January 31, 2023 We held an IER Special Seminar.＜Prof. Kashparov＞

In some of the classes of the Master’s Program of Major in Environmental Radioactivity, distinguished external researchers are invited as guest lecturers, and their classes are open to other faculty members on campus as “Special Seminars”.

On January 31, Guest Speaker Prof. Valerii Kashparov gave an online lecture on the subject “Terrestrial Radioecology”. The lecture was attended by the IER Graduate School Master student as well as by the IER members and visiting researcher. In his lecture, Prof. Kashparov talked about the uptake into foliar and roots of different radionuclides by different plant species and factors that can modify the uptake intensities, such as soil type, physical-chemical forms of radionuclides, contents of moisture, organic matter, and competing ions (nutrients) in the soil, etc. Prof. Kashparov also presented the permissible levels (national standards) of radionuclides in food and farm products in different countries, and stated the application and efficiency of an extensive list of countermeasures (removal of contaminated soil, adding clean soil, shallow and deep plowing, skimming and burying soil, fertilizing, liming, application of Prussian blue, processing of food products, clean feeding of animals, etc.), and gave examples of software developed for decision support on the application of countermeasures based on a cost-benefit analysis taking into account local conditions. The audience actively participated in the Q&A session, which covered issues related to the uncertainties in radiological assessments when operating with recommended values of transfer factors, the application of Prussian blue in fisheries and livestock, production of ethanol and alcoholic beverages from radioactively contaminated plant products, setting permissible levels for food and farm products, and others.