Evaluation of the potential for caesium transfer from contaminated soil to the food chain as a consequence of uptake by edible vegetables.

This paper analyzes the effect of caesium (Cs) concentration on seed germination, seedling growth, root uptake, and leaf uptake of Lactuca sativa to understand the potential transfer of the metal from contaminated soil to humans through the food chain. The results of germination experiments show that seed germination and seedling growth strongly depend on increasing Cs concentration, with a decrease in the number of germinated seeds compared to the control up to 13.6% and a reduction in seedling growth up to 10.