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Teien HC, Wada T, Kashparov V, Lopez-Gutierrez JM, Garcia-Tenorio R, Hinton TG, Salbu B. Transfer of 129I to freshwater fish species within Fukushima and Chernobyl exclusion zones. J Environ Radioact 2023; 270:107269. [PMID: 37579697 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Unique data is reported on the transfer of 129I iodine from freshwaters to fish as well as the internal distribution within fish from the Fukushima and Chernobyl exclusion zones (ChEZ). Samples of water, sediments and fish were collected in the contaminated ponds Inkyozaka and Suzuuchi, and in the less contaminated Abukuma river in Fukushima, as well as in the contaminated Glubokoye lake and in the less contaminated Starukha lake in ChEZ. In water, 129I was mainly present as low molecular mass (LMM) and negatively charged species, while a minor fraction was associated with colloidal fraction, most probably organic material in water. The sediment-water 129I apparent distribution coefficients, Kd, ranged from 225 to 329 L/kg, equal that of stable iodine, but did not correlate with 129I/127I ratio or 129I/137Cs ratio as the environmental distribution of radioactive iodine was different from that of stable iodine and radioactive cesium. Concentration ratios (CR) of 129I in muscle of freshwater fish ranged from 85 to 544 across waterbodies with limited water exchange, similar in Fukushima and Chernobyl, but varied with respect to fish species. Thus, this is the first results on the transfer of 129I to freshwater fish, showing that the CR for freshwater fish is higher than CR reported for marine fish. Concentrations of 129I in fish muscle were, however, lower than in the intestinal content, indicating the influence of more contaminated dietary ingredients probably of terrestrial origin based due to δ13C signal on as well as of biodilution. The present results highlighted also that the radiation dose in fish was highly inhomogeneously distributed. Based on the present 129I/127I atomic ratio of 10-5 in the most contaminated fish in the ponds in Fukushima and Glubokoye lake in Chernobyl, however, a radiation dose of 10 μSv/y would not pose any harm to the fish population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Christian Teien
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD) CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway.
| | - Toshihiro Wada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 90-12696, Japan.
| | - Valery Kashparov
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD) CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway; National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP of Ukraine), Mashinobudivnykiv Str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv-Svjatoshin distr. Kyiv reg., 08162, Ukraine.
| | - Jose M Lopez-Gutierrez
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, CNA (Universidad Sevilla-J. Andalucía-CSIC), Parque Tecnológico Cartuja 93, Avenida Tomas Alva Edison 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Rafael Garcia-Tenorio
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, CNA (Universidad Sevilla-J. Andalucía-CSIC), Parque Tecnológico Cartuja 93, Avenida Tomas Alva Edison 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Thomas G Hinton
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD) CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway; Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 90-12696, Japan.
| | - Brit Salbu
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD) CoE, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway.
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He P, Pang H, Yang Z, Li S, Huang Y, Hou X, Possnert G, Zheng X, Pei X, Aldahan A. 127I and 129I species in the English Channel and its adjacent areas: Uncovering impact on the isotopes marine pathways. Water Res 2022; 225:119178. [PMID: 36219893 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Radioactive iodine-129 has been released from the La Hague nuclear fuel reprocessing facility (NRF) into the English Channel, but the distribution and transformation of the isotope species, and environmental consequences have not been fully characterized in the Channel. Here we present data on iodine isotopes (129I and 127I) species in surface water of the English Channel and the southern Celtic Sea. Compared to 127I species, the concentrations of 129I- and 129IO3- show more variations, but iodate is the major species for both 129I and 127I. Our data provide new information regarding iodide-iodate inter-conversion showing that water dilution and mixing are the main factors affecting the 127I and 129I species distribution in the Channel. Some reduction of iodate occurs within the English Channel and mainly in the west part because of biotic processes. The 129I species transformation is overall insignificant, especially in the eastern Channel, where a constant value of 129IO3-/129I is observed, which might characterize the La Hague wastewater signal. In the Celtic Sea, oxidation of iodide can be traced by 127I and 129I species. On a larger scale, 129I generally experienced an oxidation process in the Atlantic Ocean, while in the coast of shallow shelf seas, new produced 129I- can be identified, especially in the German Bight and the Baltic Sea. The data of 129I species in the English Channel can provide estimate of redox rates in a much broader marine areas if the transit time of 129I from La Hague is well-defined. Furthermore, estimate of inventories for 129I and its species in the Channel, and fluxes of 129I species from the English Channel to the North Sea add important information to the geochemical cycle of 129I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng He
- School of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China; State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China.
| | - Hongying Pang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Zheng Yang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Sihong Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Yi Huang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China; State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Göran Possnert
- Tandem Laboratory, Uppsala University, PO Box 529, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Xuefeng Zheng
- Sichuan Jinmei Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., Chengdu, China
| | - Xiangjun Pei
- School of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China; State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Ala Aldahan
- Department of Geosciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O Box 15551, Al Ain, UAE.
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Ebihara M, Shirai N, Oura Y, Tsuruta H, Matsuzaki H, Moriguchi Y. Time-series variations in 129I concentrations and 129I/ 137Cs ratios in suspended particulate matter collected in eastern Japan immediately after the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. J Environ Radioact 2022; 250:106907. [PMID: 35660574 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We have determined the hourly atmospheric concentrations of 129I in aerosols dispersed into the atmosphere by the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FD1NPP) on March 11, 2011. Data were obtained by measuring the quantity of 129I in suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected on filter tapes at 41 SPM monitoring stations in Fukushima and other prefectures in eastern Japan, including the metropolitan area of Tokyo and the surrounding area. After scrutiny, 500 out of 920 hourly SPM samples were determined to be reliable (i.e., devoid of cross-contamination), and these were subjected to further analysis and discussion. Based on the data from these samples, especially data from the four SPM sampling sites located close to the FD1NPP (Futaba, Naraha, Haramachi and Nihonmatsu), the time-series variations in the atmospheric concentration of 129I and the activity ratio of 129I/137Cs were reconstructed by using 137Cs concentration data in the literature. 129I and 137Cs were observed to be continuously and sometimes explosively dispersed into the atmosphere in aerosols transported by radioactive plumes from the FD1NPP. The highest activity concentrations of 129I and 137Cs were observed in the SPM sample at the Futaba SPM station (3.2 km west-northwest of the FD1NPP) at 14:00-15:00 on March 12 after the venting of Unit 1. Systematically high 129I/137Cs activity ratios were observed at the Futaba and Haramachi stations from March 12 to 14, suggesting that radioactive masses released from the FD1NPP during the first few days after the nuclear accident were relatively enriched in radioiodine. High activity ratios of 129I/137Cs were also measured starting on March 21 at Naraha (17.5 km south of FD1NPP) and from March 22-23 in the metropolitan area which must have been caused by a different type of emission event(s) on those days at the FD1NPP, as previously reported. The 129I data from this study are highly effective in the validation and elaboration of the modelling of the atmospheric dispersion of radioiodine. They further contribute to assessing the internal exposure due to inhalation of 131I estimated by means of such elaborate atmospheric diffusion models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuru Ebihara
- Department of Earth Sciences, Waseda University, 1-6-1 Nishi-waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan; Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan.
| | - Naoki Shirai
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Yasuji Oura
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Haruo Tsuruta
- Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan, 3-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, 105-0001, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Matsuzaki
- Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Yuichi Moriguchi
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
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Lee JM, Hwang SH, Lee KB, Byun JI, Hwang HY. Standardization of 129I using the movable 4πβ(LS)-X(NaI(Tl)) system. Appl Radiat Isot 2021; 179:110022. [PMID: 34781075 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.110022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The 129I standardization, using the movable 4πβ(LS)-X(NaI(Tl)) coincidence system, was performed for two 129I radioactive sources - one was dissolved in 0.1M NaOH solution and the other in 0.1M HNO3 solution. The system incorporates three movable PM tubes for a β-counter placed on a plane and a X-ray detector that can be moved up to the bottom of the vial. The β-efficiency depending on the amount of radioactive solution was investigated with 14 liquid scintillation samples prepared by gravimetrically dispensing 4.4-145 mg of 129I radioactive solution. The β-efficiencies above 90% were observed at less than 56 mg, but it was at most 70% at 145 mg. This occurred regardless of the activity of the sample or the type of chemical solution used to dissolve 129I source. The activity concentration of each 129I source was determined by efficiency-extrapolation method for samples with an activity range of 0.28-4.5 kBq. The β-efficiency points were derived over 10 intervals by moving 3-PM tubes in fine steps of about 1 mm from the sample. The highest value for β-efficiency was 95%. The combined uncertainty were 0.25% and 0.26%, respectively. The stated precision obtained using the system is better than that previously reported in the literature obtained by the triple to double coincidence ratio (TDCR) or the CIEMAT/NIST efficiency tracing method.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Lee
- Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 267, South Korea
| | - S H Hwang
- Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 267, South Korea
| | - K B Lee
- Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 267, South Korea
| | - J I Byun
- Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 62, South Korea
| | - H Y Hwang
- Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 267, South Korea.
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Mitsuguchi T, Okabe N, Yokoyama Y, Yoneda M, Shibata Y, Fujita N, Watanabe T, Saito-Kokubu Y. 129I/ 127I and Δ 14C records in a modern coral from Rowley Shoals off northwestern Australia reflect the 20th-century human nuclear activities and ocean/atmosphere circulations. J Environ Radioact 2021; 235-236:106593. [PMID: 34062380 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Radionuclides produced by 20th-century human nuclear activities from 1945 (e.g., atmospheric nuclear explosions and nuclear-fuel reprocessing) made significant impacts on earth's surface environments. Long-lived shallow-water corals living in tropical/subtropical seas incorporate the anthropogenically-produced radionuclides, including 129I and 14C, into their skeletons, and provide time series records of the impacts of nuclear activities. Here, we present 129I/127I and Δ14C time series records of an annually-banded modern coral skeleton from Rowley Shoals, off the northwestern coast of Australia, in the far eastern Indian Ocean. The 129I/127I and Δ14C records, covering the period 1930s-1990s, exhibit distinct increases caused by the nuclear activities, and their increasing profiles are clearly different from each other. The first distinct 129I/127I increase occurs from 1955 to 1959, followed by a decrease in 1960-1963. The increase is probably due to US atmospheric nuclear explosions in Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls in 1954, 1956 and 1958. The 129I produced in those nuclear tests would be transported by the North Equatorial Current, a portion of which passes through the Indonesian Throughflow and then reaches Rowley Shoals. This initial increase from 1955 is, however, absent in the Δ14C record, which shows a distinct increase from 1959 and its peak around the mid-1970s, followed by a gradual decrease. This absence and the 4-year-delayed Δ14C increase are likely due to dilution of explosion-produced 14C with natural carbon (by seawater mixing and air-sea gas exchange) being much more intense than that of explosion-produced 129I with natural iodine (by the same processes), suggesting that the 129I/127I ratio is a more conservative anthropogenic tracer in surface ocean waters, as compared to Δ14C. The second 129I/127I increase is contemporaneous with a rapid Δ14C increase during 1964-1967, followed by a rapid 129I/127I decrease in 1968-1969; the increases can be ascribed to very large atmospheric nuclear explosions conducted in the former Soviet Union in 1961-1962. The third 129I/127I increase appears between 1969/1970 and 1992, which can be attributed to airborne 129I released from nuclear-fuel reprocessing facilities in Europe, the former Soviet Union and the US. The coral 129I/127I and Δ14C time series records, combined with previous studies, enhance our understanding of the behavior of anthropogenic 129I and 14C in the global ocean and atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takehiro Mitsuguchi
- Tono Geoscience Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Izumi-cho, Toki, Gifu, 509-5102, Japan.
| | - Nobuaki Okabe
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Yusuke Yokoyama
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8564, Japan
| | - Minoru Yoneda
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Shibata
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Natsuko Fujita
- Tono Geoscience Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Izumi-cho, Toki, Gifu, 509-5102, Japan
| | - Takahiro Watanabe
- Tono Geoscience Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Izumi-cho, Toki, Gifu, 509-5102, Japan
| | - Yoko Saito-Kokubu
- Tono Geoscience Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Izumi-cho, Toki, Gifu, 509-5102, Japan
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Chao JH, Chuang CY, Chou WC, Kuo CL, Chang FC, Chiang AC. Optimization of alkali fusion process for determination of I-129 in solidified radwastes by neutron activation. Appl Radiat Isot 2021; 176:109762. [PMID: 34147847 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study determines the optimum temperature for the alkali fusion process used to effectively separate iodine from solidified radwaste attaining low-level 129I by neutron activation. The alkali fusion temperature was adjusted to 120, 200, and 400 °C to approach the optimum conditions associated with a good statistical distribution of the measured 129I data and high chemical recovery yield. Statistical analysis revealed that the optimum temperature of the alkali fusion process was 200 °C, displaying good central tendency and low variance of the measured 129I data, and the respective chemical recovery yields were higher than other temperatures. The optimum fusion condition provides more reliable scaling factors (129I/137Cs) of radwaste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiunn-Hsing Chao
- Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Chun-Yu Chuang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Wei-Chun Chou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan, ROC; Institute of Computational Comparative Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Chun-Liang Kuo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hsinchu Mackay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 30071, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Feng-Chih Chang
- Chemical Division, Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Longtan, 32546, Taiwan, ROC
| | - An-Chung Chiang
- Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan, ROC
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Kayakökü H, Doğru M, Küçükönder A. Investigation of radioactivity concentration of 137Cs, 90Sr and 129I radioisotopes in thyroid samples. J Environ Radioact 2020; 213:106154. [PMID: 31983455 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the gross alpha and beta activities and 137Cs, 90Sr and 129I radionuclide concentrations in the feeds and thyroid samples obtained from a certain number of sheep, which were fed by Fırat University (Elazığ) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine with varying amounts of fresh lucerne, fodder, silage, straw and concentrate feed were determined. The 137Cs, 90Sr and 129I radionuclide transfer coefficients were also determined. 90Sr and 129I are beta-emitting radionuclides. Sheep with high 90Sr and 129I radionuclide concentrations also have high gross beta radioactivity levels. When an intragroup comparison is performed, the radionuclide concentration in a sheep fed with maximum feed is at the highest level and vice versa. Moreover, the 137Cs, 90Sr and 129I radionuclide transfer coefficients (Ff) for the thyroid samples obtained from the sheep vary between 0.4 × 10-1 - 8.1 × 10-1 d kg-1, 0.4 × 10-2 - 6.1 × 10-1 d kg-1 and 0.4 × 10-1 - 7.3 × 10-1 d kg-1, respectively, and are higher than the expected Ff values and the results obtained in similar studies. The Ff values calculated for the thyroid samples of the straw and fodder group are lower than the Ff values calculated for the thyroid samples of the silage and fresh lucerne group. The radionuclide concentrations for 129I were found to be higher than 90Sr's in the thyroid samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halime Kayakökü
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts & Science, Bitlis Eren University, 13000, Bitlis, Turkey.
| | - Mahmut Doğru
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Fırat, 23169, Elazığ, Turkey.
| | - Adnan Küçükönder
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts & Science, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, 46100, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
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Ebihara M, Oura Y, Shirai N, Nagakawa Y, Sakurai N, Haba H, Matsuzaki H, Tsuruta H, Moriguchi Y. A new approach for reconstructing the 131I-spreading due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident by means of measuring 129I in airborne particulate matter. J Environ Radioact 2019; 208-209:106000. [PMID: 31279226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To retrieve the diffusion trajectory of the 131I dispersed in the environment by the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima in 2011, airborne particulate matter (APM) samples collected in the Tokyo metropolitan area were analyzed for their 129I contents by means of accelerator mass spectrometry. In evaluating blank levels of chemicals and filters used for collecting APM, we established the analytical procedure for determining the 129I activity of as low as 10-8 Bq for a small piece of filter samples (about 0.1 cm2). Coupled with 131I data determined just after the accident, activity ratios of 129I/131I were obtained with a mean value of 2.29 × 10-8 (±28% of a standard deviation). This value is systematically smaller than a mean value of soil samples by 16-24% and the inventory data by 27%, suggesting that 129I was partly lost from APM. As 129I can be a proxy of 131I for APM, it is possible to trace how 131I in the particulate phase spread in eastern Japan and, furthermore, evaluate the internal radiation exposure due to 131I by inhalation of 131I-containing airborne particulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuru Ebihara
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan; Department of Earth Sciences, Waseda University, 1-6-1 Nishi-waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan.
| | - Yasuji Oura
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Naoki Shirai
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Yoshiyasu Nagakawa
- Biotechnology Group, Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute, 2-4-10 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
| | - Nomoru Sakurai
- Biotechnology Group, Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute, 2-4-10 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Haba
- Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Matsuzaki
- Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Haruo Tsuruta
- Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan, 3-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0001, Japan
| | - Yuichi Moriguchi
- Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
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García-Toraño E, Altzitzoglou T, Auerbach P, Bé MM, Bobin C, Cassette P, Chartier F, Dersch R, Fernández M, Isnard H, Kossert K, Lourenço V, Nähle O, Nonell A, Peyrés V, Pommé S, Rozkov A, Sánchez-Cabezudo A, Sochorová J. The half-life of 129I. Appl Radiat Isot 2018; 140:157-62. [PMID: 30015046 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The radionuclide 129I is a long-lived fission product that decays to 129Xe by beta-particle emission. It is an important tracer in geological and biological processes and is considered one of the most important radionuclides to be assessed in studies of global circulation. It is also one of the major contributors to radiation dose from nuclear waste in a deep geological repository. Its half-life has been obtained by a combination of activity and mass concentration measurements in the frame of a cooperation of 6 European metrology institutes. The value obtained for the half-life of 129I is 16.14 (12) × 106 a, in good agreement with recommended data but with a significant improvement in the uncertainty.
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Prouty NG, Roark EB, Mohon LM, Chang CC. Uptake and distribution of organo-iodine in deep-sea corals. J Environ Radioact 2018; 187:122-132. [PMID: 29452767 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding iodine concentration, transport, and bioavailability is essential in evaluating iodine's impact to the environment and its effectiveness as an environmental biogeotracer. While iodine and its radionuclides have proven to be important tracers in geologic and biologic studies, little is known about transport of this element to the deep sea and subsequent uptake in deep-sea coral habitats. Results presented here on deep-sea black coral iodine speciation and iodine isotope variability provides key information on iodine behavior in natural and anthropogenic environments, and its geochemical pathway in the Gulf of Mexico. Organo-iodine is the dominant iodine species in the black corals, demonstrating that binding of iodine to organic matter plays an important role in the transport and transfer of iodine to the deep-sea corals. The identification of growth bands captured in high-resolution scanning electron images (SEM) with synchronous peaks in iodine variability suggest that riverine delivery of terrestrial-derived organo-iodine is the most plausible explanation to account for annual periodicity in the deep-sea coral geochemistry. Whereas previous studies have suggested the presence of annual growth rings in deep-sea corals, this present study provides a mechanism to explain the formation of annual growth bands. Furthermore, deep-sea coral ages based on iodine peak counts agree well with those ages derived from radiocarbon (14C) measurements. These results hold promise for developing chronologies independent of 14C dating, which is an essential component in constraining reservoir ages and using radiocarbon as a tracer of ocean circulation. Furthermore, the presence of enriched 129I/127I ratios during the most recent period of skeleton growth is linked to nuclear weapons testing during the 1960s. The sensitivity of the coral skeleton to record changes in surface water 129I composition provides further evidence that iodine composition and isotope variability captured in proteinaceous deep-sea corals is a promising geochronometer as well as an emerging tracer for continental material flux.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy G Prouty
- US Geological Survey, 2885 Mission St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States.
| | - E Brendan Roark
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Leslye M Mohon
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Ching-Chih Chang
- University of Arizona, Department of Geosciences, Tuscon, AZ 85721, United States
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11
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Villa-Alfageme M, Chamizo E, Santos-Arévalo FJ, López-Gutierrez JM, Gómez-Martínez I, Hurtado-Bermúdez S. Natural and artificial radionuclides in a marine core. First results of 236U in North Atlantic Ocean sediments. J Environ Radioact 2018; 186:152-160. [PMID: 29061309 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
There are very few data available of 236U in marine sediment cores. In this study we present the results from the first oceanic depth profile of 236U in a sediment core sampled in the North Atlantic Ocean, at the PAP site (4500 m depth, Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) site, 49°0' N, 16°30' W). Additionally, the sediment core was radiologically characterized through the measurement of anthropogenic 137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu, 129I and 14C and natural 210Pb, 40K and 226Ra. The measured 236U concentrations decrease from about 90·106 at g-1 at the seafloor down to 0.5·106 at g-1 at 6 cm depth. They are several orders of magnitude lower than the reported values for soils from the Northern Hemisphere solely influenced by global fallout (i.e. from 2700·106 to 7500·106 at g-1). 236U/238U atom ratios measured are at least three orders of magnitude above the estimated level for the naturally occurring dissolved uranium. The obtained inventories are 1·1012 at m-2 for 236U, 80 Bq m-2 for 137Cs, 45 Bq m-2 for 239+240Pu and 2.6·1012 at m-2 for 129I. Atomic ratios for 236U/239Pu, 137Cs/236U and 129I/236U, obtained from the inventories are 0.036, 0.11 and 2.5 respectively. Concentration profiles show mobilization probably due to bioturbation from the abundant detritivore holothurian species living at the PAP site sea-floor. The range of 236U, 137Cs, 239+240Pu and 129I values, inventories and ratios of these anthropogenic radionuclides are more similar to the values due to fall-out than values from a contribution from the Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plants dispersed to the south-west of the North Atlantic Ocean. However, signs of an additional source are detected and might be associated to the nuclear wastes dumped on the Eastern North Atlantic Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Villa-Alfageme
- Dpto. Física Aplicada II, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 4A, 41012, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - E Chamizo
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla, C Thomas Alva Edison, 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - F J Santos-Arévalo
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla, C Thomas Alva Edison, 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - J M López-Gutierrez
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla, C Thomas Alva Edison, 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain; Dpto. Física Aplicada III, Universidad de Sevilla, Virgen de África, 41011, Sevilla, Spain
| | - I Gómez-Martínez
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla, C Thomas Alva Edison, 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - S Hurtado-Bermúdez
- Centro de Investigación, Tecnología e Innovación CITIUS, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 4B, 41012, Sevilla, Spain
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12
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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. Sci Total Environ 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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13
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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. Sci Total Environ 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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.
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14
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Hasegawa H, Kakiuchi H, Akata N, Ohtsuka Y, Hisamatsu S. Regional and global contributions of anthropogenic iodine-129 in monthly deposition samples collected in North East Japan between 2006 and 2015. J Environ Radioact 2017; 171:65-73. [PMID: 28187334 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We measured the monthly atmospheric deposition flux of 129I at Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan-the location of a commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant-from 2006 to 2015 to assess the impact of the plant on environmental 129I levels. The plant is now under final safety assessment by a national authority after test operation using actual spent nuclear fuel. During cutting and chemical processing in test operations from April 2006 to October 2008, 129I was discharged to the atmosphere and detected in our deposition samples. 129I deposition fluxes largely followed the discharge pattern of 129I from the plant to the atmosphere, and most of the deposited 129I originated from the plant. In and after 2009, 129I deposition fluxes decreased dramatically to reach the background level; the 129I deposition fluxes at Rokkasho were almost the same as those at Hirosaki, where an additional sampling point was set up as a background site 85 km from the plant in 2011. The background 129I deposition fluxes showed seasonal variation-high in winter and low in the other seasons-at both Rokkasho and Hirosaki. The results of a backward trajectory analysis of the air mass at Rokkasho suggested that reprocessing plants in Europe were the origins of the high 129I flux in winter. The contribution of 129I released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to the 129I deposition flux at Rokkasho in 2011 was small on the basis of the 129I/131I activity ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidenao Hasegawa
- Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, 1-7 Ienomae, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori 039-3212, Japan.
| | - Hideki Kakiuchi
- Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, 1-7 Ienomae, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
| | - Naofumi Akata
- Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, 1-7 Ienomae, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
| | - Yoshihito Ohtsuka
- Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, 1-7 Ienomae, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
| | - Shun'ichi Hisamatsu
- Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, 1-7 Ienomae, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
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15
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Yeager CM, Amachi S, Grandbois R, Kaplan DI, Xu C, Schwehr KA, Santschi PH. Microbial Transformation of Iodine: From Radioisotopes to Iodine Deficiency. Adv Appl Microbiol 2017; 101:83-136. [PMID: 29050668 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aambs.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Iodine is a biophilic element that is important for human health, both as an essential component of several thyroid hormones and, on the other hand, as a potential carcinogen in the form of radioiodine generated by anthropogenic nuclear activity. Iodine exists in multiple oxidation states (-1, 0, +1, +3, +5, and +7), primarily as molecular iodine (I2), iodide (I-), iodate [Formula: see text] , or organic iodine (org-I). The mobility of iodine in the environment is dependent on its speciation and a series of redox, complexation, sorption, precipitation, and microbial reactions. Over the last 15years, there have been significant advances in iodine biogeochemistry, largely spurred by renewed interest in the fate of radioiodine in the environment. We review the biogeochemistry of iodine, with particular emphasis on the microbial processes responsible for volatilization, accumulation, oxidation, and reduction of iodine, as well as the exciting technological potential of these fascinating microorganisms and enzymes.
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16
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Chang CC, Burr GS, Jull AJT, Russell JL, Biddulph D, White L, Prouty NG, Chen YG, Shen CC, Zhou W, Lam DD. Reconstructing surface ocean circulation with 129I time series records from corals. J Environ Radioact 2016; 165:144-150. [PMID: 27721136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The long-lived radionuclide 129I (half-life: 15.7 × 106 yr) is well-known as a useful environmental tracer. At present, the global 129I in surface water is about 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than pre-1960 levels. Since the 1990s, anthropogenic 129I produced from industrial nuclear fuels reprocessing plants has been the primary source of 129I in marine surface waters of the Atlantic and around the globe. Here we present four coral 129I time series records from: 1) Con Dao and 2) Xisha Islands, the South China Sea, 3) Rabaul, Papua New Guinea and 4) Guam. The Con Dao coral 129I record features a sudden increase in 129I in 1959. The Xisha coral shows similar peak values for 129I as the Con Dao coral, punctuated by distinct low values, likely due to the upwelling in the central South China Sea. The Rabaul coral features much more gradual 129I increases in the 1970s, similar to a published record from the Solomon Islands. The Guam coral 129I record contains the largest measured values for any site, with two large peaks, in 1955 and 1959. Nuclear weapons testing was the primary 129I source in the Western Pacific in the latter part of the 20th Century, notably from testing in the Marshall Islands. The Guam 1955 peak and Con Dao 1959 increases are likely from the 1954 Castle Bravo test, and the Operation Hardtack I test is the most likely source of the 1959 peak observed at Guam. Radiogenic iodine found in coral was carried primarily through surface ocean currents. The coral 129I time series data provide a broad picture of the surface distribution and depth penetration of 129I in the Pacific Ocean over the past 60 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Chih Chang
- NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - George S Burr
- NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - A J Timothy Jull
- NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Joellen L Russell
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Dana Biddulph
- NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Lara White
- NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Nancy G Prouty
- US Geological Survey Pacific Coastal & Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Yue-Gau Chen
- Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chuan-Chou Shen
- Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Weijian Zhou
- Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi'an 710043, China
| | - Doan Dinh Lam
- Institute of Geology, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam
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17
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Altzitzoglou T, Rožkov A. Standardisation of the (129)I, (151)Sm and (166m)Ho activity concentration using the CIEMAT/NIST efficiency tracing method. Appl Radiat Isot 2016; 109:281-285. [PMID: 26754968 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2015.12.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The (129)I, (151)Sm and (166m)Ho standardisations using the CIEMAT/NIST efficiency tracing method, that have been carried out in the frame of the European Metrology Research Program project "Metrology for Radioactive Waste Management" are described. The radionuclide beta counting efficiencies were calculated using two computer codes CN2005 and MICELLE2. The sensitivity analysis of the code input parameters (ionization quenching factor, beta shape factor) on the calculated efficiencies was performed, and the results are discussed. The combined relative standard uncertainty of the standardisations of the (129)I, (151)Sm and (166m)Ho solutions were 0.4%, 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively. The stated precision obtained using the CIEMAT/NIST method is better than that previously reported in the literature obtained by the TDCR ((129)I), the 4πγ-NaI ((166m)Ho) counting or the CIEMAT/NIST method ((151)Sm).
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Affiliation(s)
- Timotheos Altzitzoglou
- European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, 2440 Geel, Belgium.
| | - Andrej Rožkov
- European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, 2440 Geel, Belgium
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18
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Muramatsu Y, Matsuzaki H, Toyama C, Ohno T. Analysis of 129I in the soils of Fukushima Prefecture: preliminary reconstruction of 131I deposition related to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). J Environ Radioact 2015; 139:344-350. [PMID: 24930438 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2013] [Revised: 05/03/2014] [Accepted: 05/11/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Iodine-131 is one of the most critical radionuclides to be monitored after release from reactor accidents due to the tendency for this nuclide to accumulate in the human thyroid gland. However, there are not enough data related to the reactor accident in Fukushima, Japan to provide regional information on the deposition of this short-lived nuclide (half-life = 8.02 d). In this study we have focused on the long-lived iodine isotope, (129)I (half-life of 1.57 × 10(7) y), and analyzed it by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for surface soil samples collected at various locations in Fukushima Prefecture. In order to obtain information on the (131)I/(129)I ratio released from the accident, we have determined (129)I concentrations in 82 soil samples in which (131)I concentrations were previously determined. There was a strong correlation (R(2) = 0.84) between the two nuclides, suggesting that the (131)I levels in soil samples following the accident can be estimated through the analysis of (129)I. We have also examined the possible influence from (129m)Te on (129)I, and found no significant effect. In order to construct a deposition map of (131)I, we determined the (129)I concentrations (Bq/kg) in 388 soil samples collected from different locations in Fukushima Prefecture and the deposition densities (Bq/m(2)) of (131)I were reconstructed from the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuyuki Muramatsu
- Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Mejiro 1-5-1, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan.
| | - Hiroyuki Matsuzaki
- Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 2-11-16, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Chiaki Toyama
- Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Mejiro 1-5-1, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ohno
- Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Mejiro 1-5-1, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
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19
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Gómez-Guzmán JM, Holm E, Niagolova N, López-Gutiérrez JM, Pinto-Gómez AR, Abril JA, García-León M. Influence of releases of (129)I and (137)Cs from European reprocessing facilities in Fucus vesiculosus and seawater from the Kattegat and Skagerrak areas. Chemosphere 2014; 108:76-84. [PMID: 24875915 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/02/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
(129)I is a very long-lived radionuclide (T1/2=15.7×10(6) years) that is present in the environment because of natural and anthropogenic sources. Compared to the pre-nuclear era, large amounts of (129)I have been released to the marine environment, especially as liquid and gaseous discharges from two European reprocessing facilities located at Sellafield (England) and La Hague (France). The marine environment, i.e., the oceans, is the major source of iodine. Brown seaweed accumulates iodine at high levels up to 1.0% of dry weigh, and therefore they are ideal bioindicators for studying levels of (129)I. In this work, (129)I concentrations have been determined in seaweed Fucus vesiculosus and seawater collected in the Kattegat and Skagerrak areas in July 2007. The resulting data were evaluated in terms of (129)I concentrations and (129)I/(137)Cs ratios. (129)I concentrations were found to be in the order of (44-575)×10(9) atoms g(-1) in seaweed and (5.4-51)×10(9) atoms g(-1) in seawater, with an enhancement in the Skagerrak area in comparison to the Kattegat area. Iodine-129 concentrations in both seaweed and seawater were used to determine the concentration factor of iodine in brown seaweed F. vesiculosus. The high levels of (129)I and (129)I/(137)Cs ratios in the Skagerrak area and their gradually decreasing trend to the Kattegat indicates that the most important contribution to the (129)I inventory in those areas comes from Sellafield and La Hague reprocessing plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Gómez-Guzmán
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain; Dpto. de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, University of Seville, Spain.
| | - E Holm
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain; Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Østerås, Norway
| | - N Niagolova
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - J M López-Gutiérrez
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain; Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Universitaria Politécnica, University of Seville, Spain
| | - A R Pinto-Gómez
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - J A Abril
- Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Universitaria Politécnica, University of Seville, Spain
| | - M García-León
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain; Dpto. de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, University of Seville, Spain
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Nottoli E, Bienvenu P, Labet A, Bourlès D, Arnold M, Bertaux M. Accurate determination of ¹²⁹I concentrations and ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs ratios in spent nuclear resins by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. Appl Radiat Isot 2014; 86:90-6. [PMID: 24525301 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2014.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Revised: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Determining long-lived radionuclide concentrations in radioactive waste has fundamental implications for the long-term management of storage sites. This paper focuses on the measurement of low (129)I contents in ion exchange resins used for primary fluid purification in Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR). Iodine-129 concentrations were successfully determined using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) following a chemical procedure which included (1) acid digestion of resin samples in HNO3/HClO4, (2) radioactive decontamination by selective iodine extraction using a new chromatographic resin (CL Resin), and (3) AgI precipitation. Measured (129)I concentrations ranged from 4 to 12 ng/g, i.e. from 0.03 to 0.08 Bq/g. The calculation of (129)I/(137)Cs activity ratios used for routine waste management produced values in agreement with the few available data for PWR resin samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alexandre Labet
- CEA, DEN, DEC, SA3C, LARC, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France.
| | - Didier Bourlès
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, CEREGE UM34, F-13545 Aix-en-Provence, France.
| | - Maurice Arnold
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, CEREGE UM34, F-13545 Aix-en-Provence, France.
| | - Maité Bertaux
- CEA, DEN, DEC, SA3C, LARC, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France.
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