Sv. Avery, FATE OF CESIUM IN THE ENVIRONMENT - DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN THE ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC COMPONENTS OF AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS, Journal of environmental radioactivity, 30(2), 1996, pp. 139-171
Interest in the fate of ratiocaesium in the environment has heightened
considerably in recent years in the wake of the Chernobyl accident in
1986. The distribution of released Cs-137 and Cs-134 is related to th
e chemical properties of Cs+, which generally dictate a high degree of
mobility and bioavailability of the radionuclide. The partitioning of
Cs+ between abiotic (i.e. soils, sediments, water) and biotic compone
nts of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem is complex and dependent on a
number of factors, e.g. inorganic mineral content of the solid substr
ates and rite abundance of monovalent cations. Direct biological Cs ac
cumulation from the environment occurs readily in lower organisms and
primary producers, e.g. micro-organisms and plants, Cs+ accumulation b
y higher animals results predominantly from consumption of contaminate
d foodstuffs, although direct inhalation/absorption from the environme
nt may also occur. The evidence discussed here indicates that radiocae
sium continues to be recirculated in biological systems for many years
following a pulse of contamination.