Ecological half-lives of 90Sr and 137Cs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
This paper describes the long-term behaviour of (90)Sr and (137)Cs in foods, feeds and a variety of environmental media. The long-term behaviour is quantified by means of the ecological half-life which integrates all processes that cause a decrease of activity in a given medium such as leaching, fixation and erosion. A large number of long-term time series of concentrations of radiocaesium and radiostrontium in these media have been identified and re-evaluated using a standardised statistical procedure to establish reference data sets of ecological half-lives. By example of undisturbed soils and marine water bodies it is shown that the ecological half-life concept is questionable if the distribution of the radionuclide of interest within the medium studied is non-uniform and if mixing and transport processes within this medium, therefore, are of considerable importance during the time period of observation.
Pröhl
G
G
GSF-Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Radiation Protection, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany. proehl@gsf.de <proehl@gsf.de>
Ehlken
S
S
Fiedler
I
I
Kirchner
G
G
Klemt
E
E
Zibold
G
G
D000818:Animals; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000737:chemistry*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005060:Europe; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D006207:Half-Life; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012987:Soil; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes