Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 January 2012
The study investigates accumulation of radionuclides in 5 species of berry shrubs in forests of the Yenisei River basin (the Krasnoyarskii Krai, Russia). Activity concentrations of 60Co, 90Sr, 137Cs, 238U and transuranic elements in aboveground organs of the shrubs have been determined and their transfer factors calculated. Analysis of the calculated TFs shows that shrubs concentrate 90Sr more effectively than other study elements (TF = 0.25–1.9). The highest concentration of 137Cs is recorded in the berries and leaves of Ribes nigrumand Rubus idaeus. For these species, the range of 137Cs TFs (0.006–0.027) overlaps with the range of 238U TFs (0.004-0.018). For the aboveground parts of Ribes nigrum, TFs for transuranic radionuclides (0.01–0.056) are similar to or higher than the TFs for 238U and 137Cs.