Dynamics of ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in agricultural products after the Chernobyl accident: cereals, potato, and vegetables

Abstract

The paper continues the cycle of publications addressed to the study of regularities of 137Cs content changes in agricultural products after the Chernobyl accident. The aim of the studies was to analyze the information describing changes in the 137Cs concentrations in agricultural animal forage: hay, haylage, silage and green fodder in the southwestern districts of the Bryansk region affected by the contamination after the ChNPP accident. The data on countermeasures in the fodder production are given and the system of radiological monitoring of fodder contamination is described. It is shown that the dynamics of changes in the 137Cs concentrations in fodder was mainly determined by the dynamics of implementation of remedial measures. The effective halflives of 137Cs concentration in forages during the first period after the accident (1987-1990) varied from 0.57 to 2.7 years. Subsequently (1991-2021) the decrease in feed contamination slowed down and the half-lives ranged from 8.0 to 50.0 years and longer depending on the scope of remediation and the characteristics of the plants used for the animal feed production.

Keywords

• chernobyl nuclear power plant
• agricultural products
• southwestern districts of bryansk region
• monitoring in agriculture
• 137cs