Use of moss and lichen species to identify (210)Po-contaminated regions

(210)Po concentration in urban air fluctuates as a result of natural (222)Rn radionuclide exhalation and technical activity that is especially linked with high-temperature processes. Each year, an average 11 GBq of (210)Po is released from local power plants into urban air. Over two months, about 18...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science--processes & impacts 2014-12, Vol.16 (12), p.2729-2733
Main Authors: Długosz-Lisiecka, Magdalena, Wróbel, Justyna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis
Bryopsida - chemistry
Lichens - chemistry
Polonium - analysis
Power Plants
Radiation Monitoring
Radioisotopes - analysis
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Summary:(210)Po concentration in urban air fluctuates as a result of natural (222)Rn radionuclide exhalation and technical activity that is especially linked with high-temperature processes. Each year, an average 11 GBq of (210)Po is released from local power plants into urban air. Over two months, about 180 samples in central Poland were collected. To detect the concentration of (210)Po activity, two common species of biomonitors were chosen: the moss Pleurozium schreberi and the lichen Hypogymnia physodes. For the same locale, (210)Po in lichen shows an average of twice the amount of activity concentration than the moss. In moss, (210)Po concentrations in Lodz ranged from 41.5 Bq kg(-1) to 258.0 Bq kg(-1), while in lichen it ranges from 74.2 Bq kg(-1) to 670.9 Bq kg(-1). On the basis of the measured activity of (210)Po maps, radionuclide distribution has been prepared. For areas identified with higher concentrations of (210)Po, Quantum Gis has been applied.
ISSN:2050-7895
DOI:10.1039/c4em00366g