Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium in water, air and biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro

Jia, Guanqing; Belli, M.; Sansone, U.; Rosamilia, Silvia; Gaudino, Stefania

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2005.05.042

Cited by 43 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…DU is the by-product of the industrial process applied to enrich natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons (Jia et al 2006). DU is an extremely dense (19.05 g cm −3 ), hard, autopyrophoric, relatively cheap metal used for military applications such as piercing of munitions and enhancement of armor protection (Jia et al 2005). Soil analyses performed in the Kosovo area indicated that U concentrations exceeding normal environmental values (*2-3 mg/kg) were due to DU contamination (Danesi et al 2003a).…”

Section: Depleted Uranium In the Balkanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lichens and Particulate Matter: Inter-relations and Biomonitoring with Lichens

Garty

Garty-Spitz

2014

Recent Advances in Lichenology

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Section: Depleted Uranium In the Balkanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lichens and Particulate Matter: Inter-relations and Biomonitoring with Lichens

Garty

Garty-Spitz

2014

Recent Advances in Lichenology

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“…28 MC-ICP-MS was utilised for these analyses because the U concentrations in plant and earthworm samples were anticipated to be too low for isotope quantification using the alpha spectrometry method employed for the soil samples. Consequently, f DU values for earthworm and plant samples were calculated using a mixing ratio employing 235 U: 238 U isotope mass ratios rather than activities (adapted from 12,29 ): …”

Section: Uranium Isotope Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing depleted uranium (DU) contamination of soil, plants and earthworms at UK weapons testing sites

et al. 2007

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Depleted uranium (DU) weapons testing programmes have been conducted at two locations within the UK. An investigation was therefore carried out to assess the extent of any environmental contamination arising from these test programmes using both alpha spectrometry and mass spectrometry techniques. Uranium isotopic signatures indicative of DU contamination were observed in soil, plant and earthworm samples collected in the immediate vicinity of test firing points and targets, but contamination was found to be localised to these areas. The paper demonstrates the superiority of the 235 U: 238 U ratio over the 234 U: 238 U ratio for identifying and quantifying DU contamination in environmental samples and also describes the respective circumstances under which alpha spectrometry or mass spectrometry may be the more appropriate analytical tool. IntroductionNatural uranium (U) principally consists of three isotopes, primordial 238 U (t 1/2 = 4.47x10 9 y) and 235 U (t 1/2 = 7.04x10 8 y), which are parent members of natural radioactive decay series, and 234 U (t 1/2 = 2.45x10 5 years), which is a member of the 238 U decay chain. For natural U, the 235 U: 238 U activity ratio has a constant value 0.046 (Table 1), while the 234 U: 238 U activity ratio is variable as a consequence of decay chain disequilibrium that arises from preferential transfer of 234 U to surface and groundwater. 1,2 This disequilibrium results in pronounced 234 U: 238 U activity ratio variations, but for soils the commonly observed range is 0.8 -1.2 (e.g. 3,4 ). Depleted uranium (DU) is a byproduct of U enrichment processes, whereby the fissile isotope 235 U is preferentially concentrated for the production of nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons. The enrichment processes, e.g. gas centrifugation or gaseous diffusion, also separate 234 U from 238 U, leaving a waste material (DU) which is depleted with respect to both 234 U and 235 U. Although the exact isotopic composition of DU, particularly that used by the British military, has been determined on relatively few occasions 5,6 and thus may exhibit some subtle variation, DU has an isotopic signature strikingly distinct from naturally occurring U (Table 1). This isotopic difference can be used to identify and quantify contamination in the environment arising from the use of DU munitions, with both the 234 U: 238 U and 235 U: 238 U ratios being potentially useful for this purpose.Due to its high density (19.05 g cm -3 ), penetrating power and pyrophoric properties, DU has been used for military purposes such as tank-piercing ammunition and tank armour. In the UK alone, research and development of DU munitions dates back to the 1960s, with test programmes having been conducted at several Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites. The environmental fate of DU has, however, only recently begun to receive attention in the scientific literature, mostly in relation to areas such as the former Yugoslavia 7-14 and the Persian Gulf 15, 16 where DU munitions have been used in active warfare. While such studies have successfull...

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“…Uranium is the heaviest naturally occurring elements and is found in an average concentration of 0.0003% (3mg/kg) in the earth crust. It is present at a concentration of about 3.0 μg/L in seawater (Lal, 1968;CWC, 2000;Hess, 1985;Hakam, 2001;Bleise, 2003;Almeida, 2004;Guogang Jia, 2005). Uranium isotopes during their disintegration course decay into other radioactive elements and eventually decay to stable lead isotopes in the process emit beta and gamma radiation (Fontes, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concentration of uranium levels in groundwater

Babu

Somashekar

Kumar

et al. 2008

Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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ABSTRACT:The uranium isotopes during their course of their disintegration decay into other radioactive elements and eventually decay into stable lead isotopes. The cause of environmental concern is the emanation of beta and gamma radiation during disintegration. The present study tends to estimate uranium in groundwater trapped in granite and gneiss rocks. Besides, the study aims at estimating the radiation during natural disintegration process. The water samples were collected and analyzed following inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric technique while water sample collection was given to the regions of Kolar District, South India, due to the representation. The significant finding was the observation of very high levels of uranium in groundwater compared to similar assays reported at other nearby districts. Also, the levels were considerable to those compared to groundwater levels of uranium reported by other scientists. On the basis of this study, it was inferred that the origin of uranium was from granite strata and there was a trend of diffusion observed in the course of flow-path of water in the region.

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Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium in water, air and biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro

Cited by 43 publications

References 11 publications

Lichens and Particulate Matter: Inter-relations and Biomonitoring with Lichens

Lichens and Particulate Matter: Inter-relations and Biomonitoring with Lichens

Assessing depleted uranium (DU) contamination of soil, plants and earthworms at UK weapons testing sites

Concentration of uranium levels in groundwater

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