title: Plutonium isotopes in the Hungarian environment.
abstract: More than 50 soil samples were analysed from different parts of the country, the activity concentration of 239+240Pu was in the range of 0.01-0.84 Bq/kg dry soil with the average of 0.10 Bq/kg. 238Pu could be detected only in few moss samples and 238Pu/239+240Pu ratio determines the origin of plutonium. 241Pu was determined by liquid scintillation spectrometry. The activity concentration of this isotope in the soil is between 0.04 and 3.74 Bq/kg with the average of 0.82 Bq/kg, while in the moss is also similar 0.01-2.07 Bq/kg fresh mass with the average of 0.43 Bq/kg. Significant difference could not be observed between the different types of soils occurring in the country, but the results could be sorted according to the sampling carried out on undisturbed or cultivated area. The isotope ratios 241Pu/239+240Pu prove that the origin of the plutonium in Hungary is the global fallout determined by the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests.
authors.affiliation: Hungarian Agricultural Authority, Food and Feed Safety Directorate, P.O. Box 1740, H-1465 Budapest 94, Hungary. varga.beata@t-online.hu
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: Sandor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tarján
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vajda
mesh_terms: D000512:Alpha Particles; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D007554:Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D009689:Nuclear Warfare; D011005:Plutonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D012588:Scintillation Counting; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive; D011005:Plutonium