Natural radionuclide uptake by mosses in eastern Serbia in 2008-2013 / Prirodni radionuklidi u mahovinama iz istočne Srbije u razdoblju 2008.-2013

Abstract

The results of the study on natural radionuclide content in 102 samples of the moss species randomly collected in 2008- 2013 at 30 locations of eastern Serbia are presented in the paper. The activity concentration values of 238 U, 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K, and 7Be determined by gamma spectrometry were within the intervals: 238 U (1.1−50) Bq kg -1 , 226 Ra (1.1−41) Bq kg -1 , 232 Th (1.4−28) Bq kg -1 , 40 K (64−484) Bq kg -1 and 7 Be (88−227) Bq kg -1 , not standing out of the average data reported for this region. The distribution of the obtained data for 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 238 U 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 40 K and cosmogenic radionuclide 7Be were up to 500 Bq kg -1 and about 90 % of all the results for 7Be uptake by mosses were in the 200-250 Bq kg -1 concentration range.