Foliar retention, transport and leaching of polonium-210 and lead-210

Abstract

Polonium-210 and lead-210, the long-lived daughter radionuclides of gaseous radon-222, are deposited on plant surfaces under conditions of atmospheric washout. Foliar retention, transport and leaching of these radionuclides in Red Kidney beans were investigated in nutrient culture experiments. Under identical conditions, over 90 per cent of foliar applied radiolead was retained by the plant while only about 30 per cent of polonium was retained. Over a 48-hr period small quantities of polonium were translocated from the treated leaflet to other parts of the plant. By comparison, radiolead was totally immobilized at the site of retention. Leachability of root absorbed radiolead from bean leaves was 20-fold greater than that of polonium. The marked differences in the extent of foliar retention, translocation and leaching of polonium and radiolead could significantly affect the levels of these long-lived radionuclides attained in plants.