Radionuclides and selected elements in soil and honey from Gorski Kotar, Croatia

This research compared the transfer of Cs-137, K-40, Ca, Fe, Rb, Sr, Cu, Zn , Pb, Ni, Mn and Cr from soil into honey derived from meadow flora, mixture s of floral and honeydew honey, and honeydew honey from fir and spruce fore sts in Gorski Kotar, Croatia. Radionuclides were measured by gamma-ray spec trometry, while other element concentrations were measured by X-ray fluores cence (XRF). Transfer factors (T-f) from soils into the studied honey types , expressed as a percentage, are defined as the ratio between element conce ntration in honey and in soil multiplied by 100. No significant differences were found, at P < 0.05, for all studied element concentrations for honeyd ew honey and mixed honey, in relation to the respective soil types from whi ch honeys were collected. Concentrations of all studied cations were, at P < 0.05, significantly higher in honeydew honey compared to either mixed hon ey or floral honey. Honeydew honey could be used as a pollution indicator o f Cs-137, Cu, Rb, Cr and possibly Ni. (C) Inra/DIB/AGIB/Elsevier, Paris.