Transfer of uranium and radium to Chinese cabbage from soil containing elevated levels of natural radionuclides

The transfer of ²³⁸U and ²²⁶Ra to Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt) was investigated from soils contaminated with uranium-mill tailings (UMT) by means of a pot experiment in laboratory-based conditions applying different levels of soil contamination under various growing conditions. Activity concentrations for ²²⁶Ra in Chinese cabbage varied from 56-276, 156-502 and 277-877 Bq kg^-1 dry mass for 20, 40 and 60 % of UMT content in the soil, respectively, and for ²³⁸U from 1.0-2.3 and 2.3-4.7 Bq kg-1 dry mass for 40 and 60 % of UMT content in the soil, respectively. The results showed increased accumulation of ²²⁶Ra and low accumulation of ²³⁸U in cabbage leaves in more contaminated soil. (author)