226Ra uptake from soils into different plant species

Accumulation of Ra-226 into different plant species from contaminated soils was measured on site within the area of an uranium mill. Marinelli beakers and Nal(T1) spectrometer were used for measurement of dried and weighted samples. While the Ra-226 activity concentration in soil on site ranged from 7.12 to 25.60 Bqg(-1) (1 SD<+/- 10%), in the plant species tested it ranged from 0.66 to 5.70 Bq.g(-1) (1 SD<+/-10%). No significant differences in Ra-226 accumulation were found after cultivation of selected plant species in a glasshouse in relation to the outdoor experiments.