The kinetics of 90Sr: genotypic determining

The genotypic component of the variability (intrafamily correlation) of body mass, mass of thigh-bones and concentration of 90Sr in bone tissue were evaluated in the progeny of the laboratory mice of CBA line which were in the conditions of normal or slow development of skeleton since their birthday and which got a single injection of 90Sr in the late ontogenesis. The evaluation was made with the control of the effects of sex and age membership of animals and also taking into account the conditions of their development. Significant intrafamily correlation of the concentration of 90Sr was revealed. It can be compared with the morphological signs, which are the evidence of existence of genotypic determinacy of the kinetics of 90Sr.     

Soil-to-grain transfer of fallout 90Sr for 28 winter wheat cultivars

In order to identify wheat cultivars with minimum soil-to-grain transfer of fallout ⁹⁰Sr, 28 winter wheat cultivars were investigated at three different sites with different soil types in Upper Bavaria. Each cultivar was grown on an area of 10 m² and harvested in August 1999. Mean soil-to-grain concentration ratios (C _r) were 0.151 ± 0.029, 0.205 ± 0.035 and 0.060 ± 0.012, respectively. The C _r values obtained varied by factors of up to 2.6 for the different cultivars at a given site, and by factors of up to 5.0 for the different sites and a given cultivar. Site-averaged normalized concentration ratios (SANC_r) ranged from 0.666 ± 0.062 to 1.503 ± 0.161. The cultivars Convent, Ludwig, and Semper, showed the lowest uptake of ⁹⁰Sr compared to the mean of all cultivars at each site. A cultivar that shows both minimum uptake of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs could not be identified. The results suggest that ⁹⁰Sr rather than ¹³⁷Cs might be the limiting radionuclide concerning the use of contaminated land for wheat production. Thus, more efforts might be necessary identifying wheat cultivars with minimum ⁹⁰Sr uptake.     

Reconstruction of 90Sr intake for breast-fed infants in the Techa riverside settlements

The Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia) was contaminated as a result of radioactive releases by the Mayak plutonium production facility during 1949-1956. The persons born after the onset of the contamination have been identified as the "Techa River Offspring Cohort" (TROC). The TROC has the potential to provide direct data on health effects in progeny that resulted from exposure of a general parent population to chronic radiation. The purpose of the present investigation is the estimation of (90)Sr intake from breast milk and river water in the period from birth to 6 months of life, necessary for an infant dose calculation. The investigation is based on all available data concerning radioactive contamination due to global fallouts and Mayak releases in the Southern Urals where extensive radiometric and radiochemical investigations of human tissues and environmental samples were conducted during the second half of the twentieth century. The strontium transfer factor from mother's daily diet to breast milk was estimated as 0.05 (0.01-0.13) d L(-1). Based on this transfer factor and data on (90)Sr water contamination, the average total (90)Sr intake for an infant born in the middle Techa River region was found to be equal to 60-80 kBq in 1950-1951. For the same period, calculations of (90)Sr intake using ICRP models gave values of 70-100 kBq. From 1952 onwards, the differences in intakes calculated using the two approaches increased, reaching a factor of 2-3 in 1953. The Techa River data provide the basis for improving and adapting the ICRP models for application to Techa River-specific population.     

Imitation model of 90Sr behaviour in the soil and stand of pine forest

The algorithm of display of 90Sr behaviour mechanisms in forest ecosystems by method of imitating modeling is developed. Distinctive features of algorithm: the 90Sr contents in vegetation is subdivided into two parts (outside and internal pollution), which dynamics is considered separately; dynamics of a radionuclide is considered in connection with dynamics of organic substance; it is supposed, that 90Sr behaviour in plants is similar to Ca behaviour; the biological availability 90Sr contained in a soil, is integrated function of time and physico-chemical properties of the given soil. On the basis of offered algorithm the model is constructed which is used for realization of a number of numerical experiments, including reconstruction of a situation of pollution of forest ecosystem on grey forest soils in result of Kyshtym accident. The quantitative estimations of intensity of 90Sr redistribution between stand components and soil are received. The modern problems of creation of prognostication models of 90Sr dynamics in the forest ecosystems are discussed.     

Accumulation of 90Sr in field crops in conditions of radioactive pollution of agricultural lands

In the field experiment the influence of manure, peat, lake silt and their combinations on the uptake of 90Sr by barley, corn and potatoes was studied. Saturation of soil with organic substance, the decrease in soil acidity resulted in the lower accumulation of 90Sr by plants. In the beginning of the experiment, the specific activity of barley grain was from 75 to 132 Bq/kg. After three years of application of fertilizers the content of 90Sr in the barley grain decreased to 39 Bq/kg. There were no increase in 90Sr accumulation by the basic field crops with time.