1
|
Thiry Y, Tanaka T, Bueno M, Pisarek P, Roulier M, Gallard H, Legout A, Nicolas M. Recycling and persistence of iodine 127 and 129 in forested environments: A modelling approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 831:154901. [PMID: 35364144 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Differences in the source and behaviour of 129I compared to 127I isotopes have been described for a variety of surface environments, but little is known about the cycling rates of each isotope in terrestrial ecosystems. We developed a compartment model of the iodine cycle in a forest ecosystem, with a labile and non-labile pool to simplify the complex fate of iodine in the forest floor and soil. Simulations were performed using atmospheric 127I and 129I inputs for sites differing in climate, vegetation, and soil. In general, considering dry deposition in addition to wet deposition improved model simulations. Model results support the view that soil is the sink for atmospheric iodine deposited in forest ecosystems, while tree vegetation has little influence on long-term iodine budgets. Modelling also showed that iodine cycling reaches equilibrium after a period of about 5000 years, mainly due to a gradual incorporation of iodine into the bulk stabilised soil organic matter. At steady state, this pool of non-labile iodine in soil can retain about 20% of total deposition with a mean residence time of 900 years, while the labile iodine pool is renewed after 90 years. The proportions of modern anthropogenic 129I in each modelled pool reflect those of stable 127I at least several decades after input to the forest; this result explains why isotopic disequilibrium is common in field data analysis. Volatilisation plays a central role in regulating iodine storage in soil and, therefore, its residence time, while drainage is a minor export pathway, except at some calcareous sites. Dynamic modelling has been particularly helpful for gaining insight into the long-term response of iodine partitioning to continuous, single or even varying deposition. Our modelling study suggested that better estimates of dry deposition of atmospheric iodine, weathering of parent rock, and volatilisation of the deposited iodine from soil and vegetation will be required for reliable predictions of iodine cycling in specific forests, because these processes remain insufficiently explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yves Thiry
- Andra, Research and Development Division, 1-7 Rue Jean-Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex, France.
| | - Taku Tanaka
- EDF R&D, LNHE, 6 Quai Watier, 78400 Chatou, France
| | - Maïté Bueno
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000 Pau, France
| | - Paulina Pisarek
- Andra, Research and Development Division, 1-7 Rue Jean-Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex, France; Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000 Pau, France
| | - Marine Roulier
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000 Pau, France; Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, LR2T, CE Cadarache, 13115 Saint Paul les Durance Cedex, France
| | - Hervé Gallard
- IC2MP UMR 7285, Université de Poitiers, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Arnaud Legout
- INRAE Grand Est, UR 1138, Biogéochimie des Ecosystèmes Forestiers, F-54280 Nancy, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pittet PA, Josset M, Boilley D, Bernollin A, Rougier G, Froidevaux P. Origin and age of an ongoing radioactive contamination of soils near La hague reprocessing plant based on 239+240Pu/ 238Pu and 241Am/ 241Pu current ratios and 90Sr and Ln(III) soil contents. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 270:129332. [PMID: 33422999 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear reprocessing plants are sources of environmental contamination by gaseous or liquid discharges. Numerous radionuclides are of concern, with actinides and 90Sr being the most radiotoxic. Environmental radioactivity survey programs mostly use γ-spectrometry to track contaminations because γ-spectrometry is very cost effective and can be carried out on raw samples. On the other hand, the determination of β- or α-emitting radionuclides in environmental samples requires rather sophisticated analytical methods, and are thus dedicated to specific goals. However, measuring radionuclides such as Pu, Am, and Sr often provides more information about the presence of a current or prior contamination and on its origin, based on the isotopic composition of the samples. We found that the analysis of 241Pu, 239+240Pu, 241Am, and 90Sr of a few selected soil samples taken near the nuclear reprocessing plant of La Hague, France, revealed the presence of a previous environmental contamination originating from several incidents in La Hague site involving atmospheric transfer and leaks in flooded waste pits. The 241Am-241Pu dating method indicated a contamination period prior to 1983. The presence of elevated levels of light non-radioactive lanthanides and yttrium in the soil samples confirmed the involvement of cold fuel. Our results demonstrate how long-lived actinides are likely to reveal a long-term contamination of the environment by spent fuel. Our study indicates that there is a requirement to use more sophisticated tools than γ-spectrometry when surveying the environments surrounding industrial plants for nuclear power and nuclear reprocessing with a potential for the accidental release of radioactivity into the environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-André Pittet
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mylène Josset
- ACRO, Association pour le Contrôle de La Radioactivité Dans L'Ouest, 138, Rue de L'Eglise, 14200, Hérouville St Clair, France
| | - David Boilley
- ACRO, Association pour le Contrôle de La Radioactivité Dans L'Ouest, 138, Rue de L'Eglise, 14200, Hérouville St Clair, France
| | - Antoine Bernollin
- ACRO, Association pour le Contrôle de La Radioactivité Dans L'Ouest, 138, Rue de L'Eglise, 14200, Hérouville St Clair, France
| | - Guillaume Rougier
- ACRO, Association pour le Contrôle de La Radioactivité Dans L'Ouest, 138, Rue de L'Eglise, 14200, Hérouville St Clair, France
| | - Pascal Froidevaux
- Institute of Radiation Physics, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Külahcı F, Bilici A. Advances on identification and animated simulations of radioactivity risk levels after Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident (with a data bank): A Critical Review. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06559-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
4
|
Vivo-Vilches C, López-Gutiérrez JM, Periáñez R, Marcinko C, Le Moigne F, McGinnity P, Peruchena JI, Villa-Alfageme M. Recent evolution of 129I levels in the Nordic Seas and the North Atlantic Ocean. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 621:376-386. [PMID: 29202284 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Most of the anthropogenic radionuclide 129I released to the marine environment from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants (NFRP) at Sellafield (England) and La Hague (France) is transported to the Arctic Ocean via the North Atlantic Current and the Norwegian Coastal Current. 129I concentrations in seawater provides a powerful and well-established radiotracer technique to provide information about the mechanisms which govern water mass transport in the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean and is gaining importance when coupled with other tracers (e.g. CFC, 236U). In this work, 129I concentrations in surface and depth profiles from the Nordic Seas and the North Atlantic (NA) Ocean collected from four different cruises between 2011 and 2012 are presented. This work allowed us to i) update information on 129I concentrations in these areas, required for the accurate use of 129I as a tracer of water masses; and ii) investigate the formation of deep water currents in the eastern part of the Nordic Seas, by the analysis of 129I concentrations and temperature-salinity (T-S) diagrams from locations within the Greenland Sea Gyre. In the Nordic Seas, 129I concentrations in seawater are of the order of 109 at·kg-1, one or two orders of magnitude higher than those measured at the NA Ocean, not so importantly affected by the releases from the NFRP. 129I concentrations of the order of 108atoms·kg-1 at the Ellet Line and the PAP suggest a direct contribution from the NFRP in the NA Ocean. An increase in the concentrations in the Nordic Seas between 2002 and 2012 has been detected, which agrees with the temporal evolution of the 129I liquid discharges from the NFRPs in years prior to this. Finally, 129I profile concentrations, 129I inventories and T-S diagrams suggest that deep water formation occurred in the easternmost area of the Nordic Seas during 2012.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Vivo-Vilches
- Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Sevilla, Virgen del África 7, 41011 Seville, Spain; Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) (Universidad de Sevilla, CSIC, Junta de Andalucía), Thomas Alva Edison 7, 41092 Seville, Spain.
| | - José María López-Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Sevilla, Virgen del África 7, 41011 Seville, Spain; Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) (Universidad de Sevilla, CSIC, Junta de Andalucía), Thomas Alva Edison 7, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Raúl Periáñez
- Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Ctra. Utrera km 1, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Charlotte Marcinko
- National Oceanography Centre (NOC), European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Paul McGinnity
- Environmental Protection Agency, 3 Clonskeagh Square, Dublin 14, Ireland
| | - Juan Ignacio Peruchena
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) (Universidad de Sevilla, CSIC, Junta de Andalucía), Thomas Alva Edison 7, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - María Villa-Alfageme
- Departamento de Física Aplicada II, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Edificación, Universidad de Sevilla, Reina Mercedes 4A, 41012 Seville, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Castrillejo M, Casacuberta N, Christl M, Garcia-Orellana J, Vockenhuber C, Synal HA, Masqué P. Anthropogenic 236U and 129I in the Mediterranean Sea: First comprehensive distribution and constrain of their sources. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 593-594:745-759. [PMID: 28364609 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The first basin-wide distribution of 236U/238U atom ratios and 129I concentrations is presented for the Mediterranean Sea. During the GEOTRACES GA04S-MedSeA expedition in 2013 seawater was collected from 10 vertical profiles covering the principal sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea. The main objective was to understand the distributions of 236U and 129I in relation to the water masses, and to constrain their sources in this region. The 236U/238U atom ratios and the 129I concentrations ranged from (710±40)×10-12 to (2220±60)×10-12 and from (4.0±0.1)×107 to (13.8±0.3)×107at·kg-1, respectively. The results show that radionuclide-poor Atlantic Water is entering at the surface through the Strait of Gibraltar whereas comparably radionuclide-enriched Levantine Intermediate Water is sinking in the Eastern Basin and flowing westward at intermediate depths. Low radionuclide levels were found in the oldest water masses at about 1000-2000m depth in the Eastern Basin. At greater depths, waters were relatively enriched in 236U and 129I due to dense water formation occurring in both, the Eastern and Western Basins. The inventories of 236U and 129I cannot be explained only by global fallout from atmospheric nuclear bomb testings carried out in the 1950s and 1960s. We estimate that the liquid input of 236U from the nuclear reprocessing facility of Marcoule (France), via the Rhône river, was of the same order of magnitude than the contribution from global fallout, whereas liquid and gaseous releases of 129I from Marcoule were up to two orders of magnitude higher than global fallout. For both radionuclides, the contribution from the Chernobyl accident is found to be minor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Castrillejo
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals & Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain.
| | - N Casacuberta
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Otto Stern Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Environmental Physics, ETH-Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M Christl
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Otto Stern Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - J Garcia-Orellana
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals & Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - C Vockenhuber
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Otto Stern Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - H-A Synal
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Otto Stern Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - P Masqué
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals & Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain; School of Science, Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia; Oceans Institute and School of Physics, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Olson J, Adamic M, Snyder D, Brookhart J, Hahn P, Watrous M. A comparative study of 129I content in environmental standard materials IAEA-375, NIST SRM 4354 and NIST SRM 4357 by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. Appl Radiat Isot 2017; 126:54-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2017.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
7
|
Osman AAA, Bister S, Riebe B, Daraoui A, Vockenhuber C, Wacker L, Walther C. Radioecological investigation of 3H, 14C, and 129I in natural waters from Fuhrberger Feld catchment, Northern Germany. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 165:243-252. [PMID: 27794272 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing radionuclide releases from nuclear facilities, e.g. from reprocessing plants, but also from nuclear reactors require monitoring of the environment. Particularly drinking water reservoirs are prone to possible radionuclide accumulation fostering the need for routine surveillance. In this work, we investigated tritium (3H), radiocarbon (14C), and iodine-129 (129I) activity levels in natural aquatic samples at the water protection area of Fuhrberger Feld near Hannover city, Northern Germany. For that aim, a low-level liquid scintillation counting (LSC) technique was used to measure 3H in the water samples based on a distillation process after alkaline permanganate treatment. Isotopic ratios for both 14C and 129I were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) after chemical separation and purification of the samples. Mean 3H levels in precipitation (8.8 ± 3.4 TU) were found to be comparable to its levels in precipitation data in Germany. Rivers and small streams revealed similar mean 3H value (11.0 ± 3.3 TU) as in lake water (10.6 ± 3.4 TU). Variations in 3H concentrations in groundwater samples were observed and discussed. 14C levels in all groundwater samples were below the atmospheric natural level of 100 pMC indicating no anthropogenic input of radiocarbon. The 129I/127I isotopic ratios in all investigated water samples were in the order of 10-8 to 10-7, which is significantly higher than the pre-nuclear natural equilibrium isotopic ratio (∼1.5 × 10-12). In strong contrast to all other regional groundwaters, the Fuhrberger Feld groundwater has much higher values of 129I concentration and 129I/127I isotopic ratio close to the ones of surface water. The overall annual effective dose via ingestion for all nuclides in the investigated groundwater remains substantially below the reference dose level of 0.1 mSv a-1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alfatih A A Osman
- Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), 30419 Hannover, Germany.
| | - Stefan Bister
- Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Beate Riebe
- Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Abdelouahed Daraoui
- Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Wacker
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Clemens Walther
- Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), 30419 Hannover, Germany
| |
Collapse
|