Post-Chernobyl investigations of radiocaesium activity concentrations in Adriatic Sea pilchards

Title: Post-Chernobyl investigations of radiocaesium activity concentrations in Adriatic Sea pilchards

Author: Zdenko Franić, Branko Petrinec1, Gina Branica, Gordana Marović, Dragan Kubelka and Zrinka Franić

Reference: Radiat Prot Dosimetry (2012) 151 (2): 314-322.

DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncs012

Keywords: 134Cs, 137Cs, Adriatic Sea

Abstract: Investigations in the post-Chernobyl period (1986–2009) of radiocaesium activity concentrations in Adriatic pilchards are presented. Compared with pre-Chernobyl period, the Chernobyl nuclear accident caused increase of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in pilchards. By fitting the measured ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations to the theoretical curve was estimated to be 1.5±0.4 y for 1986–90 and 5.8±0.4 y for 1991–2009 and the bimodal behaviour for the ecological half-life of ¹³⁷Cs in pilchards has been observed. Estimated annual effective doses received by ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs intake due to consumption for an adult member of Croatian population are small. Collective dose for the 1986–2009 period was 4.9+0.3 person-Sv. The observed ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs activity ratio in pilchards was similar to the ratio that has been found in other environmental samples. The concentration factor for pilchards was roughly estimated to be 93.7±39.2 l kg⁻¹, which is consistent with the values observed elsewhere.

URL: http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/content/151/2/314.full.pdf+html