Maximum reasonable radioxenon releases from medical isotope production facilities and their effect on monitoring nuclear explosions

Bowyer, Theodore W.; Kephart, Rosara F.; Eslinger, Paul W.; Friese, Judah I.; Miley, Harry S.; Saey, Paul R. J.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.07.018

Cited by 62 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Large quantities of anthropogenic radioactivity have been released to the environment as a result of industrial nuclear activities [Kayzar et al, 2014;Markham et al, 1978;Napier 2014;Farris et al, 1996], medical isotope production [Bowyer et al, 2013;Johnson et al, 2015], accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima [UNSCEAR 2000;Buesseler et al, 2011], and nuclear weapons testing [Krey et al, 1976]. These releases have resulted in both high localized concentrations of anthropogenic radioactivity in the vicinity of some nuclear facilities/sites and very low levels of radioactivity dispersed both globally and regionally [UNSCEAR 2000, IAEA 2005, Krey et al, 1976.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

135Cs/137Cs isotopic composition of environmental samples across Europe: Environmental transport and source term emission applications

Snow

Snyder

2016

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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(135)Cs/(137)Cs isotopic analyses represent an important tool for studying the fate and transport of radiocesium in the environment; in this work the (135)Cs/(137)Cs isotopic composition in environmental samples taken from across Europe is reported. Surface soil and vegetation samples from western Russia, Ukraine, Austria, and Hungary show consistent aged thermal fission product (135)Cs/(137)Cs isotope ratios of 0.58 ± 0.01 (age corrected to 1/1/15), with the exception of one sample of soil-moss from Hungary which shows an elevated (135)Cs/(137)Cs ratio of 1.78 ± 0.12. With the exception of the outlier sample from Hungary, surface soil/vegetation data are in quantitative agreement with values previously reported for soils within the Chernobyl exclusion zone, suggesting that radiocesium at these locations is primarily composed of homogenous airborne deposition from Chernobyl. Seawater samples taken from the Irish Sea show (135)Cs/(137)Cs isotope ratios of 1.22 ± 0.11 (age corrected to 1/1/15), suggesting aged thermal fission product Cs discharged from Sellafield. The differences in (135)Cs/(137)Cs isotope ratios between Sellafield, Chernobyl, and global nuclear weapons testing fallout indicate that (135)Cs/(137)Cs isotope ratios can be utilized to discriminate between and track radiocesium transport from different nuclear production source terms, including major emission sources in Europe.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

135Cs/137Cs isotopic composition of environmental samples across Europe: Environmental transport and source term emission applications

Snow

Snyder

2016

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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“…The idea of a worldwide voluntary limitation of radioxenon release to 5 GBq/day generated at WOSMIP [29,30] for all Mo-99 producers is a reality for the operation at Petten site since 15 years-an advantage which certainly is as well available with the compact version foreseen for small-scale LEU fission Mo-99 producers.…”

Section: Ksa/kss Compactmentioning

confidence: 99%

History and Actual State of Non-HEU Fission-Based Mo-99 Production with Low-Performance Research Reactors

Dittrich¹

2013

Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations

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Fifty years ago, one of the worldwide first industrial production processes to produce fission-Mo-99 for medical use had been started at ZfK Rossendorf (now: HZDR, Germany). On the occasion of this anniversary, it is worth to mention that this original process (called LITEMOL now) together with its target concept used at that time can still be applied. LITEMOL can be adapted very easily to various research reactors and applied at each site, which maybe still of interest for very small-scale producers. Besides this original process, two further and actually proven processes are suitable as well and recommended for small-scale LEU fission Mo-99 production also. They are known under the names KSA/KSS COMPACT and ROMOL LITE and will be described below.

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“…A reduction in radioxenon releases to relatively low levels (Bowyer et al, 2013) has the potential to reduce background radioxenon to levels that don't significantly impact treaty verification activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International challenge to predict the impact of radioxenon releases from medical isotope production on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty sampling station

Eslinger

Bowyer

Achim

et al. 2016

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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The International Monitoring System (IMS) is part of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty Organization (CTBTO). At entry-into-force, half of the 80 radionuclide stations will be able to measure concentrations of several radioactive xenon isotopes produced in nuclear explosions, and then the full network may be populated with xenon monitoring afterward. An understanding of natural and man-made radionuclide backgrounds can be used in accordance with the provisions of the treaty (such as event screening criteria in Annex 2 to the Protocol of the Treaty) for the effective implementation of the verification regime. Fission-based production of (99)Mo for medical purposes also generates nuisance radioxenon isotopes that are usually vented to the atmosphere. One of the ways to account for the effect emissions from medical isotope production has on radionuclide samples from the IMS is to use stack monitoring data, if they are available, and atmospheric transport modeling. Recently, individuals from seven nations participated in a challenge exercise that used atmospheric transport modeling to predict the time-history of (133)Xe concentration measurements at the IMS radionuclide station in Germany using stack monitoring data from a medical isotope production facility in Belgium. Participants received only stack monitoring data and used the atmospheric transport model and meteorological data of their choice. Some of the models predicted the highest measured concentrations quite well. A model comparison rank and ensemble analysis suggests that combining multiple models may provide more accurate predicted concentrations than any single model. None of the submissions based only on the stack monitoring data predicted the small measured concentrations very well. Modeling of sources by other nuclear facilities with smaller releases than medical isotope production facilities may be important in understanding how to discriminate those releases from releases from a nuclear explosion.

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Maximum reasonable radioxenon releases from medical isotope production facilities and their effect on monitoring nuclear explosions

Cited by 62 publications

References 16 publications

135Cs/137Cs isotopic composition of environmental samples across Europe: Environmental transport and source term emission applications

135Cs/137Cs isotopic composition of environmental samples across Europe: Environmental transport and source term emission applications

History and Actual State of Non-HEU Fission-Based Mo-99 Production with Low-Performance Research Reactors

International challenge to predict the impact of radioxenon releases from medical isotope production on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty sampling station

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