Peculiarities in accummulation of radionuclides by fruit and berry trees and shrubs.

The paper provides results of a long-term natural experiment with fruit and berry crops, grown in conditions of radioactive contamination at the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site. The aim of the research is to study peculiarities in accumulation of artificial radionuclides by different species of trees and shrubs. The paper considers only one pathway of the radionuclide's intake, i.

Speciation of Cs, Sr, Am, and Pu artificial radionuclides in soils at the Semipalatinsk test site.

This paper reports the speciation of Cs, Am, Sr and Pu in the soil samples of the Experimental Field (EF). The EF is a testing ground of the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons test site used for surface and atmospheric tests. The study revealed low mobility of artificial radionuclides in the EF site soils.

Transfer parameters of radionuclides from soil to plants at the area of craters produced by underground nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk test site.

A study to determine Cs, Sr, Am, Pu radionuclides in vegetation cover of the area of craters produced by underground nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk test site (STS) is summarised in this paper. Transfer factors (Tf) required for the quantitative description of the radionuclides transition from the soil to aboveground plant parts were found to be highest for sagebrush (Artemisia sublessingiana), Tf values for Sr were gradually decreasing with increasing distance from the dump zone. When arranging the radionuclide transferring factors in descending order, the following sequence was obtained: Sr Tf > Cs Tf > Am Tf > Pu Tf, which is consistent with International data.

The transfer of Pu, Am, Cs and Sr to the tissues of horses.

Horses are important food sources in several countries however, data on their radionuclide uptake is less available than for many other farm animals. Information on the transfer of artificial radioisotopes from the environment to the food supply is necessary for internal dose assessment and assuring the safety of the population relying on this food source. This study provides data for a less studied farm animal and, in the case of Am and Pu, relatively poorly studied radionuclides with respect to transfer to animal products.

Radioactive particles released from different sources in the Semipalatinsk Test Site.

A total of 456 nuclear tests were performed from 1949 to 1989 at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) in Kazakhstan, as part of the nuclear weapon test program of the USSR. To identify if radionuclides such as Cs, Sr, Am, Pu were associated with radioactive particles, soil samples were collected at selected contaminated sites (i.e.