Sources and distributions of Cs, Pu, Pu radionuclides in the north-western Barents Sea

Sediment deposits are the ultimate sink for anthropogenic radionuclides entering the marine environment. The major sources of anthropogenic radionuclides to the Barents Sea are fallout from nuclear weapons tests, long range transport from other seas, and river and non-point freshwater supplies. In this study we investigated activity concentrations, ratios, and inventories of the anthropogenic radionuclides, ¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁸Pu, ^239,240Pu in dated sediment cores collected along a north-south transect in the northwestern Barents Sea. The data were used to evaluate the influence of different sources on the derived spatial and temporal patterns of anthropogenic radionuclides in seafloor sediment deposits. Activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs ranged from <0.1 Bq/kg to 10.5 Bq/kg while ^239,240Pu ranged from <0.01 Bq/kg to 2.74 Bq/kg and ²³⁸Pu activity concentrations ranged from <0.01 Bq/kg to 0.22 Bq/kg. Total inventories of ¹³⁷Cs ranged from 29.5 ± 1.5 Bq/m² to 152.7 ± 5.6 Bq/m² and for ^239,240Pu inventories (6 sediment layers only) ranged from 9.5 ± 0.3 Bq/m² to 29.7 ± 0.4 Bq/m². Source contributions varied among stations and between the investigated radionuclides. The ²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu ratios up to 0.18 indicate discharges from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants as a main contributor of plutonium. Based on ²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu ratio, it was calculated that up to 19-27% of plutonium is supplied from sources other than atmospheric global fallout. Taking into account Atlantic current flow trajectories and that both activity concentrations and inventories of plutonium negatively correlate with latitude, Sellafield is a major source for the Barents Sea. Concentrations and inventories of ¹³⁷Cs correlate positively with latitude and negatively with distance from the Svalbard archipelago. The ¹³⁷Cs concentrations are highest in an area of intensive melting of sea ice formed along the Siberian coast. Thus, sea ice and supplies from Svalbard may be important source of ¹³⁷Cs to the Barents Sea seafloor.     

Use of co-combustion bottom ash to design an acoustic absorbing material for highway noise barriers

The present study aims to determine and evaluate the applicability of a new product consisting of coal bottom ash mixed with Portland cement in the application of highway noise barriers. In order to effectively recycle the bottom ash, the influence of the grain particle size of bottom ash, the thickness of the panel and the combination of different layers with various particle sizes have been studied, as well as some environmental properties including leachability (EN-12457-4, NEN-7345) and radioactivity tests. Based on the obtained results, the acoustic properties of the final composite material were similar or even better than those found in porous concrete used for the same application. According to this study, the material produced presented no environmental risk.     

Variability in background levels of surface soil radionuclides in the vicinity of the US DOE waste isolation pilot plant

Concentrations of radionuclides were measured in soils from a grid of locations surrounding the US Department of Energy Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico and from a grid on a reference site approximately 20 km southeast of the WIPP site. Each of the two grids has 16 sampling locations (grid nodes) systematically distributed within an area of 16.580 ha. Sampling was conducted prior to the arrival of the first waste shipment at WIPP. Thus, the 137Cs and 23,240Pu in the soil are expected to have been deposited as global fallout, although the Gnome Site, 8.8 km southwest of the WIPP, is also a potential source of 239,240Pu and fission products. The reference grid has significantly higher concentrations of fallout and natural radionuclides than the WIPP grid. Up to 80% of the total variability in radionuclide concentrations across the two grids is attributable to differences between grid nodes. Differences between replicates within a location account for 44-50% of the variability in concentrations of the uranium isotopes, but only 11-17% of the variability in the concentrations of the other radionuclides. Samples having similar abundance of radionuclides were spatially aggregated across the terrain. The activity concentrations of the radionuclides were strongly correlated with the concentrations of Al and Pb, and with the percentages of sand, silt and clay in the soil. Normalizing radionuclide concentrations to the concentration of Al or percent fine particles can help adjust for differences in soil textures among samples and facilitate the detection of gradients or temporal changes in soil concentrations.     

Environmental Radioactivity and Volcanological Features of Three Islands of the Mediterranean Sea (Pantelleria, Ustica and Vulcano)

The Mediterranean Sea is an area of great interest for its volcanic activities. This paper presents a comparative study of radiometric and chemical data regarding three volcanic islands located in southern Italy (Pantellena, Ustica, and Vulcano) characterized by different magmatic histories. Measurements of radionulide contents and chemical composition of rock samples belonging to the main lithologies present in the three islands were carried out the observed correlations among radiometric, chemical and mineralogical data reflect the differences in the volcanological genesis and suggest some hypotheses on the magmatic evolution.     

镍钴矿区放射性的水平调查与研究及危害防治

以镍钴矿区放射性水平调查结果为依据,对镍钴矿区氡子体的赋存规律、析出方式、放射性水平及致病机理进行了探讨,并提出了防治建议。     

Distribution and mode of occurrence of uranium in bottom ash derived from high-germanium coals

The radioactivity of uranium in radioactive coal bottom ash(CBA) may be a potential danger to the ambient environment and human health. Concerning the limited research on the distribution and mode of occurrence of uranium in CBA, we herein report our investigations into this topic using a number of techniques including a five-step Tessier sequential extraction, hydrogen fluoride(HF) leaching, Siroquant(Rietveld) quantification, magnetic separation, and electron probe microanalysis(EPMA). The Tessier sequential extraction showed that the uranium in the residual and Fe–Mn oxide fractions was dominant(59.1%and 34.9%, respectively). The former was mainly incorporated into aluminosilicates,retained with glass and cristobalite, whereas the latter was especially enriched in the magnetic fraction, of which about 50% was present with magnetite(Fe_3O_4) and the rest in other iron oxides. In addition, the uranium in the magnetic fraction was 2.6 times that in the non-magnetic fraction. The experimental findings in this work may be important for establishing an effective strategy to reduce radioactivity from CBA for the protection of our local environment.     

锆英石及锆英釉料瓷砖的放射性水平及致公众剂量

报道在正常生产情况下,用环境监测仪测定锆英石及锆英釉料瓷砖的放射性水平。锆英石的总比放射性大于7.0×10~4Bq·kg~(-1),属放射性物质;锆英釉料瓷砖的γ、β放射性污染致公众的附加年剂量当量为0.34mSv,相当于公众剂量限值的1/3。     

2016—2021年四川省地表水体中铀的放射性水平及健康风险评价

为调查四川省地表水体中放射性物质铀（U）的含量,评价居民摄入地表水体中U导致的健康风险,在四川省主要地表水系中共设置23个监测断面,于2016—2021年检测了U的放射性水平,并根据健康风险评价模型对居民的健康风险进行评估。结果表明：四川省地表水体中U的质量浓度为0.16～3.6 μg/L,参照《生活饮用水卫生标准》（GB 5749—2022）,均合格;不同年份、不同地表水体中U的放射性水平间的差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;不同水期U的放射性水平间的差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。各年龄组通过饮水、水体浸没途径摄入U所致总年均待积有效剂量均＜0.1mSv;对各年龄段居民的总致癌风险为4.18×10^-9 ～2.24×10^-8 ,均低于世界卫生组织（WHO）和国际放射防护委员会（ICRP）发布的最严格控制限值。全省主要地表水体中U对各年龄组都是安全的。     

Plutonium isotopes concentration in seawater and bottom sediment off the Pacific coast of Aomori sea area during 1991-2005

A radioactivity survey was launched in 1991 to determine the background levels of ^239+240Pu in the marine environment off a commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant before full operation of the facility. Particular attention was focused on the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio in seawater and bottom sediment to identify the origins of Pu isotopes. The concentration of ^239+240Pu was almost uniform in surface water, decreasing slowly over time. Conversely, the ^239+240Pu concentration varied markedly in the bottom water and was dependent upon the sampling point, with higher concentrations of ^239+240Pu observed in the bottom water sample at sampling points having greater depth. The ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio in the seawater and sediment samples was higher than that of global fallout Pu, and comparable with the data in the other sea area around Japan which has likely been affected by close-in fallout Pu originating from the Pacific Proving Grounds. The ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio in bottom sediment samples decreased with sea depth. The land-originated Pu is not considered as the reason of the increasing ^239+240Pu concentration and also decreasing the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio with sea depth, and further study is required to clarify it.     

Antlers of Cervus elaphus as biomonitors of ⁹⁰Sr in the environment

Adequate radioprotection of the environment requires the identification of biomonitors sensitive to the variation of its radionuclide content. Due to the chemical similarities between calcium and strontium, calcified tissues of mammals are considered to be good ⁹⁰Sr biomonitors. This work considered Cervus elaphus antlers which, being shed annually, can give information about the importance of radiostrontium contamination in an ecosystem in the time period required for the growth of the antler. The samples were collected at various points of W and SW Spain. The mean value of their ⁹⁰Sr content was (70 ± 43 (S.D.)) Bq/kg d.w., range (16-218) Bq/kg d.w., and the radionuclide was evenly distributed in the different parts of the antler. There was a good correlation between the antlers’ ⁹⁰Sr content and the ⁹⁰Sr deposited in the soil. The antlers’ content of ²²⁶Ra (from the natural uranium series) and the contents of some stable elements (Ca, Mg, Sr, and K) were also determined. The values for these stable elements were practically constant in the analyzed samples, and the concentrations measured decreased in the following order:Ca » Mg > K > Sr » ⁹⁰Sr > ²²⁶Ra