The activity levels of natural (Ra-226, Th-232, K-40) and man-made (Cs-137) radionuclides in the agricultural lands in Armavir Region, Armenia, were evaluated at Center for Ecological Noosphere Studies of NAS RA.
The studies showed that relatively high activities of natural radionuclides were recorded in the parts of the region where the soil-forming rocks are volcanic, but they do not exceed the values estimated for Armenian soils by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).
It is also important that the activity of man-made Cs-137 in the area surrounding Metsamor Town, adjacent to the Armenian nuclear power plant, is low and corresponds to the activity levels recorded at similar altitudes elsewhere. In fact, the main source of cesium in Armenia is the so-called global radioactive deposits, which were formed in the last century from the emissions of man-made radionuclides as a result of nuclear power plant accidents and nuclear weapons tests," Olga Belyaeva said, Radioecology Department Head of Center for Ecological Noosphere Studies of NAS RA.
September 23, 2022 at 15:13