Mesure de la radioactivité dans des tomates cultivées sur des résidus miniers d'Oka – Communauté minière de niobium

Abstract

The radioactivity contained in the tailings of a niobium mine in the Oka region, Quebec, was the object of concern for the population of the area in 1979. To find the impact of these tailings on fruit and vegetables grown in this environment, an investigation of the radioactivity found on tomatoes grown in green houses in niobium tailings and in vermiculites was undertaken. The tailings contained a high level of natural radioactivity and a small amount of 137Cs while the vermiculites has a very low level of natural radioactivity and an appreciable amount of 137Cs. Cesium-137 was the only nuclide detected in tomato ashes in measurable quantity. Absence of natural radioactivity is explained by its presence as insoluble minerals.