Plutonium isotopes 238 Pu , 239 + 240 Pu and 241 Pu in the Baltic Sea ecosystem

Wet and dry atmospheric fallout from nuclear weapon tests is one of the most important sources of plutonium in the Baltic Sea. The other sources: plutonium releases from spent fuel facilities in Sellafield (UK) and Cap de la Hague (France) are less important. Since 26 April 1986 it has been a new source of plutonium – Chernobyl plutonium, which should be taken under note in estimation of its radiological effects on the environment [2]. Experiments on plutonium sources in Gdańsk Bay and Gdańsk Basin indicated the main source of these radionuclides is rivers (mainly Vistula and Nemen) inflows which enrich these regions in 78% of its total content [6]. Marine plants and animals are capable to accumulate radionuclides from environment. That is why it is very important to recognize the impact of radionuclides on living organisms and possible transfer to human body through feeding way. In marine ecosystem the highest plutonium concentrations were found in sediments, but complex biogeochemical cycle of this element causes it is present in all environment compartments. The results of experiments indicate increasing of plutonium bioavailability in marine food chain of the southern Baltic Sea as a effect of its desorption from sediments and accumu-lation in benthic organisms [2−5]. This work presents results of determination of the most important α-emitting plutonium isotopes (Pu and Pu) in Baltic seawater, organisms and sediments samples and less known in the Baltic Sea environPlutonium isotopes Pu, Pu and Pu in the Baltic Sea ecosystem Dagmara I. Strumińska, Bogdan Skwarzec, Magdalena Mazurek-Pawlukowska