Radioiodine and radiocesium in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece due to the Fukushima nuclear accident

Radioiodine (¹³¹I) in air and rainwater as high as 497 μBq m⁻³ and 0.7 Bq L⁻¹, respectively, as well as ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs in air as high as 145 μBq m⁻³ and 126 μBq m⁻³, respectively were recorded in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece (40°38′N, 22°58′E) from March 24, 2011 through April 09, 2011, after a nuclear accident occurred at Fukushima, Japan (37°45′N, 140°28′E) on March 11, 2011.     

Fukushima fallout in Northwest German environmental media

Traces of short- and long-lived fallout isotopes (¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) were found in environmental samples collected in Northwest Germany (rain water, river sediment, soil, grass and cow milk) from March to May 2011, following the radioactivity releases after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. The measured concentrations are consistent with reported concentrations in air, amount of rainfall and expected values applying simple radioecological models. The [¹³⁴Cs]/[¹³⁷Cs] ratio reported for air (about 1) allows for discrimination between “recent” and “old” ¹³⁷Cs. Expected ¹³⁶Cs values fell below the detection limits of the instrumentation, despite large sample masses and long counting times.     

Evaluation and assessment of 25 years of environmental radioactivity monitoring data at Tarapur (India) nuclear site

The evaluation and assessment of monitoring data generated over a period of 1983-2007 (25 years) of a nuclear facility is presented. Time trends of particulate radioactivity, correlation between ¹³⁷Cs in discharge canal seawater and station discharged activity and correlation of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁶⁰Co, and ¹³¹I in marine species such as sponge and Nerita (gastropod) and corresponding discharged activity are discussed. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³¹I in seawater versus biota are discussed. A good correlation between ¹³⁷Cs in seawater and ¹³⁷Cs in liquid waste discharged was observed (R² = 0.8, p < 0.001). Similarly, correlation was good for Nerita and discharged concentration of ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³¹I and ⁶⁰Co (R² = 0.55-0.73 and p < 0.001). The measurements over the years indicated that there is no accumulation of radionuclides in either the terrestrial or aquatic environments. The mean ¹³⁷Cs decreased from the pre-operational levels: 7.0-3.6 Bq kg⁻¹ in soil, 0.91-0.016 Bq L⁻¹ in milk and 0.28-0.036 Bq kg⁻¹ in vegetation. Similarly, the mean ⁹⁰Sr in these matrixes decreased from 3.9 to 0.26 Bq kg⁻¹; 0.37-0.011 Bq L⁻¹ and 0.34-0.022 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively. Cesium-137 of about 700 μBq m⁻³ was measured in the air filter disks during 1986 and there was a decrease of three orders of magnitude in concentration over the 25 years. The evaluation of environmental data indicated that the radionuclide concentrations and potential impacts, in terms of effective dose to the members of public, have significantly reduced since 1969.     

Evidence of the radioactive fallout in the center of Asia (Russia) following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

It was recently reported that radioactive fallout due to the Fukushima Nuclear Accident was detected in environmental samples collected in the USA and Greece, which are very far away from Japan. In April-May 2011, fallout radionuclides (¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³¹I) released in the Fukushima Nuclear Accident were detected in environmental samples at the city of Krasnoyarsk (Russia), situated in the center of Asia. Similar maximum levels of ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs/¹³⁴Cs and ¹³¹I/¹³⁷Cs ratios in water samples collected in Russia and Greece suggest the high-velocity movement of the radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident and the global effects of this accident, similar to those caused by the Chernobyl accident.     

Fallout distribution in Padua and Northeast Italy after the chernobyl nuclear reactor accident

The radioactive cloud from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident arrived in northeast Italy on 30 April 1986. Ground-level air activities detected in Padua reached maximum values of 28·6, 19·2, 3·3, 1·7 and 7·5 Bq m⁻³ for ¹³¹I, ¹³²Te(¹³²I), ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁰³Ru, respectively, on 1 May; about 10 days later, the activities had fallen to less than 1% of peak values. Considerations of cloud homogeneity are reported.The distribution of fallout radionuclides in Padua was evaluated on the basis of radioactivity detected on natural surfaces. The average committed dose equivalent to the thyroid for adult people in Padua through ¹³¹I inhalation was estimated at 0·37 mSv. Soil activity was monitored daily in samples collected in Padua during the first weeks of May 1986. Fallout deposition over northeast Italy was measured on 75 surface soil samples collected during June 1986 and long-lived radionuclide distribution maps were derived.     

Radioactivity in surface air and precipitation in Japan after the Chernobyl accident

Radioactive plumes from the Chernobyl reactor accident first passed over Japan on 3 May 1986. Measurements of ¹⁰³Ru, ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs in rainfall and airborne dust collected at Chiba near Tokyo show that, in fact, at least two or more kinds of plume arrived during May. Their altitudes were calculated to be about 1500 m in early May and 6300 m in late May.Radionuclides detected in 33 precipitation samples collected by the network of prefectural radiation monitoring stations from 1 to 22 May were ⁷Be, ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁵Sr, ⁹⁵Zr, ⁹⁵Nb, ¹⁰³Ru, ¹⁰⁶Ru, ^110mAg, ¹²⁵Sb, ^129mTe, ¹³¹I, ¹³²Te, ¹³²I, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁶Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁴⁰Ba, ¹⁴⁰La, ¹⁴¹Ce and ¹⁴⁴Ce, the measurements being made using germanium detectors and low-background GM counters after radiochemical separation. The radiation was characterized by higher levels of the volatile nuclides, such as ¹⁰³Ru (in the form of RuO₂), ¹³²Te, ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs, than fallout levels in nuclear weapons testing, and by activity ratios of 0·48 and 14 for, respectively, ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs and ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr, as on 26 April. The fallout activity was higher in northwestern Japan, the average depositions of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs in Japan from 1 May (or 30 April) to 22 May being 1·4 Bq m⁻² and 95 Bq m⁻², inventories which are 14 and 550 times higher than the pre-Chernobyl values.     

Transfer of Chernobyl-derived 134Cs, 137Cs, 131I and 103Ru from flowers to honey and pollen

The activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³¹I and ¹⁰³Ru were determined separately in honey and pollen samples collected from a single bee colony during several months after the deposition of Chernobyl fallout. The source of each honey and pollen sample was determined by pollen analysis. Although the activity concentrations in honey and pollen varied with time, the concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs were, in general, higher in pollen than in honey. For ¹⁰³Ru and ¹³¹I, these differences were comparatively small. The mean ¹³¹ I/¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁰³Ru/¹³⁷Cs ratios were about one order of magnitude higher in honey than in pollen. The mean ¹³¹I/¹⁰³Ru ratio was about the same for honey and pollen. This observation, in the light of the corresponding nuclide ratios found in the deposition, suggests that ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³¹I and ¹⁰³Ru were taken up by the plant leaves and transported to nectar and pollen. The higher activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs in pollen, relative to honey, indicate that these radionuclides behave analogously to potassium, which is also found in higher quantities in pollen.     

Environmental radioactivity around tokai-works after the reactor accident at chernobyl

Following the reactor accident at Chernobyl, environmental samples of air, rain water and agricultural and marine products were collected and analyzed by gamma- and alpha-spectrometry. The highest concentrations of ¹³¹I in the environmental samples were as follows: 1·0×⁻¹ Bqm⁻³ (aerosol-associated in air); 3·0×10⁻¹ Bqm⁻³ (gaseous in air); 2·1×10² bq kg⁻¹ (plants); 1·4×10¹ Bq litre⁻¹ (milk). Other nuclides such as ⁹⁵Zr, ⁹⁵Nb, ¹⁰³Ru, ¹⁰⁶Ru, ¹²⁵Sb, ^129mTe, ¹³²I/¹³²Te, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁴⁰Ba/¹⁴⁰La, ¹⁴¹Ce and ¹⁴⁴Ce were also observed in various environmental samples. ^110mAg was only detected in marine products such as cephalopoda and shellfish, ^239,240Pu and ²⁴¹Am originating from the accident were not identified.Based on the monitoring results at one dairy farm, we have derived an equation to model the transport of ¹³¹I from pasture grass to milk. This equation was then applied to the data from two other farms around Tokai-Works and the calculated ¹³¹I activities in milk were compared with those measured. The equation shows good predictive capabilities for quantification of the peak concentrations of ¹³¹I in milk but underestimates longer-term activities.     

Medical radioisotopes in the environment – following the pathway from patient to river sediment

Motivated by the detection of ¹³¹I in river sediment in routine long-term surveillance samples, a systematic short-term study of the wastewater treatment chain was planned and conducted. Inflow, effluent and primary sludge were collected on a daily basis during two weeks at a regional wastewater treatment plant. Samples were investigated by gamma spectroscopy. Four medically used isotopes could be identified (¹³¹I and ^99mTc regularly, ¹⁵³Sm and ¹²³I sporadically). The concentration levels coincide well with literature data for ¹³¹I, and with our own long-term data for ¹³¹I and ^99mTc for the same plant. Cosmogenic ⁷Be activity in primary sludge correlated well with rainfall intensity. Surface sediment was sampled at low tide at both shores of the river, up- and downstream of the plant. ¹³¹I was identified in all samples, with a sharp maximum (about 100 Bq kg⁻¹ d.m.) at the discharge point of the plant and lower levels elsewhere, decreasing monotonically in downstream direction. ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs showed the same behaviour, but no peak at the discharge point. Predictions from simple equilibrium models for the transport and sedimentation of ¹³¹I show good agreement with the experimental data and suggest that the wastewater treatment plant is the main source for this isotope.     

Validation of I ecological transfer models and thyroid dose assessments using Chernobyl fallout data from the Plavsk district, Russia

Within the project “Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety” (EMRAS) organized by the IAEA in 2003 experimental data of ¹³¹I measurements following the Chernobyl accident in the Plavsk district of Tula region, Russia were used to validate the calculations of some radioecological transfer models. Nine models participated in the inter-comparison. Levels of ¹³⁷Cs soil contamination in all the settlements and ¹³¹I/¹³⁷Cs isotopic ratios in the depositions in some locations were used as the main input information. 370 measurements of ¹³¹I content in thyroid of townspeople and villagers, and 90 measurements of ¹³¹I concentration in milk were used for validation of the model predictions.A remarkable improvement in models performance comparing with previous inter-comparison exercise was demonstrated. Predictions of the various models were within a factor of three relative to the observations, discrepancies between the estimates of average doses to thyroid produced by most participant not exceeded a factor of ten.     

An overview of current knowledge concerning the health and environmental consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident

Since 2011, the scientific community has worked to identify the exact transport and deposition patterns of radionuclides released from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in Japan. Nevertheless, there still remain many unknowns concerning the health and environmental impacts of these radionuclides. The present paper reviews the current understanding of the FDNPP accident with respect to interactions of the released radionuclides with the environment and impacts on human and non-human biota. Here, we scrutinize existing literature and combine and interpret observations and modeling assessments derived after Fukushima. Finally, we discuss the behavior and applications of radionuclides that might be used as tracers of environmental processes. This review focuses on ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³¹I releases derived from Fukushima. Published estimates suggest total release amounts of 12–36.7 PBq of ¹³⁷Cs and 150–160 PBq of ¹³¹I. Maximum estimated human mortality due to the Fukushima nuclear accident is 10,000 (due to all causes) and the maximum estimates for lifetime cancer mortality and morbidity are 1500 and 1800, respectively. Studies of plants and animals in the forests of Fukushima have recorded a range of physiological, developmental, morphological, and behavioral consequences of exposure to radioactivity. Some of the effects observed in the exposed populations include the following: hematological aberrations in Fukushima monkeys; genetic, developmental and morphological aberrations in a butterfly; declines in abundances of birds, butterflies and cicadas; aberrant growth forms in trees; and morphological abnormalities in aphids. These findings are discussed from the perspective of conservation biology.     

Application of in-situ measurement to determine Cs in the Swiss Alps

Establishment of ¹³⁷Cs inventories is often used to gain information on soil stability. The latter is crucial in mountain systems, where ecosystem stability is tightly connected to soil stability. In-situ measurements of ¹³⁷Cs in steep alpine environments are scarce. Most studies have been carried out in arable lands and with Germanium (Ge) detectors. Sodium Iodide (NaI) detector system is an inexpensive and easy to handle field instrument, but its validity on steep alpine environments has not been tested yet. In this study, a comparison of laboratory measurements with GeLi detector and in-situ measurements with NaI detector of ¹³⁷Cs gamma soil radiation has been done in an alpine catchment with high ¹³⁷Cs concentration (Urseren Valley, Switzerland). The aim of this study was to calibrate the in-situ NaI detector system for application on steep alpine slopes. Replicate samples from an altitudinal transect through the Urseren Valley, measured in the laboratory with a GeLi detector, showed a large variability in ¹³⁷Cs activities at a meter scale. This small-scale heterogeneity determined with the GeLi detector is smoothed out by uncollimated in-situ measurements with the NaI detector, which provides integrated estimates of ¹³⁷Cs within the field of view (3.1 m²) of each measurement. There was no dependency of ¹³⁷Cs on pH, clay content and carbon content, but a close relationship was determined between measured ¹³⁷Cs activities and soil moisture. Thus, in-situ data must be corrected for soil moisture. Close correlation (R² = 0.86, p < 0.0001) was found for ¹³⁷Cs activities (in Bq kg⁻¹) estimated with in-situ (NaI detector) and laboratory (GeLi detector) methods. We thus concluded that the NaI detector system is a suitable tool for in-situ measurements in alpine environments. This paper describes the calibration of the NaI detector system for field application under elevated ¹³⁷Cs activities originating from Chernobyl fallout.     

Ecological half-life of Cs in mosses and lichens in the Ordu province,Turkey by Cevik and Celik

Twenty-one years after the Chernobyl accident, lichen and moss samples were collected from the Ordu province, which was already chosen for a related study some years ago. It was observed that ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration ranged from 31 to 469 Bq kg⁻¹ in the moss and from 132 to 1508 Bq kg⁻¹ in the lichen samples. The decrease of the activity concentrations in the present measurements (2007) relative to those in 1997 (over a period of 10 y) indicated ecological half-lives between 1.8 and 10.4 y for the moss and between 2.1 and 13.7 y for the lichen samples. It was observed that ¹³⁷Cs was still eminent in the area studied. Moreover, ⁴⁰K activity concentrations and K element concentrations were measured and their relationships were discussed.     

Fallout in the New York metropolitan area following the chernobyl accident

In the metropolitan New York area, maximum concentrations in air of radioactive aerosol and gaseous debris from the Chernobyl accident of April 1986 were much lower than those measured in Europe. The observed maxima were: for gaseous ¹³¹I, 23mBq m⁻³; for aerosol samples, 20mBq m⁻³ of ¹³¹I and 9·mBq m⁻³ of ¹³⁷Cs. The data suggest that little gas-to-particle transformation of iodine occurred during transport of the radioactive cloud from the Ukraine to New York. The ratios of ¹⁰³Ru and other refractories to ¹³⁷Cs were low in the first debris sampled, debris which probably was emitted from Chernobyl in late April during the early stages of the accident. In subsequent samples these ratios were higher, presumably because debris from the later, hotter stages of the fire had reached our sampling sites. A significant fraction (25–40%) of the deposition of ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs into our samplers and on grass was by dry deposition. The total deposition of Chernobyl ¹³⁷Cs in the area was <1% of that already present in the soil from fallout from past nuclear weapon tests. The highest concentration of ¹³¹I measured in fresh milk was about 1.5 B1 liter⁻¹, <0.1% of the US action level. The dose to the thyroid of a six-month-old infant who had fresh milk as a sole food source would be about 70 μGy (7 mrad).     

Studies of 131I, 137Cs and 103Ru in milk,meat and vegetables in North East Scotland following the Chernobyl accident

Uptake and clearance of radionuclides in foodstuffs have been studied in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen in North East Scotland following the Chernobyl accident. The level of¹³¹ I in goats' milk was 100–200 Bq litre⁻¹ in early May and declined with an effective half-life of 4sd3 days, but that in cows' milk was only a few Bq litre⁻¹ as most cattle were kept indoors. ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁰³Ru activities in broccoli declined with effective half-lives of 11 and 6 days respectectively, while ¹³⁷Cs in grass decresed with a half-life of 22 days, the reduction appearing to show a relationship to weekly rainfall. Studies of tissues from groups of lambs initially grazed on contaminated pasture and later (a) fed indoors on concentrates or (b) continuing to graze outdoors, showed the ¹³⁷Cs concentrations to decline with half-lives of (a) 17 days and (b) 25 days, while the half-lives describing the reduction in total ¹³⁷Cs activity were (a) 20 days and (b) 35 days.     

Radioactivity measurements in moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and lichen (Cladonia rangiformis) samples collected from Marmara region of Turkey

The present study was conducted to compare the ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U activity concentrations in epigeic moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and lichen (Cladonia rangiformis). The activity levels in 37 moss and 38 lichen samples collected from the Marmara region of Turkey were measured using a gamma spectrometer equipped with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U in the moss samples were found to be in the range of 0.36-8.13, 17.1-181.1, 1.51-6.17, and 0.87-6.70 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively, while these values were below detection limit (BDL)-4.32, 16.6-240.0, 1.32-6.47, and BDL-3.57 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively in lichen. The average moss/lichen activity ratios of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²³⁸U were found to be 1.32 ± 0.57, 2.79 ± 1.67, 2.11 ± 0.82, and 2.19 ± 1.02, respectively. Very low ¹³⁷Cs concentrations were observed in moss and lichen samples compared to soil samples collected from the same locations in a previous study. Seasonal variations of the measured radionuclide activities were also examined in the three sampling stations.     

Level and origin of 129I and 137Cs in lichen samples (Cladonia alpestris) in central Sweden

Lichen is a symbiosis between algae and fungi. They have for decades been used as bioindicators for atmospheric deposition of heavy metals, organic compounds and radioactive elements. Especially the species Cladonia alpestris and Cladonia rangiferina are important for the food chain lichen-reindeer-man.The concentration of ¹²⁹I was determined in lichen samples (Cladonia alpestris) contaminated by fallout from atmospheric nuclear tests explosions and the Chernobyl accident. The samples were collected at Lake Rogen District (62.3°N, 12.4°E) in central Sweden in the periods 1961-1975 and 1987-1998, and analysed with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at CNA (Seville) to study its distribution in different layers. Data on the ¹³⁷Cs activity measured previously were also included in this study. The ¹²⁹I concentration ranged from (0.95 ± 0.13) × 10⁸ at g⁻¹ in 1961 in the uppermost layer to (14.2 ± 0.5) × 10⁸ at g⁻¹ in 1987 in deepest layer. The ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs atom ratio ranged between 0.12 and 0.27 for lichen samples collected in the period 1961-1975, indicating weapons tests fallout. For lichen samples collected between 1987 and 1998 the behaviour of ¹³⁷Cs concentrations reflected Chernobyl fallout. The concentrations of the two radionuclides followed each other quite well in the profile, reflecting the same origin for both.From the point of view of the spatial distribution in the lichen, it appears that ¹²⁹I was predominantly accumulated in the lowest layer, the opposite to ¹³⁷Cs for which the highest amounts were detected systematically in the topmost layer of lichen. This vertical distribution is important for radioecology because lichen is the initial link in the food chain lichen-reindeer-man, and reindeer only graze the upper parts of lichen carpets.     

Radioactive impact of Fukushima accident on the Iberian Peninsula: evolution and plume previous pathway

High activity concentrations of several man-made radionuclides (such as (131)I, (132)I, (132)Te, (134)Cs and (137)Cs) have been detected along the Iberian Peninsula from March 28th to April 7th 2011. The analysis of back-trajectories of air masses allowed us to demonstrate that the levels of manmade radionuclide activity concentrations in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula come from the accident produced in the nuclear power plant of Fukushima. The pathway followed by the radioactive plume from Fukushima into Huelva (southwest of the Iberian Peninsula) was deduced through back-trajectories analysis, and this fact was also verified by the activity concentrations measured of those radionuclides reported in places crossed by this radioactive cloud. In fact, activity concentrations reported by E.P.A., and by IAEA, in several places of Japan, Pacific Ocean and United States of America are according to the expected ones from the air mass trajectory arriving at Huelva province.     

Chernobyl radionuclides in shellfish

Radionuclides from the Chernobyl accident arrived at Monaco on 30 April, 1986. A sample of Mytilus galloprovincialis collected six days later showed near-maximum levels of most radionuclides. Monitoring continued for seven months thereafter, peak concentrations being transiently as high as 480 Bq kg⁻¹ (all soft parts, wet weight) for ¹⁰³Ru. Other radionuclides detected included ¹³²Te, ^129mTe, ¹³¹I, ¹⁰⁶Ru, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ^110mAg, ¹⁴⁰Ba, ¹²⁵Sb, ⁹⁵Nb and ¹⁴¹Ce. Biological half-lives for elimination in this environment were generally around 10 days or longer and most elimination curves contained a number of components. Radionuclide contents of the mussels were predicted quite accurately from concentrations observed on air filters collected simultaneously, but were not satisfactorily explained relative to total radionuclide concentrations in the seawater even three days after peak air filter activities. The use of concentration factors from the literature did not improve the latter predictions. This suggests that the radionuclides were absorbed very rapidly from the fallout particles, rather than from radionuclides first solubilised from particles. Patella lusitanica specimens contained activities about 20–50 times higher than those in the mussels.     

Correlations between potassium, rubidium and cesium ((133)Cs and (137)Cs) in sporocarps of Suillus variegatus in a Swedish boreal forest

An analysis of sporocarps of ectomycorrhizal fungi Suillus variegatus assessed whether cesium (¹³³Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) uptake was correlated with potassium (K) or rubidium (Rb) uptake. The question was whether intraspecific correlations of Rb, K and ¹³³Cs mass concentrations with ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in sporocarps were higher within, rather than among, different fungal species, and if genotypic origin of sporocarps within a population affected uptake and correlation. Sporocarps (n = 51) from a Swedish forest population affected by the fallout after the Chernobyl accident were studied. The concentrations were 31.9 ± 6.79 g kg⁻¹ for K (mean ± SD, dwt), 0.40 ± 0.09 g kg⁻¹ for Rb, 8.7 ± 4.36 mg kg⁻¹ for ¹³³Cs and 63.7 ± 24.2 kBq kg⁻¹ for ¹³⁷Cs. The mass concentrations of ¹³³Cs correlated with ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations (r = 0.61). There was correlation between both ¹³³Cs concentrations (r = 0.75) and ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations (r = 0.44) and Rb, but the ¹³⁷Cs/¹³³Cs isotopic ratio negatively correlated with Rb concentration. Concentrations of K and Rb were weakly correlated (r = 0.51). The ¹³³Cs mass concentrations, ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations and ¹³⁷Cs/¹³³Cs isotopic ratios did not correlate with K concentrations. No differences between, within or, among genotypes in S. variegatus were found. This suggested the relationships between K, Rb, ¹³³Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in sporocarps of S. variegatus is similar to other fungal species.