Radiation-ecological and toxicological characterization of the Uzh river water

The hydrosphere is one of the main tanks, which eventually received artificial radionuclides produced in nuclear explosions and in the operation of nuclear power plants. When accidents at nuclear power plants, in particular the Chernobyl large contribution to the total emissions of radioactivity have long-lived radionuclides — 90Sr and 137Cs. Sources of contamination of river water after the accident were like immediate loss of aerosols on the water surface, and radionuclide contaminated surface water runoff from the watershed and soil particles during the rainy or melting snow, a local radionuclide contaminated tributaries waters that it led to their entry into the rivers and the transfer to the water streams down to the Black Sea. Migration of the latter in the aquatic environment is considered in this article. We determined the concentration of artificial radionuclides in the waters of the river Uzh on the territory of Kiev region and their danger to fish fauna. It has been found that 137Cs and 90Sr in water are mainly in the form of solution. Also, the vast amount of radionuclides in the ecosystem is situated in bottom sediments. As a result of the Chernobyl accident radionuclide contamination of aquatic ecosystems has become a permanent factor of influence on the life of aquatic organisms. Comparison of 90Sr and 137Cs in fish with different types of food shows that ichthyophagi contained more radionuclides than planktonofagi. Pit-trap polluted sludge played a significant role for water purification process from radionuclides.