137Cs CONCENTRATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF KAIGA OF SOUTH WEST COAST OF INDIA

• Published in: Health physics (1958) Vol. 81; no. 2; pp. 148 - 155
• Main Authors: Karunakara, N, Somashekarappa, H M, Narayana, Y, Avadhani, D N, Mahesh, H M, Siddappa, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Health Physics Society 01-08-2001; Lippincott
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biological effects of radiation; Cesium Radioisotopes - analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geography; Humans; India; Ionizing radiations; Nuclear Reactors; Plants - chemistry; Radiation Monitoring - instrumentation; Radiation Monitoring - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Schools; Seasons; Soil Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics; Tropical medicine; India; Human; Medicine; Nuclear medicine; Soils; Spectrometry; Seasonal variation; Vegetation; Environment; Sampling; Radioactivity
• ISSN: 0017-9078; 1538-5159
• DOI: 10.1097/00004032-200108000-00008

This paper presents the results of Cs activity in soil and vegetation obtained through a carefully planned pre-operational survey for the establishment of baseline data on background radiation level and distribution of radionuclides in the environment of Kaiga, in the south west coast of India, where two nuclear power reactors of 235 MWe each are under construction. The vertical profile in soil and the seasonal variation in the activity have been studied. Nine commonly available vegetation species of Kaiga region were analyzed for their Cs activity, and the soil-to-plant transfer coefficients were evaluated. Measurements were made by gamma spectrometry method employing a 90 cc HpGe detector and a 3 × 3-inch well type NaI(Tl) detector. Results show significant levels of Cs activity in soil samples-ranging from below detection limit (BDL) to 65.4 Bq kg. The mean value of activity observed in 0–5 cm soil profiles of Kaiga environs is significantly higher when compared to the reported values for other environs of India. Depth profile studies show that the Cs activity decreases with the increasing soil depth, and it is below detection limit for depths more than 25 cm. The mean value of effective dose commitment due to the presence of Cs in soil was 167.2 μSv. Vegetation samples of the region show elevated levels of Cs concentration. Epiphytic plants Cymbidium aloifolium (Lo.) Swartz. and Petrobryopsis tumida (Hook.) Dix. have been identified as bio-indicators to monitor the fallout of this radionuclide in the environment of Kaiga. Seasonal variation studies indicate higher fallout of this radionuclide along with rain.