Airborne radioiodine in northern Serbia from Fukushima

The results obtained with the monitoring system set up to assess the impact of the Fukushima accident on the environment of Vojvodina (Northern Province of Serbia) are presented and discussed. Aerosol, rain, fresh milk and spinach samples were collected daily in the weeks following the accident. In the aerosol samples, 131I activity concentrations of several mBq m−3 were measured, while in rain, milk and spinach samples, 131I levels had values in a range of (0.3–1.7) Bq kg−1. These are the first results on the impact of the Fukushima accident on the Pannonian basin region. Our results are compared with the reported values from other parts of the world.

► I-131 from the Fukushima power plant was detected in the northern part of Serbia. ► In the aerosol samples the activity concentration of 131I has been measured to be of mBq m−3 order of magnitude. ► The concentrations of 131I in the rain, milk and spinach samples were in the range of (0.3–1.7) Bq kg−1. ► The time distributions of airborne I-131 during March–April of 2011 in the USA, Germany, Serbia and Greece are compared.