Radioactive traces of Chernobyl found in 23 parks in Attica

Radioactive traces linked to Chernobyl have been found in 23 parks in Attica, according to a study by the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory of the Hellenic National University in Athens.

Newspaper publication “Τα Νέα” reports that the study detected the presence of cesium-137 (Cs-137), which is one of the most common fission products of uranium. As the publication notes, the highest levels reaching almost 86 Bq/kg were recorded near the university park, while in some other green urban complexes, for example, in Kallithea and Tavros, the figures were insignificant.

Scientists make it clear that the levels found by their recent studies well below the danger threshold, but they are an indicator of the continued presence of cesium, which takes 30 years to have a half-life.

“The samples were measured and studied in the ECPA Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory using modern radiation detectors, with a well-calibrated system, in the context of the thesis of Phoebus Gelatsoras. And because we want information was open to the publicin collaboration with researcher Pavlos Krassakis, we created interactive mapa dedicated geospatial distribution information system, with opportunities for future updating and expansion of the data,” said Theodoros Mertzimekis, Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Physics at ECPA.

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