Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Study on the Metabolism of Six Systemic Insecticides in a Newly Established Cell Suspension Culture Derived from Tea (Camellia Sinensis L.) Leaves
Published on: June 15, 2019
137Cs contamination in tea and yerba mate in South America
D E Di Gregorio1, H Huck, R Aristegui
1Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Rutas 5 y 7, Luján, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. digregorio@tandar.cnea.gov.ar
Abstract:
Gamma-ray spectra from more than 50 samples of food products available in stores of Buenos Aires city were measured using a germanium detector. Activity concentrations of 137Cs up to 10 Bq/kg were found in tea and yerba mate manufactured in Apóstoles, Argentina. Further measurements of tea leaves, yerba mate leaves and soils, all coming from a cultivated area in that region, also show the presence of 137Cs contamination. The results suggest that the area was fertilized with a product that originated in a region affected by the fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident.
