Natural radionuclide uptake by mosses in eastern Serbia in 2008-2013

Abstract

The results of the study on natural radionuclide content in 102 samples of the moss species randomly collected in 20082013 at 30 locations of eastern Serbia are presented in the paper. The activity concentration values of U-238, Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and Be-7 determined by gamma spectrometry were within the intervals: U-238 (1.1-50) Bq kg(-1), Ra-226 (1.1-41) Bq kg(-1), Th-232 (1.4-28) Bq kg(-1), K-40 (64-484) Bq kg(-1) and Be-7 (88-227) Bq kg(-1), not standing out of the average data reported for this region. The distribution of the obtained data for Ra-226, Th-232, and U-238 activity concentration in the analysed mosses has shown values up to 10 Bq kg(-1) with frequencies 47.1 %, 54.9 % and 48.0 %, respectively. The obtained activity concentration values of primordial K-40 and cosmogenic radionuclide Be-7 were up to 500 Bq kg(-1) and about 90 % of all the results for Be-7 uptake by mosses were in the 200-250 Bq kg(-1) concentration range.