Radon transport through a cool-season grass

Abstract

222Rn released by mature tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) growing on uranium mill wastes in a controlled environment was a direct function of leaf area and essentially unrelated to the quantity of water transpired by the plants. The quantity of 222Rn released by the grass blades at maturity was approximately 0·01 Bq m −2 s −1 (0·3 pCi m −2 s −1). We suggest that the radioactive gas is transported from the rooting medium to leaves by mass flow in liquid water, but from leaves to the atmosphere by a path generally independent of water, i.e., primarily through the leaf cuticle and epicuticular wax.