Use of 129I and 137Cs in soils for the estimation of 131I deposition in Belarus as a result of the Chernobyl accident

Keywords: Chernobyl; ¹²⁹I; ¹³¹I; ¹³⁷Cs; Soils

Abstract: Using radioactivity measurements for ¹³¹I and ¹³⁷Cs and nuclear activation analysis (NAA) or accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for ¹²⁹I, ratios of ¹³¹I/¹³⁷Cs and ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs have been determined in soils from Belarus. We find that the pre-Chernobyl ratio of ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs in Belarus is significantly larger than expected from nuclear weapons fallout. For the Chernobyl accident, our results support the hypothesis that there was relatively little fractionation of iodine and caesium during migration and deposition of the radioactive cloud. For sites having ¹³⁷Cs >300 Bq/kg, ¹²⁹I can potentially give more reliable retroactive estimates of Chernobyl ¹³¹I deposition. However, our results suggest that ¹³⁷Cs can also give reasonably good (±50%) estimates for ¹³¹I in Belarus.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X01000807

Levels and trends of radioactive contaminants in the Greenland environment

Title: Levels and trends of radioactive contaminants in the Greenland environment

Author: Henning Dahlgaard, Mats Eriksson, Sven P. Nielsen, Hans Pauli Joensen

Reference: Science of the Total Environment. Sep2004, Vol. 331 Issue 1-3, p53-67. 15p.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.03.023

Keywords: Caesium-137; Strontium-90; Technetium-99; Plutonium-239-240; Polonium-210; Greenland; Environmental radioactivity

Abstract: Levels of radioactive contaminants in various Greenland environments have been assessed during 1999–2001. The source of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr and ^239,240Pu in terrestrial and fresh water environments is mainly global fallout. In addition, the Chernobyl accident gave a small contribution of ¹³⁷Cs. Reindeer and lamb contain the largest observed ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in the terrestrial environment—up to 80 Bq kg⁻¹ fresh weight have been observed in reindeer. Due to special environmental conditions, ¹³⁷Cs is transferred to landlocked Arctic char with extremely high efficiency in South Greenland leading to concentrations up to 100 Bq kg⁻¹ fresh weight. In these cases very long ecological half-lives are seen. Concentrations of ⁹⁹Tc, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in seawater and in marine biota decrease in the order North-East Greenland and the coastal East Greenland current>South-West Greenland>Central West Greenland and North-West Greenland>Irmiger Sea∼Faroe Islands. The general large-scale oceanic circulation combined with European coastal discharges and previous contamination of the Arctic Ocean causes this.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969704002025

High-resolution historical records from Pettaquamscutt River basin sediments: 1. 210Pb and varve chronologies validate record of 137Cs released by the Chernobyl accident

Title: High-resolution historical records from Pettaquamscutt River basin sediments: 1. ²¹⁰Pb and varve chronologies validate record of ¹³⁷Cs released by the Chernobyl accident

Author: Lima, Ana Lúcia; Hubeny, J. Bradford; Reddy, Christopher M.; King, John W.; Hughen, Konrad A.; Eglinton, Timothy I.

Reference: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Apr2005, Vol. 69 Issue 7, p1803-1812. 10p.

DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2004.10.009.

Keywords: Pettaquamscutt River, 210Pb, 137Cs, sediments

Abstract: Cesium-137 derived from the explosion of the Chernobyl reactor in 1986 was preserved in anoxic sediments from a coastal environment in southern Rhode Island. Although the radioactive plume was detected in surface air samples at several locations in the United States, this is the first known record of a Chernobyl ¹³⁷Cs peak in sediments from North America. The inventory of Chernobyl ¹³⁷Cs that was preserved in the Pettaquamscutt River is small compared to European counterparts and should only be detectable for the next 15–20 yr. However, the presence of two ¹³⁷Cs peaks (1963 and 1987) identifies a well-dated segment of the sediment column that could be exploited in understanding the decomposition and preservation of terrestrial and aquatic organic matter. Different methods for calculating the ²¹⁰Pb chronology were also evaluated in this study and checked against independent varve counting. The end result is a detailed chronology of a site well suited for reconstruction of historical records of environmental change.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703704007975

Long-term decline of 137 Cs concentration in honey in the second decade after the Chernobyl accident

Title: Long-term decline of 137 Cs concentration in honey in the second decade after the Chernobyl accident

Author: Panatto, Donatella / Gasparini, Roberto / Lai, Piero / Rovatti, Paola / Gallelli, Giovanni

Reference: Science of The Total Environment, 382 (1), p.147-152, Aug 2007

doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2007.03.040

Keywords: ¹³⁷Cs; Long-term decline; Honey

Abstract: In the years 2001–2004 the ¹³⁷Cs activity was investigated in a total of 336 samples of different varieties of honey harvested in the Liguria Region of Northern Italy. Our purpose was to define (a) residual radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl accident and ¹³⁷Cs long-term decline, (b) correlation between ¹³⁷Cs activity and different honey varieties, and (c) correlation between ¹³⁷Cs activity and the prevailing geomorphological configuration in the collection areas. The mean ¹³⁷Cs specific activity was 4.33 ± 5.04 S.D. Bq/kg. Chestnut honey showed higher levels of radioactive contamination, which were ascribed to the extensive, superficial and deep, root apparatus of the tree. Honey samples from acidic argillite soils, which withhold radionuclides after deposition and slowly release them to plants, also showed higher ¹³⁷Cs activity. Long-term decline was calculated at 456 days, a value lower than those published from different food sources in the years following the accident. The rate of long-term decline decreases with time.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969707004044

Accumulation and potential dissolution of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in river bottom sediment.

Title: Accumulation and potential dissolution of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in river bottom sediment.

Author: Sanada, Yukihisa / Matsunaga, Takeshi / Yanase, Nobuyuki / Nagao, Seiya / Amano, Hikaru / Takada, Hideshige / Tkachenko, Yuri

Reference: Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine, 56 (5), p.751-760, May 2002

Keywords: radionuclides, river, 137Cs, 90Sr

Abstract: Areas contaminated with radionuclides from the Chernobyl nuclear accident have been identified in Pripyat River near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The river bottom sediment cores contained 137Cs (10(5)-10(6) Bq/m2) within 0-30 cm depth, whose concentration is comparable to that in the ground soil in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant (the Exclusion Zone). The sediment cores also accumulated 90Sr (10(5) Bq/m2), (239,240)Pu (10(4) Bq/m2) and 241Am (10(4)Bq/m2) derived from the accident. Several nuclear fuel particles have been preserved at 20-25 cm depth that is the peak area of the concentrations of the radionuclides. These inventories in the bottom sediments were compared with those of the released radionuclides during the accident. An analysis using a selective sequential extraction technique was applied for the radionuclides in the sediments. Results suggest that the possibility of release of 137Cs and (293,240)Pu from the bottom sediment was low compared with 90Sr. The potential dissolution and subsequent transport of 90Sr from the river bottom sediment should be taken into account with respect to the long-term radiological influence on the aquatic environment.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11993951?dopt=Abstract

Specific activity and activity ratios of radionuclides in soil collected about 20 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: Radionuclide release to the south and southwest.

Title:Specific activity and activity ratios of radionuclides in soil collected about 20 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: Radionuclide release to the south and southwest.

Author: Tagami, Keiko / Uchida, Shigeo / Uchihori, Yukio / Ishii, Nobuyoshi / Kitamura, Hisashi / Shirakawa, Yoshiyuki

Reference: The Science of the total environment, 409 (22), p.4885-4888, Oct 2011

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.07.067

Keywords: Radioactivity ratio; Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; Soil; Cesium-137; Cesium-134; Iodine-131

Abstract: ► Soil samples were collected at about 20 km south of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. ► The concentrations of ¹³¹I, ^{134, 136, 137}Cs and ^129mTe were obtained, but ¹⁰³Ru was not. ► This suggests that noble gasses and volatile radionuclides predominated in the releases. ► Activity ratio of ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs from the power plant to the south was abound 0.90.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21906779?dopt=Abstract

ACCUMULATION OF RADIOCESIUM BY MUSHROOMS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND IMAGE GALLERY

Title: ACCUMULATION OF RADIOCESIUM BY MUSHROOMS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND IMAGE GALLERY

Author: Duff, M / Mary Ramsey, M

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2006 Nov 05

Keywords: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CONTAMINATION; IMAGES; MUSHROOMS; SAMPLING; SOURCE TERMS; CESIUM 137; BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION; CESIUM 134

Abstract: During the last 50 years, a large amount of information on radionuclide accumulators or ‘sentinel-type’ organisms in the environment has been published. Much of this work focused on the risks of food-chain transfer of radionuclides to higher organisms such as reindeer and man. However, until the 1980’s and 1990’s, there has been little published data on the radiocesium ({sup 134}Cs and {sup 137}Cs) accumulation by mushrooms. This presentation will consist of a review of the published data for {sup 134,137}Cs accumulation by mushrooms in nature. The review will consider the time of sampling, sample location characteristics, the radiocesium source term and other aspects that promote {sup 134,137}Cs uptake by mushrooms. This review will focus on published data for mushrooms that demonstrate a large propensity for use in the environmental biomonitoring of radiocesium contamination. It will also provide photographs and descriptions of habitats for many of these mushrooms to facilitate their collection for biomonitoring.

URL: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?query_id=2&page=0&osti_id=895047

Deposition of artificial radionuclides from atmospheric Nuclear Weapon Tests estimated by soil inventories in French areas low-impacted by Chernobyl

Title: Deposition of artificial radionuclides from atmospheric Nuclear Weapon Tests estimated by soil inventories in French areas low-impacted by Chernobyl

Author: Le Roux, Gaël / Duffa, Céline / Vray, Françoise / Renaud, Philippe

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 101 (3), p.211-218, Mar 2010

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2009.10.010

Keywords: Atmospheric deposition; ¹³⁷Cs; Plutonium; Americium; Nuclear Weapon Tests; France

Abstract: Soil inventories of anthropogenic radionuclides were investigated in altitudinal transects in 2 French regions, Savoie and Montagne Noire. Rain was negligible in these 2 areas the days after the Chernobyl accident. Thus anthropogenic radionuclides are coming hypothetically only from Global Fallout following Atmospheric Nuclear Weapon Tests. This is confirmed by the isotopic signatures (²³⁸Pu/^239+240Pu; ¹³⁷Cs/^239+240Pu; and ²⁴¹Am/^239+240Pu) close to Global Fallout value. In Savoie, a peat core age-dated by ²¹⁰Pb_ex confirmed that the main part of deposition of anthropogenic radionuclides occurred during the late sixties and the early seventies. In agreement with previous studies, the anthropogenic radionuclide inventories are well correlated with the annual precipitations. However, this is the first time that a study investigates such a large panel of annual precipitation and therefore of anthropogenic radionuclide deposition. It seems that at high-altitude sites, deposition of artificial radionuclides was higher possibly due to orographic precipitations.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X09002434

The relationship of soil organic carbon to 210 Pb ex and 137 Cs during surface soil erosion in a hillslope forested environment

Title: The relationship of soil organic carbon to 210 Pb ex and 137 Cs during surface soil erosion in a hillslope forested environment

Author: Teramage, Mengistu T. / Onda, Yuichi / Kato, Hiroaki / Wakiyama, Yoshifumi / Mizugaki, Shigeru / Hiramatsu, Shinya

Reference: Geoderma, 192, p.59-67, Jan 2013

doi:　10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.08.030

Keywords: ¹³⁷Cs; ²¹⁰Pb_ex; Distribution; Radionuclide; Soil; SOC

Abstract: ► We evaluate the correlation of SOC with ²¹⁰Pb_ex and ¹³⁷Cs in forest environments. ► SOC shows strong and persistent affinity to ²¹⁰Pb_ex than ¹³⁷Cs. ► In forest soil, SOC and ²¹⁰Pb_ex are replenished continuously from natural sources. ► ²¹⁰Pb_ex model can help to trace SOC in forests around the world.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706112003254

Radiation contamination after the chernobyl nuclear accident and the effective dose received by the population of Croatia

Title: Radiation contamination after the chernobyl nuclear accident and the effective dose received by the population of Croatia

Author: Lokobauer, Nevenka / Franić, Zdenko / Bauman, Alica / Maračić, Manda / Cesar, Dobroslav / Senčar, Jasminka

Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 41 (2), p.137-146, Nov 1998

doi:　10.1016/S0265-931X(97)00006-4

Keywords: Radioactive contamination, Croatia, humans, 137Cs, 90Sr

Abstract: Because of the Chernobyl nuclear accident which led to enhanced deposition of all fission products, contamination of the human environment in the Republic of Croatia was much higher than in the previous two decades. The paper deals with the investigation of deposition and contamination by fission product radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr, in particular), especially within the human food chain. Its aim was to determine differences in contamination levels resulting from the Chernobyl accident and from large-scale atmospheric nuclear weapon tests. For the year following the Chernobyl accident, the radiation doses received from external and internal exposures were estimated for 1-year old infants, children at the age of 10-years and adults. The corresponding annual effective doses were 1·49, 0·93 and 0·83 mSv, respectively. The paper also gives data on the yearly intakes of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in foods and the corresponding effective doses received by the population of Croatia over many years from the global fallout following nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident.

URL:http://www.franic.info/radovi/NLokobauer_Radiation_Contamination_after_Chernobyl.pdf