Assessment of air contamination with selected radioisotopes nearby cement plant using moss bag method

Abstract

: Mining and processing industry represents a potential source of radioisotopes contaminating the nearest environment. In order to estimate conditions of the environment in the vicinity of cement plant moss bag biomonitoring method was used. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the extent of air pollution with 40 K, 137 Cs, 210 Pb and the distance from the cement plant. The share of various radiation sources in the total 210 Pb activity concentration in mosses after exposure was also analyzed. Sampling sites were located in the forest near Opole (PL), in a line and at different distances from the cement plant. In test two types of moss bags, exposed simultaneously in the same places, were used. In the studies, activity concentrations of gamma-radioactive isotopes were determined in samples of moss before and after the exposure. In investigations the gamma-spectrometer with a germanium detector was used. From the obtained results the Relative Accumulation Factors ( RAF ) were calculated. In order to assess the extent to which radionuclides activity depends on the distance from the cement plant, correlation coefficients were calculated. It is hard to estimate the trends of radionuclides activity concentration changes with distance from the cement plant due to substantial discrepancies in the results. No significant relationship of radionuclides deposition on the distance from the cement plant was noticed.