Historical levels of heavy metals and artificial radionuclides reconstructed from overbank sediment records in lower Rhône River (South-East France)

Ferrand, Emmanuelle; Eyrolle, Frédérique; Radakovitch, Olivier; Provansal, Mireille; Dufour, Simon; Vella, Claude; Raccasi, Guillaume; Gurriarán, R.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2011.11.023

Cited by 52 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Our results therefore confirm the previous identification of increased radionuclide discharge by the Mühleberg NPP in 1976 ( 137 Cs) and 1982 ( 60 Co). However, regarding the 1982 event, our data is not as definite as Albrecht et al (1998Albrecht et al ( , 1999 because Rhône River also demonstrated that radionuclides released by the nuclear industry are dispersed through surface waters over long distances (Martin and Thomas 1990;Provansal et al 2012;Ferrand et al 2012;Albrecht et al 1998).…”

Section: Element Fluxes For Tracking Anthropogenic Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…The contamination of fluvial waters by liquid releases from Swiss and French nuclear installations and the long-term retention of long-lived radionuclides have also been evidenced in surface and overbank sediments from some of the major European rivers (e.g. Rhine, Rhône and Moselle Rivers) (Mundschenk 1992(Mundschenk , 1996Provansal et al 2012;Ferrand et al 2012). However, despite major concerns for human health and the environment, continuous and well-dated sedimentary records reconstructing the historical deposition of anthropogenic radionuclides released by the nuclear industry are still scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

et al. 2013

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Terrigenous (Sc, Fe, K, Mg, Al, Ti) and anthropogenic (Pb and Cu) element fluxes were measured in a new sediment core from Lake Biel (Switzerland) and in previously well-documented cores from two upstream lakes (Lake Brienz and Lake Thun). These three large perialpine lakes are connected by the Aare River, which is the main tributary to the High Rhine River. Major and trace element analysis of the sediment cores by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) shows that the site of Lake Brienz receives three times more terrigenous elements than the two other studied sites, given by the role of Lake Brienz as the first major sediment sink located in the foothills of the Alps. Overall, the terrigenous fluxes reconstructed at the three studied sites suggest that the construction of sediment-trapping reservoirs during the twentieth century noticeably decreased the riverine suspended sediment load at a regional scale. In fact, the extensive river damming that occurred in the upstream watershed catchment (between ca. 1930 and 1950 and up to 2,300 m a.s.l.) and that significantly modified seasonal suspended sediment loads and riverine water discharge patterns to downstream lakes noticeably diminished the long-range transport of (fine) terrigenous particles by the Aare River. Concerning the transport of anthropogenic pollutants, the lowest lead enrichment factors (EFs Pb) were measured in the upstream course of the Aare River at the site of Lake Brienz, whereas the metal pollution was highest in downstream Lake Biel, with the maximum values measured between 1940 and 1970 (EF Pb [ 3). The following recorded regional reduction in aquatic Pb pollution started about 15 years before the actual introduction of unleaded gasoline in 1985. Furthermore, the radiometric dating of the sediment core from Lake Biel identifies three events of hydrological transport of artificial radionuclides released by the nuclear reactor of Mühleberg located at more than 15 km upstream of Lake Biel for the time period 1970-2000.

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Section: Element Fluxes For Tracking Anthropogenic Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

et al. 2013

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“…For comparison, the natural radioactivity of sediments from the Têt, a coastal river in the department of Pyrénées Orientales, west of the Hérault, is between 2000 and 2500 Bq/kg. These higher natural radioactivity values can be explained by high 40 K concentrations, which are generally an indication of an anthropogenic contribution related to the use of agricultural fertilisers (Ferrand, 2010;Ferrand et al, 2012).…”

Section: Naturally Occurring Radionuclidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origins and trend of radionuclides within the lower Rhône River over the last decades

Eyrolle-Boyer¹,

Antonelli²,

Renaud³

et al. 2015

Radioprotection

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-Geological and climatic diversity leads to significant spatial variability of naturally occurring radioactivity levels, whether in soils, sediments or natural waters. The activity level of Rhône sediments is estimated at 1450 Bq/kg, between the levels observed in the Loire (1925 Bq/kg) and Seine (730 Bq/kg). The largest amounts of radioactive effluent from nuclear facilities concern tritium, for which activity levels are currently 1000 times higher than the sum of artificial gamma emitters discharged. The proportions of naturally occurring 14 C and 3 H in the lower reaches of the River Rhône are estimated at 50 to 70% and <5%, respectively, with the remaining amount coming from nuclear facilities. Long-term records from River Rhône monitoring show that the level of radioactive contamination from artificial sources declined sharply starting in the early 90s, with the level divided by 10 to 100 depending on the element. Radioactivity of natural origin remained unchanged as expected.

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“…During the past few decades significant attention has been paid to the potential to construct a history of anthropogenic contamination by analyzing geochemical tracers within alluvial and lacustrine deposits associated with a river system [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. The developed histories can form a significant component of any environmental/geological forensic analysis in that they: (1) provide an understanding of the changes in the chemical health of the river through time where water quality monitoring records are limited or absent; (2) allow short-term monitoring records to be placed into an historical context of the changes in sediment geochemistry over periods ranging from a few years to millennia, and, perhaps of most importance from a forensic perspective; (3) can identify a contaminant source and its relative importance as a contributor of contaminants to the river when a source is no longer present.…”

Section: Use Of Geochemical Tracers To Construct Pollution Historiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Assessment of Metal Contaminated Rivers in the 21st Century Using Geochemical and Isotopic Tracers

Miller

2013

Minerals

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Documentation of contaminant source and dispersal pathways in riverine environments is essential to mitigate the potentially harmful effects of contaminants on human and ecosystem health, and is required from a legal perspective (particularly where the polluter pays principle is in effect) in assessing site liability. Where multiple natural and/or anthropogenic sources exist, identification of contaminant provenance has proven problematic, and estimated contributions from a specific source are often the subject of judicial debate. The past, current, and future use of geochemical and isotopic tracers in environmental forensic investigations of contaminant provenance, transport, and fate are analyzed herein for sediment-associated trace metals in riverine environments, particularly trace metals derived from mining and refining operations. The utilized methods have evolved significantly over the past four decades. Of primary significance has been the growing integration of geomorphic and stratigraphic techniques with the use of an increasing number of geochemical tracers including stable isotopes. The isotopes of Pb have been particularly well studied, and have been applied to a wide range of environmental media. Advances in analytical chemistry since the early 1990s have allowed for the precise characterization of other non-traditional stable isotopic systems within geological materials. The potential for using these non-traditional isotopes as tracers in river systems has yet to be adequately explored, but a number of these isotopes (e.g., Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Sb, and Zn) show considerable promise. Moreover, some of these isotopes (e.g., those of Cu, Cr, and Hg) may provide important insights into biogeochemical cycling processes within aquatic environments. This review suggests that future environmental forensic investigations will be characterized by an interdisciplinary approach that combines the use of multiple geochemical tracers with detailed stratigraphic, geomorphic, and hydrologic data, thereby yielding results that are likely to withstand the scrutiny of judicial review.

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Historical levels of heavy metals and artificial radionuclides reconstructed from overbank sediment records in lower Rhône River (South-East France)

Cited by 52 publications

References 58 publications

Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

Origins and trend of radionuclides within the lower Rhône River over the last decades

Forensic Assessment of Metal Contaminated Rivers in the 21st Century Using Geochemical and Isotopic Tracers

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