EVALUATION OF THE CONTENT OF 137Cs RADIONUCLIDE IN FOOD PRODUCTS OF RESIDENTS OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED TERRITORIES IN THE LONG-TERM PERIOD AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Abstract

The article presents materials of investigation of agricultural products of animal and plant origin grown in private subsidiary plots of residents in the Narodychi district of the Zhytomyr region, which belongs to the second zone of radioactive contamination. In order to carry out the investigation, soil samples were taken in these settlements from subsidiary plots; and also products grown there by the residents of radioactively contaminated territories in their own subsidiary farms were collected for the research. The measurement of the content of 137Cs in the selected samples was carried out using the spectrometric method at the universal spectrometric complex “Gamma Plus” in the measuring laboratory of the Zhytomyr Branch of the State Institution “Institute for Soil Protection UKRAINE”. It is established that the content of 137Cs exceeds the DR-2006 in the samples of table beet selected in the subsidiary farms in the village Khrystynivka and bean samples selected in the subsidiary farms of the small town Narodychi and village Selets. A significant concentration of radionuclide in the samples of bean and table beet was observed in all subsidiary farms under investigation. Chicken eggs are food of animal origin that is the least contaminated with the radionuclide. The lowest levels of contamination with 137Cs radionuclide in plant products are observed in the samples of potato tubers and carrots. The content of radiocesium in milk exceeds the DR-2006 in the samples selected in the subsidiary farms in the village Selets. The investigation of food of residents of the Narodychi district in terms of the content of radiocesium showed that food of plant origin, except table beets and beans grown in the village Khrystynivka and beans grown in the village Selets and the small town Narodychi meet the criteria of radiological safety and can be used in human diets. Food of animal origin, except milk in the village Selets can also be used in diets. However, the systematic consumption of food products even with a low content of radiocesium leads to the accumulation of 137Cs in the human body, which over time can negatively affect their health.

Keywords

• specific activity of 137cs
• contamination density
• radionuclide
• agricultural products
• food products.