Accumulation of 90Sr by Plants of Different Taxonomic Groups from the Soils at the East Ural Radioactive Trace

Abstract

The East Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) is a result of the accident at the “Mayak” Production Association (PA) in 1957 (the so-called Kyshtym accident). Among the long-lived radionuclides, 90Sr was the primary emission contaminant at the time of the accident. At present, the density of soil contamination within the EURT varies over a wide range (10–70,000 kBq m−2); the spatial distribution of 90Sr with increasing distance from the epicenter of the accident is satisfactorily approximated by an exponential function. The essential amount of this radionuclide is located in the 15–20-cm layer of the soil. We estimated the content of 90Sr in plants growing at sites with different levels of soil contamination. The densities of soil contamination mainly determined the absorption of 90Sr by plants.