Skip to main content
Log in

Radiocesium contamination in Belgium

  • Environmental Radioactivity
  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Radiocesium contamination of air, rain, grass, milk and humans in Belgium from the late 1950s to present was measured. The main sources of fallout were atmospheric nuclear weapons tests and the Chernobyl accident; in Belgium the average impact of the first on the human body burden was more than six times higher. The geographical distribution of radiocesium fallout in Belgium was surveyed by means of in-situ gammaspectrometry with HPGe detectors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. B. T. Wilkins, B. J. Howard, G. M. Desmet, R. M. Alexakhin, H. Maubert, Sci. Total. Environ., 137 (1993) 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. J.-L. Genicot, The measurement of radioactive body burdens by the driect methods at the SCK·CEN, Internal Report SCK·CEN, BLG-642, 1995, p. 58.

  3. J.-L. Genicot, F. Hardeman, Health Phys., 67 (1994) 669.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. J. Uyttenhove, S. Pommé, B. van Wayenberge, F. Hardeman, J. Buysse, J.-P. Culot, Health Phys., 73 (1997) 644.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. S. Pommé, In-situ measurements of environmental gammaradiation, Internal Report SCK·CEN, BLG-695, 1995, p. 40.

  6. B. Van Waeyenberge, In situ ψ-spectrometric met Ge-detector, Licentiaatsthesis, University of Gent, 1995.

  7. H. Beck, J. De Campo, C. Gogolak, USDOE Report HASL-258, 1972.

  8. I. Helfer, K. Miller, Health Phys., 55 (1988) 15.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. K. Miller, P. Shebell, EML-USDOE, EML-557, 1993.

  10. Gamma-Ray Spectrometry in the Environment. ICRU Report 53, ICRU, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, 1994.

  11. Y. A. Ivanov, N. Lewyckyj, S. E. Levchuk, B. S. Prister, S. K. Firsakova, N. P. Arkhipov, A. N. Arkhipov, S. V. Kruglov, R. M. Alexakhin, J. Sandalls, S. Askbrant, J. Environ. Radioact., 35 (1997) 1.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. P. Schuller, A. Ellies, G. Kirchner, Sci. Total Environ., 193 (1997) 197.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation. UNSCEAR 1993 Reprot, United Nations, New York, 1993.

  14. J. Wauters, L. Sweeck, E. Valcke, A. Elsen, A. Cremers, Sci. Total Environ., 157 (1994) 239.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. C. M. Vandecasteele, Th. Zeevaert, R. Kirchmann, in: Anticarcinogenesis and Radiation Protection 2,O. F. Nygaard andA. C. Upton (Eds), Plenum Press, New York, 1991, p. 181.

    Google Scholar 

  16. N. S. Jarvis, A. Birchall, A. C. James, M. R. Bailey, M.-D. Dorrian, LUDEP 2.0, Personal Computer Program for Calculating Internal Doses using the ICRP Publication 66 Respiratory Tract Model, NRPB-SR287, National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton, UK, 1996.

  17. J. Uyttenhove, Internal Report University Gent, INW-2-86, 1986 (in Dutch).

  18. J-P. Deworm, A compendium of the measurements related to the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Internal SCK·CEN Report, BLG-595, 1987, p. 124.

  19. IAEA, Guidelines for Agricultural Countermeasures Following an Accidental Realease of Radionuchdes, IAEA Vienna Techn. Rep Series 363, p. 115.

  20. ICRP, Publication 30, Limits for Intakes of Radionuclides by Workers, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  21. J.-P. Culot, In-situ measurements of environmental gammaradiation, Internal Report SCK·CEN, MNdM/JPC-S/85-116, 1985, p. 100.

  22. L. Balonov, P. Jacob, I. Likhtarev, V. Minenko, Pathways, Levels and Trends of Population Exposure after the Chernobyl Accident, in: The radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident, Proc. 1st Intern. Conf., Minsk, Belarus 1996, EUR 16544EN, ISBN 92-827-5248-8; 238–249, 1996.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pommé, S., Uyttenhove, J., Van Waeyenberge, B. et al. Radiocesium contamination in Belgium. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 235, 139–145 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02385952

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02385952

Keywords

Navigation