Plutonium Contamination in the Environment

Plutonium (Pu) is an artificial element of atomic number 94 that has its main radioactive isotopes at 2 °Pu and Pu. The major sources of this element arise from the manufacture and detonation of nuclear weapons and from nuclear reactors. The fallout from detonations and discharges of nuclear waste are the major sources of plutonium contamination of the environment, where it is trapped in soils and plant or animal life. Since the contamination levels are generally very low, a sensitive technique is needed to estimate its concentration. However, not only the total amount can be estimated. Measurement of the isotope ratio provides information about its likely 

Accurate, precise isotope ratio measurements are important in a wide variety of applications, including dating, examination of environmental samples, and studies on drug metabolism. The degree of accuracy and precision required necessitates the use of special isotope mass spectrometers, which mostly use thermal ionization or inductively coupled plasma ionization, often together with multiple ion collectors. 

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