Indicators of the Fukushima radioactive release in NW Romania

As a result of the Fukushima nuclear release, I-131 was found in different environmental media (rainwater, sheep and cow milk, herbage, sheep meat and thyroid tissue) in north-west Romania. On April 4, 2011 a maximum value of 1.40 +/- 0.21 Bq/L in I-131 activity was found in rainwater obtained from the Arad region. The obtained value corresponded with the maximum of I-131 concentration in air, as measured by Toma et al. (2011) for the Pitesti area. One day later, sheep milk from the Cluj area was found to contain a maximum activity of 9.22 +/- 0.95 Bq/L A value of 0.85 +/- 0.07 mu Sv was calculated as the total monthly effective dose received by the population as a result of the ingestion of sheep milk and sheep meat contaminated with I-131. Only rainwater samples contained Cs-134 and Cs-137 at levels close to minimum detectable activity. Since the determined values could be influenced by Chernobyl Cs-137, the Cs-137 concentrations are subject to uncertainty. The radioiodine transfer coefficients (Fm) and the concentration ratio (CR) from herbage to sheep milk, as well as sheep meat, from the Cluj-Apahida area are also presented. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.