Long-Term Dynamics of Radioactive super(90)Sr and super(137)Cs Contamination of Small Mammals in the Chernobyl Zone

• Published in: Russian journal of ecology Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 181 - 189
• Main Authors: Maklyuk, YA, Maksimenko, A M, Gashchak, S P, Bondarkov, MD, Chizhevskii, I V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-06-2007
• Subjects: Ukraine, Chernobyl
• ISSN: 1067-4136
• DOI: 10.1134/S106741360703006X

Between 1986 and 1994, a decrease in nonalimentary super(90)Sr and super(137)Cs intake and changes in the accessibility of radionuclides in the soil-plant link of their cycle resulted in a 10- to 100-fold decrease in their specific activity (SA) in the bodies of small mammals inhabiting the Chernobyl zone, and a similar decrease was observed in the radionuclide transition factor (TF) in the soil-animal chain. Between 1995 and 2005, no consistent increase or decrease in SA or TF could be revealed against the background of a combined effect of different physicochemical and ecological factors. It is suggested that subsequent changes in the level of radioactive contamination of small mammals will generally reflect only the dynamics of physical super(90)Sr and super(137)Cs decay, but, nevertheless, seasonal and local variations in this level will be significant.