title: A study on possible use of Urtica dioica (common nettle) plant as polonium (210)Po and lead (210)Pb contamination biomonitor in the area of phosphogypsum stockpile.
abstract: The aim of this study was to test a possible use of Urtica dioica (common nettle) plant as a biomonitor of polonium (210)Po and lead (210)Pb contamination near phosphogypsum stacks by determining concentrations of these radionuclides in samples collected from the area of phosphogypsum stockpile in Wiślinka (northern Poland). The (210)Po and (210)Pb contents in roots depended on their concentrations in soils. Bioconcentration factor values from soil to root of the plant did not depend on (210)Po and (210)Pb contents in soils that leads to the conclusion that different polonium and lead species have different affinities to U. dioica plants. The main sources of both analyzed radionuclides in green parts of plants are wet and dry air deposition and transportation from soil. The values of (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio indicate natural origin of these radioisotopes in analyzed plants. (210)Po and (210)Pb concentration in U. dioica roots is negatively weakly correlated with distance from phosphogypsum stockpile.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Analytics and Radiochemistry, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland. grzegorz.olszewski@ug.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olszewski
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Analytics and Radiochemistry, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boryło
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Analytics and Radiochemistry, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skwarzec
mesh_terms: D002133:Calcium Sulfate / Q000737:chemistry*; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry*; D011044:Poland; D011059:Polonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D026982:Urtica dioica / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; C077769:phosphogypsum; D010758:Phosphorus; D011059:Polonium; D002133:Calcium Sulfate
keywords: 210Pb; 210Po; 210Po/210Pb; Bioconcentration; Phosphogypsum; Soil; Urtica dioica