Scientists from the IGM SB RAS conducted a study in which they discovered that cesium-137, a radioactive isotope left after nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site, continued to settle in the south of Western Siberia even 20-30 years after the tests ended. This is due to the fact that the upper soil horizons, contaminated with cesium, rose into the air, which contributed to its secondary distribution.
The study was conducted by employees of the Laboratory of Geochemistry of Radioactive Elements and Ecogeochemistry of the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry SB RAS. Scientists selected 48 samples of attic dust from 44 points, covering various historical periods: pre-atomic, atomic, and post-atomic. The samples were analyzed for the content of cesium-137 and other man-made pollutants.
Analysis methods included atomic absorption and neutron activation analysis, as well as semiconductor gamma spectrometry to determine the concentration of radioactive isotopes. The study showed that nuclear tests left a deep mark on the region's ecosystem, and their consequences are felt even decades later.
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