Microdistribution of 241Am in structures of submerged macrophyte Elodea canadensis growing in the Yenisei River

A submerged macrophyte of the Yenisei River, Elodea canadensis, was used to study the microdistribution of the artificial radionuclide 241Am among different components of the plant. The total amount of 241Am added to the experimental system was 1850 ± 31 Bq/L. The total amount of 241Am accumulated by the plants was 182 Bq per sample, or 758,333 ± 385 Bq/kg dry mass. It has been found that the major portion of 241Am accumulated by E. canadensis, up to 85%, was bound to solid components of the cells. It is observed that the microdistribution of 241Am within different components of the submerged plant E. canadensis was not uniform. 241Am distribution vary depending on the age of the leaf blades, the state of the cells and morphological features of the plant stem.