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

Abstract

This research compared the transfer of 137Cs, 40K, Ca, Fe, Rb, Sr, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Mn and Cr from soil into honey derived from meadow flora, mixtures of floral and honeydew honey, and honeydew honey from fir and spruce forests in Gorski Kotar, Croatia. Radionuclides were measured by gamma-ray spectrometry, while other element concentrations were measured by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Transfer factors (T(f)) from soils into the studied honey types, expressed as a percentage, are defined as the ratio between element concentration in honey and in soil multiplied by 100. No significant differences were found, at P < 0.05, for all studied element concentrations for honeydew honey and mixed honey, in relation to the respective soil types from which honeys were collected. Concentrations of all studied cations were, at P < 0.05, significantly higher in honeydew honey compared to either mixed honey or floral honey. Honeydew honey could be used as a pollution indicator of 137Cs, Cu, Rb, Cr and possibly Ni.