Radiotracer method in the study of environmental speciation and migration of contaminants

Principles, advantages, and limitations of the use of radiotracer method for the analysis of speciation and migration of contaminants in the environment are briefly discussed. Several recent examples of use in the author's laboratory are given: development of the separation method for methylmercury and inorganic mercury in hair, analysis of the speciation of cadmium in soil solutions, study of the interaction of 137Cs and 58Co with suspended sediments in river water, and determination of input data for mathematical modeling of radiocesium migration in a small river.