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Jiao X, Dong Z, Baccolo G, Qin X, Wei T, Di J, Shao Y. Quantifying uranium radio-isotope ratios in riverine suspended particulate matter: Insights into natural and anthropogenic influences in the glacial-fed river system of the NE Tibetan Plateau. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 461:132725. [PMID: 37813028 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The analysis of uranium isotope ratio 235U/238U in environmental media serves as a reliable method to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic sources of uranium, playing a crucial role in assessing the extent of contamination with anthropogenic uranium and disturbances in its biogeochemical cycle. In this study, we focus on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau to examine the atomic ratio of 235U and 238U in riverine suspended particulate matter (SPM) across eight glacial watersheds. Results reveal that the 235U/238U atomic ratio in the suspended load ranges from 0.007247 to 0.007437 (with an average value of 0.00727 ± 0.00003), which closely aligns with the ratio found in natural uranium (0.00725). The highest mean ratio (0.00729 ± 0.00007) is observed in the upper glacial basin of the Ningchan River. Results suggest the negligible influence of isotopically altered in relation to human nuclear activities. When considering different environmental media, such as soil, snow/cryoconite, and riverine suspended particulate matter in the study area, the 235U/238U ratio in surface soil presents the highest values, pointing to a slight enrichment of 235U. This may be attributed to the fact that soil retains the cumulative signals of uranium atmospheric deposition, including the deposition of 235U-enriched airborne particulate matter deposited after atmospheric nuclear tests carried out in the second half of the 20th century. On the contrary, riverine suspended particulate matter and glacial sediments are more influenced by the natural 235U/238U signature under modern environmental conditions. This confirms that the northeastern Tibetan Plateau is still relatively pristine with respect to biogeochemical disturbances related to human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiwen Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Giovanni Baccolo
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Xiang Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ting Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jie Di
- State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yaping Shao
- Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne D-50923, Germany
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Chaudhury D, Sen U, Sahoo BK, Bhat NN, Kumara K S, Karunakara N, Biswas S, Shenoy P S, Bose B. Thorium promotes lung, liver and kidney damage in BALB/c mouse via alterations in antioxidant systems. Chem Biol Interact 2022; 363:109977. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.109977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Fesenko SV, Emlutina ES. Thorium Concentrations in the Environment: A Review of the Global Data. BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359021110030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Martins AC, Gallimberti M, de Oliveira Souza VC, Rocha BA, Barbosa F. Biomonitoring for uranium exposure among young children living in nineteen states across five regions of Brazil. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-018-5964-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Pourcelot L, Masson O, Saey L, Conil S, Boulet B, Cariou N. Empirical calibration of uranium releases in the terrestrial environment of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 171:74-82. [PMID: 28193584 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In the present paper the activity of uranium isotopes measured in plants and aerosols taken downwind of the releases of three nuclear fuel settlements was compared between them and with the activity measured at remote sites. An enhancement of 238U activity as well as 235U/238U anomalies and 236U are noticeable in wheat, grass, tree leaves and aerosols taken at the edge of nuclear fuel settlements, which show the influence of uranium chronic releases. Further plants taken at the edge of the studied sites and a few published data acquired in the same experimental conditions show that the 238U activity in plants is influenced by the intensity of the U atmospheric releases. Assuming that 238U in plant is proportional to the intensity of the releases, we proposed empirical relationships which allow to characterize the chronic releases on the ground. Other sources of U contamination in plants such as accidental releases and "delayed source" of uranium in soil are also discussed in the light of uranium isotopes signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Pourcelot
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France.
| | - Olivier Masson
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France
| | - Lionel Saey
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France
| | - Sébastien Conil
- Agence Nationale pour la gestion des Déchets Radioactifs ANDRA, CMHM Ecothèque Route départementale 960 BP9, 55290 Bure, France
| | - Béatrice Boulet
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, Bat 501 Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Nicolas Cariou
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, Bat 501 Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay Cedex, France
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Masson O, Pourcelot L, Boulet B, Cagnat X, Videau G. Environmental releases from fuel cycle facility: part 1: radionuclide resuspension vs. stack releases on ambient airborne uranium and thorium levels. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2015; 141:146-152. [PMID: 25613358 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Revised: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Airborne activity levels of uranium and thorium series were measured in the vicinity (1.1 km) of a uranium (UF4) processing plant, located in Malvési, south of France. Regarding its impact on the environment, this facility is characterized by its routine atmospheric releases of uranium and by the emission of radionuclide-labelled particles from a storage pond filled with waste water or that contain dried sludge characterized by traces of plutonium and thorium ((230)Th). This study was performed during a whole year (November 2009-November 2010) and based on weekly aerosol sampling. Thanks to ICP-MS results, it was possible to perform investigations of uranium and thorium decay product concentration in the air. The number of aerosol filters sampled (50) was sufficient to establish a relationship between airborne radionuclide variations and the wind conditions. As expected, the more the time spent in the plume, the higher the ambient levels. The respective contributions of atmospheric releases and resuspension from local soil and waste ponds on ambient dust load and uranium-bearing aerosols were estimated. Two shutdown periods dedicated to facility servicing made it possible to estimate the resuspension contribution and to specify its origin (local or regional) according to the wind direction and remote background concentration. Airborne uranium mainly comes from the emission stack and, to a minor extent (∼20%), from wind resuspension of soil particles from the surrounding fields and areas devoted to waste storage. Moreover, weighed activity levels were clearly higher during operational periods than for shutdown periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Masson
- Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), BP 3, 13115 St Paul lez Durance Cedex, France.
| | - Laurent Pourcelot
- Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), BP 3, 13115 St Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Béatrice Boulet
- Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), LMRE, Bâtiment 501, Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Xavier Cagnat
- Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), LMRE, Bâtiment 501, Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay, France
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