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Radioactivity in rainwater following the chernobyl accident

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Summary

Rainfall is a widely-acknowledged vehicle for the removal and deposition at ground level of atmospheric-borne materials. The events following the Chernobyl accident demonstrated once again the importance of atmospheric conditions in dispersing, transporting and depositing pollutants. Much attention has been paid to the contamination of vegetation and food products, yet the quality of the contaminated rainwater has been overlooked. This paper reports and summarises the findings from Great Britain and Scandinavia and shows that the issue is far from simple or easily understood.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sunderland Polytechnic, Chester Road, SR1 3SD, Sunderland, UK

    Dennis A. Wheeler

Authors
  1. Dennis A. Wheeler
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Additional information

Dennis Wheeler is a member of the academic staff in The Geography Department at Sunderland Polytechnic. Throughout this paper the identity of actual recording sites in the UK has not been specified, merely the regions from which the data were gathered. This is in accordance with the wishes of the National Radiological Protection Board, UK.

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Wheeler, D.A. Radioactivity in rainwater following the chernobyl accident. Environmentalist 7, 31–34 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277203

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277203

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