Radiological impact of an active quarry in the Papuk Nature Park, Croatia

Abstract

Papuk Nature Park, unlike most similar parks and preserves in the world, contains active quarries. Quarries dig stone from the ground, creating dust and exposing deeper, potentially more radioactive layers. Since the forest trails in the Park lead right up to the quarries, we believed it was important to determine the radiological impact of the quarries on the Park environment. We measured ambient dose rate equivalent H∗(10) and sampled moss at 26 Park locations along two of four quarries, along the road between them, and near Lake Orahovac, a very popular tourist destination close to the quarries. Moss is a standard bioindicator of exposure to heavy metals, including radionuclides. Using-gamma ray spectrometry we determined the activity concentration of 137Cs and of representative naturally occurring radionuclides-238U, 226Ra, 210Pb, 232Th, and 40K-in sampled moss. H∗(10) at selected locations was similar to the background H∗(10) measured continuously all over Croatia. The ranges of measured activity concentrations of 137Cs and naturally occurring radionuclides in moss did not differ significantly from other parts of Croatia and nearby countries.