N. Green et Bt. Wilkins, TRANSFER OF RADIONUCLIDES TO VEGETABLE AND OTHER CROPS GROWN ON LAND RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA, Science of the total environment, 173(1-6), 1995, pp. 385-392
An area of reclaimed land on the Lancashire coast has been used to gro
w a wide range of clops to provide data on transfer parameters of radi
onuclides in foodchains when the activity is almost entirely of marine
origin. Activity concentrations in the foodstuffs were low and not of
radiological significance. However, meaningful results could be obtai
ned if large sample sizes were employed. This paper sets out the metho
dology applied to a substantial field investigation of transfer to veg
etable crops. The large sample sizes could be accommodated adequately
with only minor modifications to established analytical procedures. Th
e results of the study are discussed briefly. Since the growing condit
ions were virtually identical for each crop, comparisons of transfer f
actors between the different crops should therefore be valid. For some
radionuclides, notably Pu-239,Pu-240, Am-241 and Tc-99, the work has
added significantly to the data that are presently available. For most
of the radionuclides studied, uptake by crops could be adequately pre
dicted using the parameter values currently used in generic assessment
s, but for Tc-99, lower values would be more appropriate.