Technogenic pollution of soil and plant cover in southern Primorye

Abstract

Evaluation of technogenic load on ecosystems of southern Primorye has shown that the soil contents of 90Sr and 137Cs vary within the ranges of 0.3-1.3 and 0.4-3.0 kBq/m2, respectively; i.e., they do not exceed the level of background radioactivity that is considered normal at latitudes between 50° and 60° N. The presence of 134Cs in the samples indicates a contribution from radionuclides discharged by the Fukushima nuclear accident. According to calculations, the additional 137Cs input into the soils of the study area varies between 0.03 and 0.30 kBq/m2. Soil analysis for heavy metals and trace elements has revealed an approximately twofold excess over safety norms (MACs) in the concentrations of technogenic Cu and Pb. For other elements, the excess is within the range of 8-32%. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.