137Cs activity concentration in soil of Alagoas State, Brazil

Authors :: Eduardo Paim Viglio
Jose Lopes
Leandro B. Silva
Ricardo Washington Dutra Garcêz
Ademir Xavier da Silva
Fernando Carlos Araujo Ribeiro
R.A. Filgueiras
Source :: Applied Radiation and Isotopes. 170:109607
Publication Year :: 2021
Publisher :: Elsevier BV, 2021.
Abstract: Cesium 137 is present in worldwide. To evaluate its deposition in the Brazilian state of Alagoas a total of 41 samples were collected by the Geological Survey of Brazil, then processed and analyzed by gamma-ray spectrometry with hyperpure germanium detectors. The activity concentration varied from (0.3 ± 0.1) Bq/kg to (1.1 ± 0.4) Bq/kg. The present study shows that the Borborema Plateau acts as a natural barrier to rainfall, favoring the deposition of 137Cs on the local soil.