Plutonium, 137Cs and uranium isotopes in Mongolian surface soils

Hirose, Katsumi; Kikawada, Yoshikazu; Igarashi, Yasuhito; Fujiwara, Hideshi; Jugder, D.; Matsumoto, Y.; Oi, Takao; Nomura, Masao

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.01.007

Cited by 19 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Many studies have been conducted on Asian dust, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) publishes daily forecasts on Asian dust based on the aeolian dust prediction model (Tanaka et al, 2017) that incorporates the latest findings. For the Gobi Desert, it has been shown that the radioactivity ratio of the collected surface soil material is consistent with that of global fallout (Hirose et al, 2017). These deserts are sources of dust-borne radioactive materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Cs-137 detection at CTBT radionuclide monitoring stations in East Asia

Furuno,

Ohmori,

Tateoka

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Okinawa radionuclide monitoring station (JPP37) is located on a hill facing the East China Sea at the center of the main island of Okinawa. It occasionally detects Cs-137, although no nuclear facilities are located on the island. This study focused on the detection of Cs-137 at JPP37 and examined the ratio of simultaneous detections at neighboring stations and the relationship with Asian dust from inland East Asia. The detection of Cs-137 from 2020 to 2023 at JPP37, which was the target of the analysis, was higher in the spring. Among the nine CTBT radionuclide stations in East Asia, the detections in Beijing, Lanzhou, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, were also high in spring. This suggested a high association with the detection of Asian dust in East Asia. Thus, we confirmed the detection of Cs-137 at nine nearby international monitoring system (IMS) of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Preparatory Organization (CTBTO) stations when Asian dust was observed at any of the sites in Japan. In addition, we observed that the detection rates were high in Takasaki, Beijing, Lanzhou, and Ulaanbaatar. It can be inferred that the Cs-137 observed mainly in spring at the IMS particle radionuclide station in the East Asian region around Japan was likely to pick up the effects of global fallout conveyed by Asian dust. Thereafter, we conducted a preliminary source estimation analysis for Asian dust arrival near Japan. Atmospheric dispersion simulations explained the detection of Cs-137 at nearby IMS particle radionuclide stations, assuming that Cs-137 was emitted from the desert, the source of the Asian dust.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Cs-137 detection at CTBT radionuclide monitoring stations in East Asia

Furuno,

Ohmori,

Tateoka

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Moreover, plutonium emits the alpha radiation which demands a thorough radiochemical sample treatment before measurements. Therefore, only few papers report using fractionation of plutonium (Nagao et al 1999;Haque and Nakanishi 1999;Bunzl et al 1995;Komosa 2002;Hirose et al 2017;Santschi et al 2017a, b;Lin et al 2019a, b ;Rozhkova et al 2020;Sáez-Muñoz et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plutonium distribution in sequentially extracted phases of arable and uncultivated soils

Komosa

Grządka

2022

Environ Earth Sci

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The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of alpha-emitting plutonium isotopes from arable and uncultivated soils. The effect of soils cultivation on plutonium fractionation and mobility was studied using the sequential extraction technique (modified Tessier’s method). Soil samples were collected from the surface layer in the selected points. By means of reagents with increasing leaching power, the fractions were separated: readily available, carbonate bound, sesquioxide (Fe/Mn) bound and organically bound as well as residual. The content of 239+240Pu in the fractions was determined by alpha spectrometry. The sequential analysis showed that in the case of uncultivated soils, 67% of Pu was combined with organic matter, 15% was permanently bound to the matrix, but only 4% was associated with the available fraction, and 2% with the carbonate one. Arable soils revealed a different distribution: 36% of Pu was combined with the organic fraction, only 7% was bound permanently but as much as 9% was bound with the available fraction, and 11% with the carbonate one. It was proved that plutonium is bound mostly by organic matter (67% Pu—uncultivated and 36%—arable soils), however, the amounts of Pu combined with the labile fractions (ion-exchange and carbonate) are approximately 4 times higher for the arable soils than for uncultivated ones. This proves that soil cultivation can lead to the launch of plutonium in soil and its transition to more accessible forms which can cause a radiological risk.

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“…However, the mean U concentration and range of values in our study are slightly larger. Bigalke et al[31], Slobodan et al[29] and Santos-Francés et al[37] performed their measurements with the ICP-MS analytical technique, while Haribala et al[34], Hirose et al[35], Baykara et al[36], Santawamaitre et al[33] and Colmenero-Sujo et al[30] used gammaspectroscopy to make their measurements. On the other hand, Pourcelot et al[39] used Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS).The comparison of the results in this study with the average crustal abundance of total uranium estimated by different authors and with uranium concentrations found experimentally in different locations worldwide, indicates that the undisturbed (pristine) topsoil of Zacatecas State area is not enriched with this chemotoxic and radiotoxic element, and the uranium concentration found in this study can be used as baseline or background value for the region.The average U concentration found in the topsoil of the State of Zacatecas by ICP-MS and α-spectrometry is consistent with the reported concentrations at the surface of the Earth's crust (Table5) and does not exceed the average crustal abundance, resulting in no evidence of alterations in surface concentrations in these areas for this isotope, as shown by the values found for the geo-/eproofing.springer.com/journals_v2/printpage.php?token=LLCTr... accumulation index, I , and the enrichment factor, EF.…”

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confidence: 99%