The distribution of super(137)Cs and super(90)Sr in the biomass of pine trees planted in 1987-1988 in the near zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

This paper presents the results of a study, carried out in 1996, of the distributions of super(137)Cs and super(90)Sr in the biomass of a new pine plantation, planted in 1987-1988, in the near field of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The maximum observed concentrations were 4.2 MBq kg super(-1) for super(137)Cs in the youngest needles and 1.1 MBq kg super(-1) for super(90)Sr in the oldest needles. The estimation of the total absorbed doses in the different organs of the pine was also carried out, the observed doses were in the range 2 Gy yr super(-1) to 16.8 Gy yr super(-1); the lifetime dose for the needles (4 yr) was 44 Gy.