to biota decreases substantially (Nishita et al., 1968; Waller and
Olson, 1967). Exceptions, however, have been reported for highly
weathered soils that contain a low abundance of micaceous minerals
(Sharitz et al., 1975; Cummings et al., 1969) and for soils exhibiting
low pH (Evans and Dekker, 1969).
One important question concerns the long-term geochemical fate of
137 Cs. As a result of time-dependent geochemical processes in soil,
will the 137Cs content of biota increase or decrease in the futLre?
Or will the nuclide remain fixed to soil minerals as predicted by
experimental studies (Tamura and Jacobs, 1960; Jacobs, 1960), and as
determined by field observation after 10 to 20 years of 137Cs contact
with lacustrine deposits (Lomenick and Tamura, 1965). Geochemistry
data suggest effective fixation by clay-type minerals (Fairbridge,
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Dahlman, R.C. & Van Voris, P. Cycling of $sup 137$Cs in soil and vegetation of a flood plain 30 years after initial contamination, article, January 1, 1975; Tennessee. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc875145/m1/2/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.