DOI: 10.2478/fv-2018-0006 FOLIA VETERINARIA, 62, 1: 38—43, 2018 MONITORING OF 137CS AND 40K IN THE LEVICE DISTRICT, SOUTHERN SLOVAKIA Kanta, M., Beňová, K. Department of Biology and Genetics, Institute of biology, zoology and radiobiology University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 04181 Košice Slovakia
[email protected] ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION The contamination of the environment, soil and The natural environment is exposed to various chemical meat of wild animals with radionuclides can negatively contaminants, including the radioactive elements; some of affect human health. The aim of our study was to anal- them long-lived naturally occurring radionuclides. There yse the risk arising from post-Chernobyl contamination are approximately 60 natural radionuclides and one of the of the meat of wild boars (Sus scrofa) originating from most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust is 40K that re- the district Levice, southern Slovakia, with the radioac- mains to this point of time [9]. Another source of radioac- tive artificial element 137Cs. The level of natural radionu- tivity has a cosmogenic origin and is the result of interac- clide 40K was also determined. We examined altogether tion between certain gases in the atmosphere and cosmic 45 samples obtained from 9 wild boars hunted in this rays. Besides such sources of naturally occurring radiation area during the period of 2013—2015. From each ani- exposure, the natural environment may be subjected to ra- mal we collected and analysed samples from the thigh, dioactive contamination caused by human activity includ- stomach contents, stomach muscles and skin. We also ing nuclear weapon tests, the accidents of nuclear power examined samples of soil from the locations where these plants, and processing or storage of nuclear fuel and waste.