RADIATION & RISK
Bulletin of the National Radiation and Epidemiological Registry
since 1992

The distribution of Pu-239+240 and Cs-137 isotopes in soils fractions in the Kaluga region

«Radiation and Risk», 2025, vol. 34, No. 1, pp.55-68

DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2025-34-1-55-68

Authors

Bratukhin N.O. – Jun. Researcher. Contacts: 1, Kievskoe shosse, Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249035. Tel.: +7 (977) 722-35-05; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Edomskaya M.A. – Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol.
Shavrina K.E. – Jun. Researcher
Lukashenko S.N. – Chief Researcher, D. Sc., Biol. NRC “Kurchatov Institute” – RIRAE.
Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology of National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, Obninsk

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the study of the distribution of 239+240Pu and 137Cs in soil fractions in the Kaluga region. This study is relevant because it helps to fill in knowledge gaps about the distribution of radioactive isotopes in order to better understand their contribution to air pollution and predict their local redistribution due to wind-driven erosion. The main goal of the research was to analyze the patterns of 239+240Pu and 137Cs distribution in soil fractions within the “distant” Chernobyl fallout area using the example of Kaluga region, and to evaluate their impact on effective annual radiation doses resulting from inhalation. To accomplish this, various methods were employed, including “wet” sieving and the pipette technique for particle sedimentation. The content of 137Cs was determined with the gamma-ray spectrometry method on a Canberra Industries spectrometer. The 239Pu+240Pu was estimated with the “Alpha-DUO” alpha spectrometry technique with prior radiochemical separation. For the study areas, there is a general trend towards an increase in radionuclide concentration in fine particles. The total radioactivity of 137Cs in the background soil is estimated to be less than 12 Bq/kg and 239P +240Pu is 0.31 Bq/kg. For the uncontaminated area, there is a gradual increase in the plutonium concentration, it is consistent with the distribution of global fallout. For areas affected by the Chernobyl accident, the total 137Cs concentration ranges from 208 to 392 Bq/kg, significantly higher than the background levels. The gross content of 239+240 Pu in the soil ranges from 0.53 to 1.0 Bq/kg, which is similar to the level of global precipitation. A significant increase in radionuclide concentrations is ob-served in fractions lower than 38 microns for this area. The enrichment coefficients for plutonium vary from 0.16 to 27.4, and for 137Cs, they range from 0.9 to 13.2. Failure to consider the distribution of radionuclides in soil fractions may lead to an overestimation of internal radiation dose by more than 20 times due to inhalation intake.

Key words
isotopes of plutonium, cesium, radioecology, radiochemical analysis, alpha spectrometry, radioactive fallout, Chernobyl nuclear power plant, radiobiology, environmental health.

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