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Published on: December 14, 2017
Radioactive contamination in Nijmegen rainwater after the Chernobyl accident
Abstract:
Following the Chernobyl accident, rainwater was collected in the Nijmegen area during the first three weeks of May 1986. The radionuclides found in the water were 131I, 132Te, 132I, 140La, 134Cs, 137Cs and 103Ru. On the first rainy day, an activity concentration of 9 kBq l-1 was measured, with specific activities of 2.7 kBq l-1 for 131I and 2.3 kBq l-1 for each of 132Te and 132I. The total activity precipitated per square kilometer in this period was approximately 55 GBq. Fresh spinach picked in Nijmegen on 7 May had an activity of 1.5 kBq kg-1.
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