Radionuclides environmental monitoring

Sutton WW, Patzer RG, Potter GD. 1979. Biotransport of transuranium radionuclides. Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV. NHS No. EMSLLV05 3 93 5. 

Dr Jessica Avivar Cerezo bom in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), and graduated from the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) in chemistry, where she also developed her PhD in chemical science and technology. She is the coauthor of a book chapter related to environmental monitoring. Dr Avivar has published approximately 20 research articles and has presented more than 20 contributions at international conferences related with the environment, automation, and radioactivity. Researcher at the University of the Balearic Islands, secretary of the Laboratory of Environmental Radioactivity (LaboRA) and member of the university spin-off Sciware Systems, S.L. Her research has been mainly focused in the development of automated approaches for radionuclides environmental monitoring. 

Grate, J. W., Egorov, O., O Hara, M. J., and DeVol, T. A., Radionuclide sensors for environmental monitoring From flow injection solid phase absorptiometry to equilibration-based preconcentrating minicolumn sensors with radiometric detection, Chem. Rev., 108, 543-563, 2008. 

Environmental monitoring of nuclear contamination, including the determination of the concentration and isotope ratios of long-lived radionuchdes, such as uranium, plutonium isotopes, thorium, Np, Se, Sr, I and others, at trace and ultratrace levels, is a fast growing and fascinating application field for inorganic mass spectrometry." " Among the environmentally important radionuclides, I, Sr, uranium and transuranium elements are of special importance. For example, the natural I inventory in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere has been estimated to be about 263 kg. ... 

Besides the analysis of nuclear fuel and of radioactive waste materials, the determination of contamination and enrichment of selected radioactive nuclides, e.g., which is one of the most important environmental indicators of nuclear accidents, Se, Tc, Np, Pu, °Pu and "Am at ultratrace concentration levels, is useful for environmental monitoring of fallout from nuclear weapons testing, nuclear power plants or nuclear accidents. ". Selected application fields for the determination of natural and artificial long-lived radionuclides (LLR) and radionuclides investigated by mass spectrometric techniques are summarized in Tables 9.36 and 9.37, respectively. 

It is very important to consider the pathways of radionuclides in the environment for design of the environmental monitoring program. Radionuclides enter the receiving environment via direct emissions to atmosphere, direct discharges to water bodies or releases from land burials of radioactive wastes. 

The environmental monitoring program should be designed to allow the assessment of the most significant radionuclides and pathways resulting in doses to humans. In selection of samples, measurements and monitoring locations, one should consider an environmental transfer model (as shown in Fig. 9.3, after CAS 1990). 

The results of the experiments described in this chapter confirm the findings of many other studies demonstrating that honey bees are good indicators that contamination is bioavailable [4,20,33]. At a fundamental level, bees are useful indicators of radionuclide contamination. However, it is apparent that an effective environmental monitoring program would have to do more than simply collect samples of honey bees and use those data at face value. The findings of the experiments presented in this chapter suggest that there is a complicated interplay of many physical and chemical factors that influence the radionuclide concentrations within an individual honey bee. 

Based on the finding of these studies, when designing and implementing an environmental monitoring program for radionuclides that uses honey bees, one should consider the following ... 

Since 1990, 12 stationary apiaries (five placed in the Gorski Kotar area), stocked with Apis mellifera carnica, have been used for environmental monitoring of radionuclides. In 1994, six colonies were placed in fir and spruce woods in the Gorski Kotar area and new measurements of radionuclides and selected elements were begun, increasing the network of hives being monitored by 1995. 

Iodlne-131 is certainly the key radionuclide in reactor environmental monitoring. It is an indicator of release since the radionuclide is almost always gaseous and it is the predominant fission product contributor to radiation dose to the general public due to its food chain mobility. Reactor license requirements therefore put great emphasis on 1-131 measurements in air and... 

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