Tritium content in lichens in the emergency protective action planning zone of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant

Authors

  • Viktar S. Averyn Gomel State Medical University image/svg+xml
  • Andrei G. Tsurykau Francisk Skorina Gomel State University image/svg+xml , Gomel State Medical University image/svg+xml
  • Andrey V. Mikhailov cAll-Russian Research Institute of Radiology and Agroecology of the National Research Center «Kurchatov Institute»

Keywords:

radiobiology, radioecology, environmental monitoring, lichen indication, nuclear energy
Supporting Agencies
The work was carried out within the framework of the State Program for Scientific Research “Natural Resources and the Environment,” subprogram “Radiation and Biological Systems,” task “Natural Resources and the Environment,” research project “Development of methods for biomonitoring inorganic pollutant levels in the emergency protective action planning zone of the Belarusian NPP impacted area based on lichen indication”.

Abstract

Lichens play a crucial role in environmental monitoring and assess the impact of industrial emissions. They are sensitive to a wide range of pollutants and reflect air quality and climate change. Lichens allow us to track the dynamics of pollutant accumulation, making them the most sensitive bioindicators of air pollution at the regional level. As part of the biomonitoring system for inorganic pollutants in the emergency protective planning zone of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, tritium levels in the thalli of the corticolous lichen Xanthoria parietina were determined. Thalli sampling was conducted within 16 sample plots established for long-term environmental monitoring, taking into account the occurrence and biomass of Xanthoria parietina in the emergency protective planning zone of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant. Tritium content in these samples was analyzed using a Tri-Carb 4810 spectrometer. Studies of tritium content in Xanthoria parietina thalli collected within the emergency protective planning zone of the Belarusian NPP revealed that the specific activity of this radionuclide in all samples was below the detection limit of the liquid scintillation spectrometry method used (20 Bq/kg dry weight). Trace amounts of tritium – 22 Bq/kg – were detected in the single lichen sample. The data obtained indicate that tritium emissions into the atmospheric air in the study area are either absent or below the detection limit of current analytical methods. Tritium activity in the ground-level air during the observation period did not exceed background levels typical for areas not affected by nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The contribution of emissions from the Belarusian NPP to tritium pollution of the atmospheric air is negligible and does not significantly affect the radioecological situation in the region. Continued monitoring studies using sample enrichment methods to detect ultra-low tritium concentrations in environmental samples are recommended.

Author Biographies

  • Viktar S. Averyn, Gomel State Medical University

    doctor of science (biology), professor; professor at the department of environmental and preventive
    medicine.

  • Andrei G. Tsurykau, Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Gomel State Medical University

    doctor of science (biology), professor; professor at the department of general and bioorganic chemistrya;
    professor at the department of biologyb

  • Andrey V. Mikhailov, cAll-Russian Research Institute of Radiology and Agroecology of the National Research Center «Kurchatov Institute»

    junior researcher

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Published

2026-06-12

Issue

No. 1 (2026): Journal of the Belarusian state university. Ecology

Section

Radioecology and Radiobiology, Radiation Safety

How to Cite

[1]
Averyn, V. et al. 2026. Tritium content in lichens in the emergency protective action planning zone of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant. Journal of the Belarusian State University. Ecology. 1 (Jun. 2026), 55–61.