Association of dissolved radionuclides released by the Chernobyl accident with colloidal materials in surface water

Title: Association of dissolved radionuclides released by the Chernobyl accident with colloidal materials in surface water

Author: Matsunaga, Takeshi / Nagao, Seiya / Ueno, Takashi / Takeda, Seiji / Amano, Hikaru / Tkachenko, Yu.

Reference: Applied Geochemistry, 19 (10), p.1581-1599, Oct 2004

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2004.02.002

Keywords: radionuclides, 137Cs, 90Sr, Plutonium, colloids

Abstract: The association of dissolved ⁹⁰Sr, ^239,240Pu and ²⁴¹Am with natural colloids was investigated in surface waters in the Chernobyl nuclear accident area. A 4-step ultrafiltration (UF) study (239,240Pu and 76% of ²⁴¹Am are distributed in colloids of the two size fractions larger than 10 kDa (nominal molecular weight limit of the filter, NMWL), while ⁹⁰Sr was found exclusively (85–88%) in the lowest molecular size fraction below 1 kDa (NMWL) for the Sahan River water at the highly contaminated area close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP). Consistent results were obtained by 2-step fractionation (larger than and smaller than 10 kDa (NMWL)) for river and lake waters including other locations within about 30 km away from ChNPP. It is likely that Pu and Am isotopes were preferentially associated with dissolved organic matter of high molecular size, as suggested by the fact that (i) only a few inorganic elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, Si, Mn, Al) were found in the colloidal size ranges, and (ii) the positive correlation between dissolved organic C (DOC) concentrations and UV absorbance at 280 nm, a broad absorption peak characteristic of humic substances (HS) was found. A model calculation on the complexation of Pu and Am with HS as an organic ligand suggests that the complexed form could be dominant at a low DOC concentration of 1 mgC L⁻¹, that is commonly encountered as a lower limit in fresh surface water. The present results suggest the general importance of natural organic colloids in dictating the chemical form of actinides in the surface aquatic environment.

URL: http://www.experts.scival.com/kanazawa/pubDetail.asp?id=2942700456&o_id=36

Radioecological investigation of food of animal origin in Belgrade environment.

Title: Radioecological investigation of food of animal origin in Belgrade environment.

Author: Gordana, Vitorović / Svetlana, Grdović / Branislava, Mitrović / Milan, Obradović / Branko, Petrujkić

Reference: The Japanese journal of veterinary research, 57 (3), p.169-173, Nov 2009

Keywords: food, animals, Belgrade, 137Cs

Abstract: The activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, 232Th and 137Cs were measured using gamma spectrometric method in different food chain samples from Serb Belgrade environment during the periods May-June 2007 and May-June 2008 year. Relatively high activities of 40K and 137Cs were detected in the soil. These results indicate that 137Cs is present in Belgrade environment even 20 years after nuclear accident in Chernobyl. However, in the samples of feedstuffs, animal products and bio indicators (meat of wild animals and fish), activity concentrations of primordial radionuclides and 137Cs were low and below the detection limits. Results of these trials have shown that investigated animal products from the natural environment around Belgrade, are radioactivity safe.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20025125?dopt=Abstract

Molecular and isotopic records of the combustion inputs to the environment over the last 250 yrs

Title: Molecular and isotopic records of the combustion inputs to the environment over the last 250 yrs

Author: Lima, Ana Lúcia Cessel de, 1969-

Reference: Thesis (Ph. D.)–Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2004.

Keywords: Carbon-14, Carbon-13, 137Cs, hydrocarbons

Abstract: The most ubiquitous source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the environment is incomplete combustion. This study generated a high-resolution historical record of pyrogenic PAH emissions since pre-industrial times from anoxic aquatic sediments, allowing for detailed comparison with energy consumption data. We show that an increase in PAH concentrations over the last decade may be due to a rise in emissions from diesel-powered vehicles. Compound-specific radiocarbon measurements demonstrated unequivocally that the proportion of PAHs derived from fossil fuel combustion has increased substantially during the 20th century. [delta]¹³C and [delta]¹⁴C measurements were also used to constrain the relative importance of combustion versus in situ production as sources of perylene. In addition, a comparison of the down-core concentration and isotopic profiles of black carbon (BC) generated by a combination of chemical and/or thermal oxidation methods highlighted the limitations of these methods when applied to sedimentary matrices. Finally, parallel lead and cesium isotopic records revealed two new potential stratigraphic markers in North American sedimentary records. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb profiles show a distinct peak in the mid-19th century, while a ¹³⁷Cs peak was found to coincide with the 1986 Chernobyl accident.

URL: http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/39413

Seasonal 7 Be and 137 Cs activities in surface air before and after the Chernobyl event

Title: Seasonal 7 Be and 137 Cs activities in surface air before and after the Chernobyl event

Author: Kulan, A.

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 90 (2), p.140-150, Jan 2006

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2006.06.010

Keywords: ⁷Be; ¹³⁷Cs; Atmosphere; Aerosols; Chernobyl fallout; Nuclear weapons fallout; Sweden; Europe

Abstract: Seasonal fluctuations of cosmogenic ⁷Be (T_1/2 = 53.4 days) and anthropogenic ¹³⁷Cs (T_1/2 = 30 years) activities in surface air (aerosols) have been extracted from a long data record (1972–2000) at high latitude (56°N–68°N, Sweden). Normalization to weekly average values was used to control long-term trends so that cyclical trends could be investigated. Enhanced ⁷Be activity was observed in spring and summer seasons and likely relates to the seasonal thinning of the tropopause. Variations in the ¹³⁷Cs activity record seem to reflect how the isotope was injected in the atmosphere (stratospheric from bomb tests and tropospheric from the Chernobyl accident) and subsequent transport mechanisms. Accordingly, until 1986, the surface air ¹³⁷Cs activity was strongly related to nuclear weapons test fallout and exhibits temporal fluctuations resembling the ⁷Be. Conversely, since 1986 the Chernobyl-produced ¹³⁷Cs dominates the long-term record that shows annual cycles that are strongly controlled by atmospheric boundary layer conditions. Additionally, short-term data within the post-Chernobyl period suggest subtle intrusion of air masses rich in ¹³⁷Cs that may occur throughout the year, and differences resulting from spatial occurrence at these latitudes. This is an important observation that may have to do with year-to-year variation and calls for caution when interpreting short-term data records.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X06001032

Radiation Exposures Due to the Chernobyl Accident

Title: Radiation Exposures Due to the Chernobyl Accident

Author: Balonov, M. / Bouville, A.

Reference: Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, Jan 2011

ISBN:9780444522726

Keywords: Background radiation; Cesium-137; Chernobyl accident; Effective dose; Environmental consequences; Environmental transfer; Exposure pathways; External dose; Health consequences; Internal dose; Iodine-131; Radionuclide; Thyroid dose

Abstract: …exposure such as the Chernobyl accident, living…Pathways Related to the Chernobyl Accident…environment, such as the Chernobyl accident, is required…accident was an elevated thyroid cancer incidence in children…

URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444522726000866

Model testing using data on 137Cs from Chernobyl fallout in the Iput River catchment area of Russia

Title: Model testing using data on ¹³⁷Cs from Chernobyl fallout in the Iput River catchment area of Russia

Author: Thiessen, K.M.; Sazykina, T.G.; Apostoaei, A.I.; Balonov, M.I.; Crawford, J.; Domel, R.; Fesenko, S.V.; Filistovic, V.; Galeriu, D.; Homma, T.; Kanyar, B.; Krajewski, P.; Kryshev, A.I.; Kryshev, I.I.; Nedveckaite, T.; Ould-Dada, Z.; Sanzharova, N.I.; Robinson, C.; Sjoblom, K.-L.

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2005, vol.84, no.2, pp. 225-44

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.10.016

Keywords: Cesium-137; Model testing; Dose reconstruction; Chernobyl

Abstract: Data collected for 10 years following the Chernobyl accident in 1986 have provided a unique opportunity to test the reliability of computer models for contamination of terrestrial and aquatic environments. The Iput River scenario was used by the Dose Reconstruction Working Group of the BIOMASS (Biosphere Modelling and Assessment Methods) programme. The test area was one of the most highly contaminated areas in Russia following the accident, with an average contamination density of ¹³⁷Cs of 800,000 Bq m⁻² and localized contamination up to 1,500,000 Bq m⁻², and a variety of countermeasures that were implemented in the test area had to be considered in the modelling exercise. Difficulties encountered during the exercise included averaging of data to account for uneven contamination of the test area, simulating the downward migration and changes in bioavailability of ¹³⁷Cs in soil, and modelling the effectiveness of countermeasures. The accuracy of model predictions is dependent at least in part on the experience and judgment of the participant in interpretation of input information, selection of parameter values, and treatment of uncertainties.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X05001499

The mobility of Chernobyl-derived 137Cs in a peatbog system within the catchment of the Pripyat River, Belarus

• Title: The mobility of Chernobyl-derived 137Cs in a peatbog system within the catchment of the Pripyat River, Belarus

Author: A Kudelsky, Jim Smith, S Ovsiannikova and J Hilton

Reference: Elsevier, 1996

doi: 10.1016/0048-9697  

Keywords: Pripyat,River,Soil, Belarus,137Cs

Abstract: The behaviour of Chernobyl-derived 137Cs in a hydrologically isolated bog system in the catchment of the Pripyat river in Belarus was investigated. Measurements were made of 137Cs activities in the solids and pore waters of the bog soils, as well as the variability in activity in water draining from the bog. It was found that the radiocaesium activity of the pore water, and hence the measured distribution coefficient, Kd, was dependent upon the pressure at which the water was removed from the soil.

URL: http://www.mendeley.com/research/mobility-chernobyl-derived-137cs-peatbog-system-within-catchment-pripyat-river-belarus/

Radiation-induced impacts on the degradation of 2,4-D and the microbial population in soil microcosms

Title: Radiation-induced impacts on the degradation of 2,4-D and the microbial population in soil microcosms

Author: Niedrée, Bastian / Vereecken, Harry / Burauel, Peter

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 115, p.168-174, Jan 2013                

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.08.008

Keywords: Mineralization; 2,4-D, Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹⁴C; Chernobyl

Abstract: ► We observed the impact of contamination with Cs-137 and Sr-90 on soil functions. ► The contamination went up to 30-fold of that in the 30 km Chernobyl zone. ► The radioactive contamination inhibited the 2,4-D mineralization temporary. ► The bacterial and fungal community structure was also affected.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X12002159

A comparison of 90Sr and 137Cs uptake in plants via three pathways at two Chernobyl-contaminated sites.

• Title: A comparison of 90Sr and 137Cs uptake in plants via three pathways at two Chernobyl-contaminated sites.

Author: Malek, M A / Hinton, T G / Webb, S B

Reference: Journal of environmental radioactivity, 58 (2-3), p.129-141, Jan 2002

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0265-931X(01)00062-5

Keywords: Foliar absorption; Resuspension; Soil loading; ¹³⁷Cs; ⁹⁰Sr; Root uptake; Risk

Abstract: Foliar absorption of resuspended 90Sr, root uptake and contamination adhering to leaf surfaces (i.e. soil loading) were compared at two Chernobyl-contaminated sites, Chistogalovka and Polesskoye. Although foliar absorption of resuspended 90Sr was quantifiable, its contribution amounted to less than 10% of the plants’ total, above-ground contamination.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X01000625

Ecological half-life of 137Cs in lichens in an alpine region.

• Title: Ecological half-life of 137Cs in lichens in an alpine region.

Author: Machart, Peter / Hofmann, Werner / Türk, Roman / Steger, Ferdinand

Reference: Journal of environmental radioactivity, 97 (1), p.70-75, Jan 2007

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2007.05.003

Keywords: Ecological half-life; ¹³⁷Cs; Activity concentrations; Lichens

Abstract: About 17 years after the Chernobyl accident, lichen samples were collected in an alpine region in Austria (Bad Gastein), which was heavily contaminated by the Chernobyl fallout. Measured 137Cs activity concentrations in selected lichens (Cetraria islandica, Cetraria cucullata, and Cladonia arbuscula) ranged from 100 to 1100 Bq kg(-1) dry weight, depending on lichen species and sampling site.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X07001208