Radionuclides environmental pollutants

Radionuclides constitute a special kind of environmental pollution. Their artificial production rate has increased exponentially since the development of the first nuclear reactor. They have brought us blessings in the form of power, of new research tools, and of new knowledge they have brought us problems in the form of the release of hazardous radionuclides and of the management of large quantities of radioactive waste. 

The list of metals, radionuclides, and organic compounds that are now recognized as environmental pollutants continues to grow. The... 

Ueno, T., Amano, H., Chandrajith, R.L.R., Okumura, M., 1996. Vertical distribution of radionuclides and mercury in Lake sediments. In Proc. Int. Workshop on the Fate of Mercury in Gold Mining and Measures to Control the Environmental Pollution in Various Countries, NIMD 001-1997. National Institute for Minamata Disease. 

Among the honey types studied, honeydew honey exhibited the best indicator capabilities of all of the elements and radionuclides. By comparison with the aforementioned types of honey, the transfer of Cs and Rb into honeydew honey was an order of magnitude higher, with transfers of 8.56 and 1.50 percent, respectively. Transfers for (21.1 percent), Pb (5.42 percent), Cu (3.85 percent), Ca (2.48 percent), Cr (1.34 percent), and Ni (<0.960) nearly equalled or exceeded 1 percent. On the other hand, the soil macroelement Fe showed a very low transfer (0.039 percent) from soils into honeydew honey. Strontium showed a similar behavior (<0.042 percent), so it seems that honey could not be used very successfully as an indicator of environmental pollution with strontium radioactive isotopes. The results show that samples of honey, especially honeydew honey, can indicate the consequences of global pollution events as well as events on a local scale. 

Our discussion of radionuclide techniques associated with environmental-pollution studies will be restricted to pesticide studies of an ecological nature. We have decided to emphasize pesticides because their application in the environment has been of significant concern to ecologists for many years. Readers interested in other environmental pollutants are referred to the references cited above. 

Carlsson, S., K. Linden, R. Bertil, and R. Persson. 1971. Use of radionuclides for tracing the origin of marine oil pollution, pp. 361-369. In Nuclear Techniques in Environmental Pollution. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. Publ. No. STI/PUB/268. 

All of the above discussed radioactive contaminated media and waste could also contain non-radioactive environmental pollutants, e.g., boron and other water treatment chemicals in reactor coolant effluents. The mitigation measures taken to prevent release of radioactive pollutants into the environment will also mitigate the release of some non-radioactive pollutants. With regard to the identification of non-radioactive pollutants that could result in a major environmental accident, this section only considers the storage/use of substances that does not involve exposure to (and possible contamination with) radionuclides. 

ToranL. 1994. Radionuclide contamination in groundwater Is there a problem In Environmental science pollution control series. New York, NY M. Dekker, 437-455. 

Thus in an ideal situation determinations may be made of 10-12 g of an analyte. Furthermore, the energy spectrum of the emissions may be used to identify and distinguish between a number of different radionuclides. Currently much attention is directed towards the determination of radionuclides present environmentally as pollutants. 

Krapivin V.F. and Phillips G.W. (2001b). Application of a global model to the study of Arctic basin pollution Radionuclides, heavy metals and oil carbohydrates. Environmental Modelling and Software, 16, 1-17. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) makes a considerable contribution into environmental programs of the Black Sea. The Black Sea countries consider the monitoring of radioactive pollution of the sea to be the priority issue. The IAEA Program is aimed at study of the presence of radionuclides in the Black Sea and tracing variations of its radioactivity. 

The availability of pure water will certainly be one of the major environmental issues of the 21s1 Century. Water contamination can originate from domestic, agricultural, agroindustrial or industrial activities, and accidental damages. The major pollutants are heavy metals, radionuclides, ammonia, nitrates and organic compounds. Health problems are associated with each of them, such as leukaemia, saturnism..., as well as modifications of the eco-system, e.g. entrophication of lakes and rivers. The nature of water treatments obviously depends on the kind of contaminants, and zeolite-based processes are of great concern in this field. 

One of the most relevant environmental consequences of the existence of colloids derives from their ability to adsorb different species and to exchange ions. Examples include radionuclides, organics, and metal derivatives that may be toxic pollutants. Colloids that retain these species may participate in transforming them into catalysts, after which they transport them into aqueous systems located far from their original discharge points. 

EPA. 1986c. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed rules Water pollution control natural primary drinking water regulations radionuclides. 40 CPR 141. Federal Register 34836. 

Humic and FULVIC acids, along with other organic colloidal materials, are fascinating substances that can have profound environmental consequences. Their abilities to complex radionuclides and toxic metals have been recognized for some time by researchers interested in the migration and mobilization of nuclear and industrial waste at contaminated sites. The micellar properties of humic and fulvic acids also give them the ability to play important roles in the solubilization and transport of hydrophobic pollutants. 

The presence of humic and fulvic acids in surface waters and groundwaters will have a significant influence on the transport and fate of metals, radionuclides, and organic contaminants in the environment. These natural organic acids can either transport or immobilize contaminants, depending on the environmental conditions. Humic and fulvic substances can also retard or enhance the photochemical decomposition of pesticides or toxic organics. Therefore, to be sucessfiil any remediation strategies must consider the effects of humic materials. If properly understood, this behavior can be used to manipulate pollutant solubilization and facilitate containment or cleanup of contaminated sites. 

Forstner U (1998b) The obal problem of the impact of the production of energy, metals, materials, chemicals, and radionuclides in the modern industrial society on air, water, and soil pollution. In Bambauer U, ed. Advanced Mineralogy, Vol. III. Mineral Matter in Space, Mantle, Ocean Floor, Biosphere, Environmental Management, Jewelry (Series Editor A. S. Marfunin). Chapter 5.1, pp. 268-278. Springer, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York. 

There is now considerable interest in the area of metal transport in plants because of the implications for phytoremediation -the use of plants to extract, sequester, and/ or detoxify pollutants such as toxic metals. Phytoremediation strategies for radionuclide and heavy metal pollutants focus on hyperaccumulation above ground. Significant progress has been made in recent years in developing native or genetically modified plants for the remediation of environmental contaminants (Meagher 2000). 

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