He set up an ’ecological centre’ in the little room at the school with apparatus that could measure the content of caesium in foodstuffs. Furthermore he acquired some apparatus to measure nitrates, pH values, potassium and phosphorus. ”It’s important, because if plants contain caesium, strontium and nitrates then they become incredibly dangerous to eat.”
The pupils were involved in identifying the cleanest and the most contaminated zones around the village. Radioactivity was charted on maps of the local forest and fields around the village. By knowing where the invisible pollution was located they could recommend where berries and mushrooms could be gathered safely.
”These were the first results of the milk, berry and mushroom investigation,” says Alexander and brings out some old school posters. ” There is also information about radioactivity in game and fish in reservoirs with stagnant water. Birch tree juice is pure. In the birch tree wood behind the school the ground is contaminated with 4 curies of radiation but the birch tree juice is clean. Why? Because most of the radioactivity is found in the uppermost 15 cm of the soil, while birch tree roots go deeper.”
All our recommendations are geared towards teaching children how to make food safely, how to get ’completely’ clean food from ’relatively’ clean food using technology,” says Alexander of the teaching project.
After Alexander retired there were no other teachers to take over this important area of instruction. ”I can see that teaching in radioactivity is going on as it should in the places where they have some knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers,” says Alexander. ”But unfortunately there is no system”.
In southern Belarus radioactivity has been a fixed part of everyday life for the last 20 years. So it is surprising that it hasn’t been an obligatory part of the schools’ curriculum over a long period. Alexander thinks that if people in the ministries - or even just the local school inspector - knew more then their knowledge would spread downwards in the orthodox country. ”We obey the law. We do the things we’re expected to do.”
”Our people have a problem. They’re lazy and irresponsible with regard to their health,” Alexander says critically. ”Even young people with babies don’t care about contamination, although they know they shouldn’t eat berries, mushrooms and milk. ’We’ve survived for 20 years and hopefully we’ll live another 20 just fine,’ they say”.
In agriculture attempts are made to prevent radioactivity getting into foodstuffs by spreading calcium, dolomite and potassium on the fields. This serves to block strontium and caesium but, on the other hand, these elements remain in the soil. Alexander is of the opinion that the soil can be completely rid of radioactive elements, but only through the use of plants.
”We conducted an experiment for four years. We took 10 plants from the legume family and sowed them. We measured the radioactivity levels in the soil in the spring and autumn. We were able to measure how much radioactivity was ’sucked’ out per year. At the same time we took measurements from the plants themselves. The conclusion was that many plants ’suck out’ radioactivity. But these are plants that are not economically profitable. For example, lupines are very effective but they become highly poisonous and can’t be used afterwards. You have to bury them in soil that isn’t going to be used. Clover is also effective but it’s a biennial plant and it can’t suck out everything. So we selected a perennial white clover. It sucks out radioactive nuclides and has a number of other advantages. It can survive even if it’s trodden on. It can be eaten and it grows rapidly. All sorts of animals can eat it, it contains a lot of protein and it gives good honey.”
２-４
