Dynamic equilibrium of radiocesium with stable cesium within the soil–mushroom system in Turkish pine forest

Mushrooms and soils collected from pine forests in İzmir, Turkey were measured for radiocesium and stable Cs in 2002. The ranges of 137Cs and stable Cs concentrations in mushrooms were 9.84 ± 1.67 to 401 ± 3.85 Bq kg−1 dry weight and 0.040 ± 0.004 to 11.3 ± 1.09 mg kg−1 dry weight, respectively. The concentrations of 137Cs and stable Cs in soils were 0.29 ± 0.18 to 161 ± 1.12 Bq kg−1 dry weight and 0.14 ± 0.004 to 1.44 ± 0.045 mg kg−1 dry weight, respectively. Even though different species were included, the concentration ratios of 137Cs to stable Cs were fairly constant for samples collected at the same forest site, and were in the same order of magnitude as the 137Cs to stable Cs ratios for the organic soil layers. The soil-to-mushroom transfer factors of 137Cs and stable Cs were in the range of 0.19–3.15 and 0.17–12.3, respectively. The transfer factors of 137Cs were significantly correlated to those of stable Cs.