Concentration and Specific Activity of Fallout super(137)Cs in Extracted and Particle-Size Fractions of Cultivated Soils

Concentration and specific activity of fallout Caesium-137 ( super(137)Cs) in extracted and particle-size fractions of cultivated soils were investigated. super(137)Cs with its high fission yield and relatively long half-life was an important radionuclide for the assessment of radiation exposure to the public living around the nuclear facilities. Physico-chemical forms of radionuclides were essential factors that could be used to characterize the fate of radionuclides in the environment. The results showed that the percentage of super(137)Cs in the organic-bound fraction was very variable, but the variability had no relationship with the carbon concentration in the soils. It was concluded that the super(137)Cs content in exchangeable, organic-bound and strongly bound fractions was approximately 10, 20 and 70 percent, respectively, and most of the super(137)Cs in the soils was present in the strongly bound fraction.