This article focuses on the study of the distribution of 137Cs in the bottom sediments of Arctic rivers of the Barents Sea basin (using the example of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russian Arctic). This research is relevant due to the poorly studied region and the significant number of radiation-hazardous facilities in the Arctic zone of Russia, both those currently in operation and those that are \"nuclear heritage sites\". The study of 137Cs specific activity in bottom sediments was carried out in the period from 2020 to 2023 in the rivers Chizha, Nes, Vizhas, Oma, Pechora (river delta), as well as the rivers Kolva and Usa (first and second order tributaries, respectively, of the Pechora River). A total of 199 samples were collected. In addition to 137Cs specific activity, the samples were analysed for sediment particle size distribution, organic matter content, carbonate content and ash content. The 137Cs specific activity mainly ranged from the minimum detectable specific activity to 5.4 ± 0.8 Bq·kg-1. In the Nes River basin (Kaninskaya tundra), the 137Cs content in bottom sediments reached 36.0 ± 3.2 Bq·kg-1 (in the case of lake sediments) and 22.9 ± 3.7 Bq·kg-1 (in the case of river sediments), values that are higher than those of the North-West of Russia. Considering the large area of the study area (Kaninskaya tundra, Pechora river delta, southern part of Bolshezemelskaya tundra) and the similarity of physical and chemical parameters of the studied rivers, it is possible to assume the existence of a zone of increased radionuclide content in the Nes river basin. This may be due to the runoff from the Nes River catchment area, its hydrological features, and the accumulation of 137Cs in the small fractions of bottom sediments. The results confirm the conclusions of previous soil studies in the Nes river basin. The main sources of elevated 137Cs content are global atmospheric deposition and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.

The invasion of Ukraine and military operations around Ukrainian nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities have prompted us to search for radiocaesium in mosses from the Kopački Rit Nature Park in Croatia, since mosses are known bioindicators of airborne radioactive pollution, and Kopački Rit is a known low radiocaesium background area. Sampling was finished in August 2023, and our analysis found no elevated radiocaesium levels. Kopački Rit therefore remains a suitable place for future detection of anthropogenic radioactive pollutants.
Invazija na Ukrajinu i vojne operacije oko ukrajinskih nuklearnih elektrana i drugih nuklearnih postrojenja potaknule su nas da potražimo radiocezij u mahovinama u Parku prirode Kopački rit, jer su mahovine poznati bioindikatori radioaktivnog onečišćenja zraka, a Kopački je rit poznat po niskoj razini onečišćenja radiocezijem. Uzorkovanje je završeno u kolovozu 2023. Naša analiza nije otkrila povišene razine radiocezija. Kopački rit stoga ostaje pogodno mjesto za buduću detekciju antropogenog radioaktivnog onečišćenja.

UNASSIGNED: Adult males in Sweden exhibit an increased risk of cancer associated with an increased absorbed dose to the colon from the Chernobyl accident.
UNASSIGNED: A closed cohort, with information on hunter status, included all individuals living in northern Sweden in 1986. Complete annual information on exposure to 137Cs at the dwelling coordinate was available for a total of 2,104,101 individuals. A nested case-control method with four controls matched for year of cancer diagnosis and year of birth, was used. Individual absorbed organ doses were calculated between 1986 and 2020 including external and internal exposure. Hazard ratios (HR) per mGy with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using conditional logistic regression adjusted for rural/nonrural habitat, education level and pre-Chernobyl cancer incidence 1980 to 1985. A total of 161,325 cancer cases in males and 144,439 in females were included.
UNASSIGNED: The adjusted HR per mGy for all cancer sites combined was 1.027 (95% CI = 1.022, 1.031) in males and 1.011 (95% CI = 1.006, 1.017) in females. In a post hoc analysis accounting for both remaining confounding from hunter lifestyle and the pre-Chernobyl cancer incidence by county, the adjusted HR per mGy for all cancer sites combined was 1.014 (95% CI = 1.009, 1.019) in males and 1.000 (95% CI = 0.994, 1.006) in females. The post hoc analysis suggested an increased risk of cancer in the colon, pancreas, and stomach, respectively, in males, and lymphoma in females.
UNASSIGNED: Increased cancer risk estimates were found for some specific cancer sites but remaining uncontrolled confounding due to hunter lifestyle could not be ruled out.

The materials of the article are based on the results of our past studies of morphological and immunohistochemical features of placental damage due to 137Cs incorporation.
OBJECTIVE: to determine the effectiveness of radioprotective therapy in preventing reproductive losses and perinatal consequences associated with the incorporation of radionuclides in the placenta.
METHODS: According to the research design, the first group consisted of 153 women with reproductive losses in anamnesis and signs of termination of the current pregnancy. The control consisted of 30 women with a physiological pregnancy and an uncomplicated history. Based on the fact that one of the causes of premature termination of pregnancy is the vulnerable effect of 137Cs incorporated in the placenta, «Apple Pectin Antioxidant» (the «APA») with a high sorption potential was included in preventive measures regarding reproductive losses and perinatal consequences. The effectiveness of therapy with the inclusion of «Apple Pectin Antioxidant» was evaluated based on indicators of the fetoplacental complex and pregnancy scenarios. The results were compared with the effectiveness of standard treatment for habitual miscarriage of pregnancy.
RESULTS: It was established that the destructive effect of incorporated 137Cs leads to placental dysfunction and fetal distress. Therapy with the inclusion of «APA» more significantly than standard treatment increases the progesterone-synthesizing function of the placenta, microcirculation, adaptation potential, and antioxidant protection of cells with the efficiency of 7.5 %, 10.7 %, 17.7 %, and 43.4 %, respectively. «APA» has a positive effect on the scenarios of pregnancy. «APA» in the composition of therapy to preserve pregnancy contributed to a decrease in the frequency of premature births by 11.4 % and an extension of their term to 34 weeks of gestation. Extending the gestational age of preterm birth reduced the frequency of severe asphyxia by 18.7 %, hypoxic-ischemic central nervous system injury by 13.5 %, respiratory distress by 17.3 %, and intraventricular hemorrhage 2nd and 3rd degrees by 12.7 %.All children were born alive due to the preservation of the compensatory ability of the placenta.
CONCLUSIONS: Termination of pregnancy is a universal reaction of the mother and the fetus to negative exogenous and endogenous influences. Placental dysfunction is the most frequent cause of reproductive losses. Incorporated 137Cs is one of the factors that disturb the architecture of the placenta. Extreme effects depend on the number of incorporated 137Cs and the compensatory capacity of the placenta. Today, the possibility of internal exposure to 137Cs is associated due to consumption of agricultural products. Unfortunately, the level of food contamination with radionuclides remains higher than permissible. Living in an area with a standard radiation background does not guarantee a person the radiation safety of agricultural products. The confirmation is the accumulation of 137Cs in the placentas of women from different regions of Ukraine. The high efficiency of therapy with «APA» is associated with the removal of radionuclides and the minimization of the effect of internal irradiation, which made it possible to reduce the frequency of termination of pregnancy by 28.0 % due to the reduction of cases of premature births (-11.4 %), spontaneous abortions (-11.0 %), termination of pregnancy (-5.5 %). The «APA» is advisable to prescribe from pregravid and during pregnancy to all women, regardless of the region of residence.
Матеріали статті базуються на результатах наших минулих досліджень морфологічних та імуногістохімічних особливостей пошкодження плаценти внаслідок інкорпорації 137Cs.Мета: визначити ефективність радіопротекторної терапії для запобігання репродуктивним втратам і перинатальним наслідкам, пов’язаним з інкорпорацією радіонуклідів у плаценту.Матеріали та методи. Згідно з дизайном основну групу складали 153 жінки з репродуктивними втратами (РВ) в анамнезі та ознаками переривання поточної вагітності, контрольну – 30 жінок з фізіологічною вагітністю і неускладненим анамнезом. Виходячи з того, що однією з причин передчасного переривання вагітності є вразливий вплив інкорпорованого в плаценті 137Cs, до заходів профілактики РВ і перинатальних наслідків включений «Яблупект антиоксидантний» («ЯПА») з високим сорбційним потенціалом. Ефективність терапії з «ЯПА» оцінювали за показниками фетоплацентарного комплексу та сценаріями вагітності. Результати порівнювали з ефективністю стандартного лікування звичного невиношування вагітності.Результати. Встановлено, що руйнівна дія інкорпорованого 137Cs призводить до плацентарної дисфункції та дистресу плода. Терапія з «ЯПА» істотніше, ніж стандартна, покращує прогестерон-синтезуючу функцію плаценти, її мікроциркуляцію, адаптаційний потенціал та антиоксидатний захист клітин з ефективністю 7,5 %, 10,7 %, 17,7 % та 43,4 % відповідно. «ЯПА» позитивно впливає на сценарії вагітності. «ЯПА» у складі зберігаючої терапії сприяв зниженню частоти передчасних пологів на 11,4 % та подовженню їх терміну до 34 тижнів гестації.Збільшення терміну гестації при передчасних пологах сприяло зменшенню випадків тяжкої асфіксії на 18,7 %, гіпоксично-ішемічного ураження ЦНС на 13,5 %, респіраторного дистресу на 17,3 %, внутрішньо-шлуночкових крововиливів II–III ступеня на 12,7 %. Усі діти народилися живими завдяки збереженню компенсаторної здатності плаценти.Висновки. Переривання вагітності є універсальною реакцією матері та плода на негативний екзогенний та ендогенний вплив. Дисфункція плаценти – найчастіша причина репродуктивних втрат. Інкорпорований 137Cs є одним із факторів, що порушують архітектоніку плаценти. Екстремальні ефекти залежать від об’ємної активності 137Cs та компенсаторної здатності плаценти. Сьогодні можливість внутрішнього опромінення 137Cs пов’язана зі споживанням сільськогосподарської продукції. Дотепер забруднення харчових продуктів радіонуклідами залишається вище допустимого рівня. Проживання в зоні зі стандартним радіаційним фоном не гарантує людині радіаційної безпеки сільськогосподарської продукції. Це підтверджується накопиченням 137Cs у плацентах жінок з різних регіонів України. Висока ефективність терапії із «ЯПА» пов’язана з виведенням радіонуклідів і мінімізацією дії внутрішнього опромінення, що дозволило майже на 28,0 % знизити частоту переривання вагітності за рахунок зменшення випадків передчасних пологів (-11,4 %), спонтанних абортів (-11,0 %), завмирання вагітности (-5,5 %). «ЯПА» доцільно призначати з преґравідного етапу і впродовж вагітності усім жінкам, незалежно від регіону проживання.

Commercial animal feed in Texas was characterized by determining natural gamma emitters including 40K,137Cs, and Uranium (235U and 238U) and Thorium (232Th) series to obtain basic radioactivity values. The measured activity concentration of natural radionuclides in animal feed was low enough for safe consumption by animal and largely depended on the type of animal feed.40K was the predominant radionuclide showing the highest activity concentration in animal feed. The radioactivity concentration of 214 Bi and 214Pb in 238U decay series was 1.39 and 1.33 Bq/kg in corn, respectively, lower than in other animal feed types. On the other hand, the vitamin/mineral mix samples showed higher concentrations of 214 Bi (9.04 Bq/kg) and 214Pb (10.19 Bq/kg). Beef cattle feed, poultry feed, and vitamin/mineral mix exhibited higher activity concentration of 228Ac and 212Pb in 232Th decay series. Gamma radionuclides appeared to be highly and significantly correlated within each decay series. 235U was present at low levels in all feed samples while the anthropogenic radionuclide of 137Cs was not detected irrespective of the type of animal feed. This study highlights an importance of establishing a current baseline of radioactivity concentration in animal feed in Texas in which the largest animal feed consumption in the US exists.

UNASSIGNED: Radioactive contamination of the environment is one of the greatest threats after a nuclear accident due to released radionuclides. From a radiotoxicological point of view, the most important radionuclide is caesium-137. Formed mainly during nuclear explosions, caesium-137 can persist in the soil for many years, from where it constantly enters the food chain. One of the elements of ensuring food safety is the monitoring of its radioactive contamination, mainly with radioactive caesium isotopes. The aim of the study was to determine the content of caesium-137 in food of animal origin.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 1,416 muscle samples from cattle, sheep, pigs, game and fish, as well as chicken eggs and dairy products were examined using gamma-ray spectrometry.
UNASSIGNED: Caesium-137 activities ranged from below the minimum detectable activity concentration (MDC) to over 4,000 Bq/kg wet weight (w.w.). Most often, the values did not exceed the MDC or were in a range below 100 Bq/kg. The exception was the muscle tissue of game animals, especially wild boar, where a significant activity of caesium-137 was recorded, the highest of which was 4,136.8 ± 238 Bq/kg w.w. Committed effective doses determined for each matrix ranged from 0.01 to 0.83 µSv/kg, with the highest value determined for wild boar.
UNASSIGNED: The calculated exposure doses with values well below the accepted low radiation dose (100 mSv) did not indicate any significant amounts of ionising radiation from the food consumed.

The present study was performed to reveal the distribution patterns and spatiotemporal changes of radionuclides in the soil of the highest mountain of Armenia: Aragats Massif. In this regard, two surveys were implemented in 2016-2018 and 2021 with an altitudinal sampling strategy. The activities of radionuclides were determined by gamma spectrometry system with HPGe detector (CANBERRA). Correlation and linear regression analysis were applied to determine the dependence of radionuclides\' distribution from altitude. Classical and robust statistical methods were used to assess the local background and baseline values. In two sampling profiles, the spatiotemporal variation of radionuclides was studied. A significant correlation was revealed between 137Cs and altitude pointing to global atmospheric migration as a primary source of 137Cs in Armenian environment. The predicted values of regression model revealed a 0.08-Bq/kg and 0.03-Bq/kg increase of 137Cs in each m on average, for the old and new survey, respectively. The assessment of background activities of NOR (naturally occurring radionuclides) enables setting the local background for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40 K in soils of Aragats Massif: 831.3 ± 20.2 Bq/kg and 540.6 ± 18.3 Bq/kg for 40 K, 85.5 ± 3.1 Bq/kg and 27.7 ± 2.6 Bq/kg for 226Ra, and 66.8 ± 3.2 and 46.4 ± 3.0 Bq/kg for 232Th, respectively, for the years of 2016-2018 and 2021. 137Cs baseline activity was estimated by altitude: 350 ± 3.7 Bq/kg and 108 ± 2.5 Bq/kg, respectively, for the years of 2016-2018 and 2021.

This study focused on the determination of natural (238U, 232Th, and 40K) and artificial (137Cs) radionuclide concentrations both in 55 sediment samples collected from various depths in the Bosphorus and 5 soil samples from the coastline of the Bosphorus, Istanbul, using gamma-ray spectrometry with an HPGe detector. The mean activity concentrations of natural 238U, 232Th, and 40K and anthropogenic 137Cs were determined to be 11.41 ± 0.21 Bq kg-1, 6.87 ± 0.16 Bq kg-1, 369.61 ± 3.41 Bq kg-1, and 6.54 ± 0.11 Bq kg-1, respectively, in the sediment samples. The average activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs radionuclides in the soil samples were also measured to be 11.65 ± 0.18 Bq kg-1, 9.55 ± 0.15 Bq kg-1, 369.43 ± 3.09 Bq kg-1, and 4.57 ± 0.09 Bq kg-1, respectively. Radiological contour maps based on the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in the sediment samples for the Bosphorus, Istanbul, were created. The total annual effective doses due to soil samples were calculated to be 34.58 μSv y-1.

Radioactivity monitoring around nuclear facilities is crucial to provide important baseline data for effective detection of radioactive leakage to the environment. We aim to establish a baseline study for monitoring radioactive levels of 90Sr and 137Cs around Sammen Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP) and to assess their associated health impact on surrounding residents.
In this study, we collected water and food samples around the SNPP from 2011 to 2020 and determined for 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations. We statistically analyzed the temporal trends of 90Sr and 137Cs and evaluated their radiation exposure to the local residents.
During this period, the activity concentrations of 90Sr and 137Cs varied within 1.2-9.9 mBq/L and 0.10-7.6 mBq/L in water, and 0.037-1.3 Bq/kg and 0.011-0.45 Bq/kg in food, respectively, with no significant seasonal variation trend.
All reported activity concentrations of 90Sr and 137Cs were significantly lower than the recommended value of WHO and Chinese national standards. There is no indication of notable radioactive release into the study area due to the operation of SNPP during 2018-2020. The annual effective doses (AEDs) from the ingestion of 90Sr and 137Cs in water and food were well below the international permissible limits, indicating the radiation exposure around SNPP during 2011-2020 was kept at a safe level.

Goiânia, the Goiás State capital, starred in 1987, where one of the largest radiological accidents in the world happened. A teletherapy machine was subtracted from a derelict radiotherapy clinic and disassembled by scavengers who distributed fragments of the 50 TBq 137CsCl source among relatives and acquaintances, enchanted by the blue shine of the substance. During the 15 days before the accident was acknowledged, contaminated recycling materials were delivered to recycling factories in four cities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the form of recycling paper bales. The contaminated bales were spotted, collected, and stored in fifty 1.6 m3 steel boxes at the interim storage facility of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN). In 2017, a check of the content was performed in a few boxes and the presence of high moisture content was observed even though the bales were dry when conditioned and the packages were kept sealed since then. The main objective of this work was to report the fungi found in the radioactive waste after they evolved for 30 years in isolation inside the waste boxes and their role in the decay of the waste. Examination of the microbiome showed the presence of nematodes and fungal communities. The fungi species isolated were Aspergillus quadricinctus, Fusarium oxysporum, Lecanicillium coprophilumi, Scedosporium boydii, Scytalidium lignicola, Xenoacremonium recifei, and Pleurostoma richardsiae. These microorganisms showed a significant capacity to digest cellulose in our trials, which could be one of the ways they survive in such a harsh environment, reducing the volume of radioactive paper waste. These metabolic abilities give us a future perspective of using these fungi in biotechnology to remediate radioactively contaminated materials, particularly cellulose-based waste.