7th Interna�onal Conference
on Environmental Radioac�vity
New challenges in the determination ofenvironmental radioactivity
17 – 22 September 2023
Seville, Spain

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS

Organiza�on

Coopera�onCollabora�on• Vicerrectorado de Inves�gación:• VII Plan Propio de Inves�gación yTransferencia• Vicerrectorado de Proyección Ins�tucionale Internacionalización• Dirección General de Cultura y Patrimonio
Sponsors and exhibitors

2

Local Organizing Committee
Manuel García-León
Guillermo Manjón-Collado
Ignacio Vioque-Romero
Rafael García-Tenorio
María Villa-Alfageme
María del Carmen Jiménez-Ramos
José María López-Gutiérrez
Elena Chamizo-Calvo
Francisco Javier Santos-Arévalo
Isabel Gómez-Martínez
Santiago Hurtado-Bermúdez
José Luis Más-Balbuena
José María Abril-Hernández
Raúl Periáñez-Rodríguez
Juan Mantero-Cabrera
Mercedes López-Lora
Antonio J. López-Fuentes
José Luis García-León

International Organizing Committee

P.P. Povinec (Chair), Comenius University, Bratislava
M. García-León (Co-Chair), University of Seville
F. Bréchignac, International Union of Radioecology, Paris
A. Ioannidou, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki
G. Lujaniene, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Vilnius
S.C. Sheppard, Chief Editor, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
I. Světlík, Nuclear Physics Institute of the CAS, Prague

International Advisory Board
P.P. Povinec (Chair), Comenius University, Bratislava
M. García-León (Co-Chair), University of Seville
L. Benedik, Josef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana
A.E. Cherkinsky, University of Georgia, Athens
M. Eriksson, Linköping University
R. García-Tenorio, University of Seville, Seville
I. Hajdas, ETH Zurich
K. Hirose, Sophia University, Tokyo
G.-H. Hong, East China Normal University, Shanghai
X. Hou, Technical University of Denmark, Riso
M. Hult, EC, Joint Research Centre - Inst. Reference Materials and Measurements, Geel
A.J.T. Jull, University of Arizona, Tucson
J. Kučera, Nuclear Physics Institute of the CAS, Řež
S. Landsberger, University of Texas, Austin
O.C. Lind, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas
O. Mason, Institut de Sureté Nucléaire, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance
J.W. Mietelski, Inst. of Nuclear Physics, PAS, Krakow
M. Molnár, ATOMKI, Debrecen
T. Nakanishi, University of Tokyo
A. Rakowski, SUT, Gliwice
P. Steier, University of Vienna

3

Invited speakers
D. Degering, , VKTA, Dresden
S. Charmasson, Inst. Rad. Sûreté Nucl., La Seyne/Mer
A. Cherkinski, Georgia Univ, Athens
K. Hirose, Lab. Environ. Res. at Mount Fuji, Tokyo
G.H. Hong, East China Normal Univ., Shanghai
X. Hou, Technical University of Denmark, Riso
Y. Inomata, Kanazawa University
H. Kaeriyama, Nat. Res. Inst. Fisheries Sci., Yokohama
J. Kaizer, Comenius University, Bratislava
S. Landsberger, University of Texas, Austin
S. -H. Lee, KRISS, Daejeon
O. Masson, Inst. Rad. Sûreté Nucl., St-Paul-lez Durance
J.W. Mietelski, Inst. Nucl. Physics, Krakow
T. Nakanishi, University of Tokyo
M. Pham, IAEA-EL, Monaco
B. Salbu, Norwegian Univ. of Life Sciences, Aas
Y. Tateda, Cent. Res. Inst. Elect. Power Ind., Abiko
D. Tsumune, Cent. Res. Inst. Elect. Power Ind., Abiko.
V. Yoschenko, Fukushima University, Fukushima
S. Nagorny, Queen´s University, Kingston
S. Steinhausser, TU Wien, Wien
O.-C- Lind, NMBU, Ås
C. Mothersill, McMaster University, Hamilton
J. Lachner, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
J. M. Abril, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla
R. García-Tenorio, Universidad de Sevilla-CNA, Sevilla
E. Chamizo, CNA-Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla

Conference site
Hotel Meliá Sevilla in Seville, Spain
Address: Dr. Pedro de Castro, 1, 41004 Sevilla
Contact: +34 954 42 15 114

Programme at a Glance

DAY 1
17:00 – 20:00
20:00 – 20:30
DAY 2
07:30 – 08:30
09:00 – 09:30
09:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 13:00
13:00 – 14:00
14:00 – 16:00
14:00 – 16:00
16:00 – 16:30
16:30 – 18:45
16:30 – 18:45

Sunday, 17 September 2023
Registration
Welcome party
Monday, 18 September 2023
Registration
Opening
ENVIRA 2023 Award
Coffee break
Plenary Session I
Lunch
Parallel session 1A
Parallel session 1B
Coffee break
Parallel session 2A
Parallel session 2B

DAY 3 Tuesday, 19 September 2023
08:30 – 11:00 Plenary Session II
M. Aoyama Memorial Session I
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00 Plenary Session III
M. Aoyama Memorial Session II
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Poster session I
15:00 – 16:30 Parallel session 3A
15:00 – 16:30 Parallel session 3B
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:45 Parallel session 4A
17:00 – 18:45 Parallel session 4B
20:00 – 22:00 Visit and reception
Reales Alcázares

DAY 4
08:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 13:00
11:30 – 13:00
13:00 – 14:00
19:30 – 22:00

Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Plenary Session IV
Coffee break
Parallel session 5A
Parallel session 5B
Lunch
Visit and reception
Former Tobacco Factory
University of Seville5DAY 508:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 13:00
11:30 – 13:00
13:00 – 14:00
14:00 – 15:00
15:00 – 16:30
15:00 – 16:30
16:30 – 17:00
17:00 – 18:45
17:00 – 18:45
20:30 – 23:00

Thursday, 21 September 2023
Plenary Session V
Coffee break
Parallel session 6A
Parallel session 6B
Lunch
Poster session II
Parallel session 7A
Parallel session 7B
Coffee break
Parallel session 8A
Parallel session 8B
Gala dinner

DAY 6
08:30 – 10:30
10:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 12:30
11:00 – 12:30
12:30 – 13:00
13:00 – 13:30

Friday, 22 September 2023
Plenary Session VI
Coffee break
Parallel session 9A
Parallel session 9B
Plenary Session VII
Closing ceremony
Student awards for the best oral
and poster presentation
ENVIRA 2023

6

ORAL SESSIONS

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8

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

01 PLENARY SESSION I

9ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

What has been revealed tracing trace radioactive elements after 12 years of
Fukushima Nuclear accident
T.M. Nakanishi
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
Email:tmn@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Keywords: Fukushima nuclear accident, agricultural contamination, radioactive cesium movement, 10 years survey,
soil and water contamination, mountain contamination

More than ten years has passed sine Fukushima Nuclear Accident occurred. We, researchers in agriculture
department in the University of Tokyo, have begun to work right after the accident to know the effect ofradioactive materials on agricultural production and still now we are continuing the research, how radioactive
cesium has been moving or what kind of the problems are left in the environment, etc. The radioactive
contamination was found everywhere in the environment after the accident. However, during these years,
radioactivity of the soil, rivers or mountains were gradually decreased. One of the reasons is decontaminationof the place. Since the radioactive cesium hardly move from the place where it was adsorbed, the removal of
the surface soil could reduce the radioactivity. The mixing the surface soil with the deeper soil could also
reduce the radioactivity in the field. The radioactivity of the agricultural products grown in the field was
hardly detected a few years after the accident. Now, the only place where decontamination activities weredifficult to perform is the mountain area because the area is huge, covering about 70 % of Fukushima
prefecture. Therefore, the radioactivity in the mountain is one of the issues gathering the attention of thepeople now and more research results related to the mountains are collected.
During these investigation of radioactive cesium in the field, we could develop our own imaging system.
Through this system, the real-time dynamic imaging of cesium movement from soil to the plant was
visualized. Not only cesium but also the real-time imaging of carbon dioxide movement within the plant wasalso able to show, which might provide some clue to lead more less energy requirement of the agricultural
products.
Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the first accident occurred at monsoon zone on earth.
Though the nuclear power plant accident must not be occurred again, when it happened at template region,
the results we presented in the series of 4 books (2013, 2016, 2019 and 2023 from Springer, Co.) will
provide the proper way to understand the behaviour of the fallout.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Overview of neutron activation analysis forenvironmental radioactivity measurements
S. Landsberger1, N. Kaitschuck1, G. Bátor2, T. Kovács2
University of Texas at Austin, Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab, Pickle Research Campus, R9000, Austin, Texas
USA, 78712, e-mail:s.landsberger@mail.utexas.edu
2Institute of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, PO Box 158, 8201, Veszprém, Hungary
1

Keywords: Neutron activation analysis, decay series, uranium, thorium, potassium-40

We determined uranium, thorium and potassium-40 in soil and geological samples through a combination ofthermal and epithermal neutron activation analysis (NAA) using the 238U(n,γ)239U, 238U(n,γ)239U→239Np,
Th(n,γ) 233Th, and 41K(n,γ)42K reactions, respectively. In addition NAA was successfully employed to232

estimate the potential bioconcentration or transfer factors of 137Cs and 90Sr fissions products from soil, tocrops, to animals and humans, using the 133Cs(n,γ)134Cs and 86Sr(n,γ)87mSr, 84Sr(n,γ)85Sr, reactions
respectively. Sample sizes are typically less than a gram with a fast turnaround especially when compared topassive gamma-ray spectrometry counting, and the radionuclides suffer from little or no spectral interferences
when using Compton suppression techniques and no nuclear. While disequilibrium may exist in water or
technologically enhance naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM), these NAA methods are very
useful for estimating the gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in the decay series in soil and geological
specimens. An overview of these methods will be presented.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Challenges associated with source termand particle releases
B. Salbu
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Center of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Faculty ofEnvironmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, 1433 Ås, Norway. e-mail:brit.salbu@nmbu.no
Keywords: Source term, radionuclides speciation, impact assessments, uncertainties

A series of sources (e.g., nuclear weapons and fuel cycles, NORM) have contributed to release ofradionuclides into the environment. To assess environmental impact and risks associated with radioactive
contamination, links are usually established between the source term and deposition, ecosystem transfer,
biological uptake and effects in exposed organisms. The source term is therefore the starting point in alltransport, dose, impact and risk models. The source term is a qualitative and quantitative description of
release conditions including emitted radionuclides (% of inventory), and information on the amount (Bq) andphysico-chemical forms of key radionuclides released are needed in the assessments. In contrast to aerosol
releases, a major fraction of refractory elements such as U and Po is associated with particles, ranging from
submicrons to fragments. The particle characteristics will depend on the source and the release scenarios, andlocalised heterogeneities such as particles will be unevenly distributed in the environment. Representative
sampling can be questionable, dissolution of radionuclides from inert particles may be partial, andcontamination of ecosystems can be underestimated. The impact and risk assessments may therefore sufferfrom unacceptable large uncertainties if radioactive particles are ignored. The present paper will focus onsources contributing to releases of radioactive particles and will summarize key factors contributing the mostto the overall uncertainties in impact and risk assessments if particles are omitted from models.

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02 PARALLEL SESSION 1A
Mass Spectrometry and Radiometrics

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

High Sensitivity Measurement of 238Pu in Environmental andNuclear Forensics Collections by Thermal Ionization Mass
Spectrometry
K. Hinrichs1, D. Gurganus1, A. Price1, S. Goldstein1, S. LaMont1
1

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Chemistry Division, Nuclear &Radiochemistry Group, P.O. Box 1663, MS J514, Los Alamos, NM 87544,
USA. e-mail: khinrichs@lanl.gov
Keywords: Plutonium-238, mass spectrometry, isotope dilution, ratio measurements, alpha
spectrometry

Nuclear forensics, nuclear treaty monitoring, and environmental monitoring
programs are all interested in measurement of 238Pu with a wide range of potential
Pu / 239Pu ratios. Measured quantities of 238Pu, especially when considered238

alongside 239,240,241,242Pu, provide valuable information about the history of a sample,
including the type of reactor/event that may have produced it, and/or the age sincelast purification (via the 234U / 238Pu chronometer). For high level collections, (e.g.,bulk plutonium samples), measurement by either alpha spectrometry or various typesof mass spectrometry are feasible. However, for low level collections in which total
Pu is too low to precisely measure by alpha counting, current practice is to either
exclude 238Pu, or to split samples and measure part for 238Pu by alpha spectrometry(due to its shorter half-life) and the other part for 239,240,241,242Pu by mass spectrometry.
Splitting samples to accommodate two measurements raises detection limits andincreases sample processing efforts. To mitigate these issues, our team has developeda thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) technique to simultaneously collectdata for six Pu isotopes (including 244Pu tracer) along with mass 235U for correctionof background 238U interfering on 238Pu. The technique is applied to femto- andpicogram levels of purified plutonium in which we have reduced the averagebackground 238U content to ~15 fg. We present data for detection limits and accuracyof the measurement with a comparison to alpha counting, and provide results forenvironmental reference material 238Pu measurement by TIMS.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Enhancing Field-Deployable Detection Technologies for
Nuclear Forensics
T. Domingo*, A. Chaudhuri, D. Godin, L. Li, D. Thompson,
M. Totland
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, 286 Plant Road, Chalk River, Ontario,
K0J 1J0*email: thomas.domingo@cnl.ca

Abstract
Post-explosion forensics of a radiological dispersive device aims to connect people,
places, and events for law enforcement and security through the examination ofradiological and explosive residue. While quick analysis of the area debris isimportant for forensic work, the post-explosion and/or radiological residues may
be hazardous to personnel who collect and transport samples to laboratories fortesting. To enhance nuclear preparedness and emergency response capabilities,
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is advancing portable detection system capabilities
to perform in-field, fast, and high quality analysis of samples. High quality
preliminary analysis of samples in the field helps ensure the protection ofindividuals on site while potentially accelerating the forensics analysis process.
The results from the benchmark experiments performed with the cart-portable highresolution mass spectrometer system in a variety of field environments will bepresented. In addition, preliminary comparisons with the portable gamma-ray
spectroscopy system will also be presented.

Keywords: Portable mass spectrometry, Portable gamma-ray spectroscopy,
Nuclear forensics

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Integration of the corrections related to the self-attenuationand true coincidence summing effects in the gamma-ray
spectrum analysis software Genie2000
A. de Vismes Ott, S. Aubry, S. Bonnot, A. Meyer
Environmental Radioactivity Metrology Laboratory, Institut deRadioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Orsay, France. e-mail: anne.devismes@irsn.fr
Keywords: Gamma-ray spectrometry, detection efficiency corrections, Genie2000,
environment radioactivity, self-attenuation, true coincidence summing

The Corana tool (Macro Excel VBA) has been developed to process and analyse
gamma-ray spectra with the software Genie2000 (Mirion) by integrating bothcorrections of the effects of self-attenuation and true coincidence summing (TCS) on
the detection efficiency, far from being negligible (up to several tens of percent).
The self-attenuation correction factors FCatt depend on the photon energy, the sample
matrix and the counting geometry size. They have been determined analytically using
experimental attenuation coefficients determined for 1000 samples measured overthe lats 10 year, and equivalent thicknesses accounting for the close-detector
measurement configuration. FCatt’s have been determined for 7 sample categories(biological/mineral, dry/ashes…), energies from 30 to 1700 keV and 7 counting
geometries. The TCS correction factors FCcoinc depend on the radionuclide decay
scheme and on the emission energy. They have been calculated by simulation usinga photon transport Monte Carlo type code for 90 emissions of 56 radionuclides, 3
detector types representative of 15 HPGe detectors and 7 counting geometries.
The corrections are made on the emission intensities of the nuclides directly in the
nuclide library used by Genie 2000. The spectrum analysis is then performed using
a temporary library containing the “corrected” intensities allowing a betterinterference management and giving activities by emission more consistent andfinally a more robust mean activity value. The tool has been validated with themeasurements of 38 radionuclides in different samples, before being used in theframework of international proficiency tests.

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Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Optimization of a liquid scintillation spectrometer Quantulus
GCT 6220 for the measurement of environmental levels oftritium in water samples
J. L. García-León1,2, G. Manjón1, M. García-León2, J. Rivera-Silva3
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Universidad de
Sevilla. Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
e-mail: jgarcia34@us.es
2
Department of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics, Faculty of Physics,
Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
3
Servicio de Radioisótopos, Centro de Investigación, Tecnología eInnovación (CITIUS), Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 4B, 41012
Sevilla, Spain
Keywords: Environmental applications, liquid scintillation counting, tritium

Some environmental studies involve the measurement of low levels of tritium inwater samples. Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) is a technique traditionally used
to determine these levels of tritium. In this work, a liquid scintillator spectrometer
Quantulus GCT 6220, from CITIUS was optimised for the determination ofenvironmental levels of tritium in water samples.
A new scintillation cocktail, Hidex ProSafe LT+, was used as it is recommended forthe measurement of low levels of tritium due to its higher capacity for aqueous
samples compared to conventional scintillators.
The different background reduction systems of the Quantulus GCT 6220 werestudied and their impact on the counting efficiency and the minimum detectable
activity (MDA) addressed. The resulting background reduction procedure ispresented in this work.
The optimization of MDA was successful, achieving a typical value of 0.10 Bq/ℓ fora measurement time of 10h, with an efficiency of 0.174±0.017. The MDA reachedusing this new procedure was compared to those obtained with a Quantulus 1220, a
well-known liquid scintillation spectrometer.
With the background reduction procedure proposed in this work, the Quantulus GCT6220 becomes a competitive solution when environmental levels of tritium must be
measured.

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Exploratory Analysis of Gamma Spectrometry and EDXRF Applied to Soil
Redistribution Evaluation in Agricultural Areas
J. M. F. Lopes1, A. C. Andrello1, F. L. Melquiades1

Applied Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Londrina State University, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, PR-445, Km 380,
Londrina - PR, Brazil. e-mail: lopes.joaomarcos@uel.br1

Keywords: EDXRF, gamma spectrometry, principal component analysis, soil erosion

With the population continuous growth worldwide, studies focused on agriculture and food production
became more common. In this context, it is fundamental to evaluate soil loss caused by erosion, since it
greatly impacts on crops productivity. Gamma-ray spectrometry and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence(EDXRF) are two techniques that are commonly applied to soil analysis. In this study, both techniques were
employed to understand the erosion effects occurred in a no-tillage cultivation area.
This research aimed to determine the macro and micro-nutrients found in soil and compare them with theCs distribution. We hypothesized that it is possible to study the erosive effects experienced through soil’s

137

composition and profile analysis using EDXRF, which is faster and cheaper than gamma-ray spectrometry.
From the agricultural field, nine spots were selected and 300 g soil samples were collected in three different
depths ranging from 0 to 30 cm. Performing the analysis over three soil profiles instead of just one sample
per spot makes it possible to get more detailed informations about the cumulative erosion and deposition
effects over the years. Approximately 10 g of each sample was taken to perform EDXRF and determine its
composition. The quantified elements were Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr and Zn.
Once the 137Cs amount on each sample was determined, exploratory analysis was performed over all the data
regarding the soil composition. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a chemometric technique that
reduces the dimensions of large datasets and allow the researcher to evaluate the influence of each variableand group samples based on their similarity. The PCA findings corroborated the results determined by theCs inventory analysis. Moreover, PCA evidenced the tendencies of dependence between the detected137

elements and 137Cs. The results also showed that two of the analyzed spots suffered so much erosion in thepast few decades that their horizon profile shifted from organic to mineral.
By excluding the 137Cs contribution in the PCA, the samples distribution did not change. Therefore, this result
implies that soil erosion evaluation may be performed by analyzing soil’s macro and micro-nutrients through
EDXRF. These findings indicate the EDXRF quantification results can lead to conclusions about the soil
redistribution which were confirmed by the inventory analysis. Therefore, EDXRF combined with PCA may
be an alternative method for soil loss and erosive processes evaluation.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

A practical and general methodology for efficiency
calibration of coaxial Ge detectors by using NORM standards
J. Llanes-Gamonoso1, A. Barba-Lobo1, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez1, E. CastañoCasco1, E.G. San Miguel1, J.P. Bolívar1
1Department of Integrated Sciences, Center for Natural Resources, Healthand Environment (RENSMA), University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain. email: jose.llanes@dci.uhu.es
Keywords: Gamma-ray spectrometry, Efficiency calibration, Artificial and naturalradionuclides, True coincidence summing, Self-absorption, Dead time

The proper measurement of natural and artificial radionuclides (such as 152Eu,
137,134

Cs, 60,57Co, 234,228Th, 228,226Ra, 210Pb and 40K) is very important for many research

fields related to Environmental Radioactivity. Therefore, the aim of this study is todevelop a practical methodology in order to obtain a general function for the fullenergy peak efficiency (FEPE) by gamma-ray spectrometry using coaxial Ge
detectors, which allows us to determine both artificial and natural radionuclides. For
this, calibration standards containing only natural radionuclides were used, wherecertified reference materials such as RGU-1, RGTh-1 and RGK-1, provided by theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), were selected containing only
radionuclides belonging to the 238U- and 232Th-series, as well as 40K, respectively.
Firstly, for the calibration standards, an efficiency function depending on standard
thickness (h) and energy (Eγ) was obtained, which was validated for several sample
types which contain artificial and natural radionuclides. However, for energies
affected by true coincidence summing (TCS) effects, the results were not proper.
Consequently, a methodology to correct TCS effects was developed varying the
distance between the sample bottom and the detector window (d), obtaining a generalefficiency function εc(Eγ, d) for h = 25 mm. By using this methodology, it was also
possible to improve the self-absorption effect corrections provided by the Cutshall’s
model for very dense samples, as well as to reduce the detector dead time for very
active samples. The εc(Eγ, d, h = 25 mm) function was validated using a very wide
variety of samples containing artificial and natural radionuclides.

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Major elements, radioactivity assessment and the dose rate inarable and grazing land from south-eastern part of Romania
Ileana Radulescu1, Rasvan Stochici2, Antonio-Andrei Sofron1, Dragos Alexandru Mirea1
1
Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering,
Magurele, Romania
2
Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania,
Keywords: Distribution of NOR; radon; uranium; thorium; arable and grazing land

Results from in situ and laboratory measurements on soil samples from south-eastern partof Romania are presented in this paper. Since there is a lack of data for Romania in theEuropean Atlas of Natural Radiation (EANR) regarding concentration of the natural
occurring radionuclides (NOR) and possible artificial contamination in Romanian arable
and grazing land, campaigns to collect and provide these data have been started in 2022.
Thus, using a portable gamma ray spectrometer, but also collecting soil samples forlaboratory measurements for detailed data have been considered using techniques such as
XRF and ICP-MS for the determination of different elements: Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti,
V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ba, Pb, Th. In addition, in situ
levels of radon were measured and correlation were performed for each type of soils.

Figure 1 – The soil area investigated in the first campaign

The creation of distribution maps for radiometric and chemical data represents a starting
point to address the missing data for Romania from EANR. The need for the results of these
remeasurements rise from the Articles 2 and 30 of the Euratom Treaty (European Union,2016) which empower the Community to establish uniform basic safety standards to protect
the health of the general public against dangers arising from ionizing radiations.

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03 PARALLEL SESSION 1B

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The role of soil weathering on radiocesium (137Cs) soil-planttransfer: a pot trial study with soil toposequences
M. Vanheukelom1,2, P. Steegmans1,2, A. Van Gompel1, M. Van Hees1, J.
Wannijn1, T. Al Mahaini1, L. Sweeck1, E. Smolders2
1

Biosphere Impact Studies, SCK CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400-Mol, Belgium. email: margot.vanheukelom@sckcen.be2
Division of Soil and Water management, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg
20, 3001-Leuven, Belgium.
Keywords: Concentration Ratio (CR), Radiocesium Interception Potential (RIP), soil
toposequence, ryegrass, soil development.

Process-based models to predict the transfer of radiocesium (137Cs) from soil toplants are made after the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. These models areunlikely to make predictions worldwide because they only consider soils at similarstages of development, and do not cover soils contrasting in parent material andweathering degree. Topsoils of seven different toposequences (N = 51 soil samples)
were selected from Chile, France, Guatemala, Kenya, Philippines, Spain and
Vietnam so that the role of weathering stage on the fate of 137Cs could be elucidated.
Relevant soil properties, such as mineralogy and radiocesium interception potential(RIP), i.e. 137Cs selective adsorption, were determined. Next, a pot experiment was
set up in which ryegrass grew on 137Cs-spiked soils from Kenya and the Philippinesthat exhibited the best weathering sequence. Because K competes with 137Cs for plant
uptake, soils were studied both with and without K fertilization. The soil RIP varied
from 45.3-5680 mmol kg-1 and more importantly, the RIP per unit clay varied
strongly between 142-36000 mmol kg-1 (Figure 1). Indeed, the role of weathering
stage was confirmed as younger soils, i.e. higher altitude on the toposequence, had
10–fold smaller RIP per unit of clay than at the base. In youngest soils with limited
clay mineral weathering, the 137Cs adsorption and K-buffer capacity is limited. As
the soil develops, more weathered edges develop and K-buffering increases while inhighest weathered soils, these layered minerals have disappeared and K-buffering
again drops. In K-deficient, young and

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highly weathered soils, more 137Cs will be taken up by plants and countermeasures
like K fertilization will have less effect. This implies that the 137Cs contamination
scenarios as we know from temperate regions are very different from those in tropicalregions. Practically, our findings can be used to adjust 137Cs transfer models toeffectively predict the risk of 137Cs entering our food chain in case of nuclear
incidents worldwide.

Figure 1. 137Cs adsorption (left) and K-buffering (right) in Kenyan soils vary withsoil development.

23

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Isotopic signatures of plutonium in the global cryosphere
Edyta Łokas1, Giovanni Baccolo2,3, Anna Cwanek1, Jakub Buda4, Katarzyna
Kołtonik1, Nozomu Takeuchi5, Roberto Ambrosini6
Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of
Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland. e-mail: Edyta.Lokas@ifj.edu.pl
2
Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
3
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
4
Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz
University, Poznań, Poland
5
Department of Earth Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
6
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, Milan, Italy
1

Keywords: Plutonium, Isotopic ratio, Mass ratio, Cryoconite, GlaciersThis work provides new insights about the accumulation and source of Plutonium
isotopes found in cryoconite, the sediment forming on the melting surface of glaciers.
Plutonium isotopes (238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu) have been measured in cryoconite collectedfrom 11 glaciated regions of the Earth, providing for the first time a global overview
on the distribution and source of this artificial radioactive element. Results confirm
a widespread occurrence of Pu isotopes in cryoconite from the two hemispheres,confirming the unabated efficiency of cryoconite in accumulating fallout
radionuclides. In cryoconite the activity concentration of plutonium is orders ofmagnitude higher than those detected in other environmental matrices, raising issues
on the role of glaciers, and specifically cryoconite, in concentrating legacy
radioactive pollutants released by glaciers in the context of climate change andglacier retreat. The inspection of activity ratios (238Pu/239+240Pu) allowed to gather
information about the original source of Pu found in cryoconite. Results show thatthe plutonium-related radioactivity of cryoconite from the considered glaciers ismostly compatible with the global signal of stratospheric fallout. An excess of 238Pu
is observed in cryoconite from the Exploradores Glacier in the Chilean Patagonia.
We hypothesize that this could be associated with satellite “Mars’96” which waslaunched on 16 November 1996, an event whose isotopic signature had never been
observed before.
This study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland under research
project No. 2018/31/B/ST10/03057.

24

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Kinetic reactive transport of radionuclides at the sedimentwater interface: Numerical model and applications
J.M. Abril1
1

Department of Applied Physics I, E.T.S.I.A., University of Seville, Spain.

Keywords: Surficial sediments; uptake kinetics; reactive transport; early compaction; eddy
diffusivity.

This work aims to improve our understanding of the distinct behaviour of different
radionuclides at the sediment-water interface (SWI). A numerical model has beendeveloped to this end. Its formulation merges early diagenetic processes and boxmodels for the uptake kinetics, and it has been applied to synthetic scenarios. The
kinetics of the uptake of pollutants by solids interacts with the transitional eddy
diffusivity in the pore fluid, leading to different depth-distribution patterns. The
model has been applied to study: i) 210Pb and Chernobyl fallout radionuclides in Lake
Sniardwy; ii) 7Be in sediments from Tema Harbour; iii) 236U, 137Cs, and 239,240Pu in
the Esk estuary.
Transitional eddy diffusivity explains the observed large penetration depths for 137Cs
and 7Be, while high particle-reactive elements, such as 210Pb, 144Ce, and 239,240Pu, areretained in thinner sediment layers. The desorption of 137Cs from the Sniardwy
sediments occurs through the pore fluid as diffusive fluxes. Transient depth profilesof 137Cs concentrations can last from months up to a year, and they can show
subsurface maxima at positions unrelated with the accretion rate. The model has been
adapted to simulate the transition from mobile U(VI) to highly particle-reactive
U(IV) in the anoxic zone of the sediment, producing a subsurface deposition pattern,
as shown in the sediment core from the Esk estuary.

25

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

A detailed chronology of the sedimentation in the Danube abyssal fan
records the major episodes of the late-Holocene Black Sea evolution
M. Ilie1,2, T. Sava1, A. Vespremeanu-Stroe3, O. Duliu2, G. Cristea4, G. Ion5, D. Olteanu1,3,
A. Haliuc6, C. Manailescu1, G. Sava1
1

RoAMS Laboratory, Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 30 Reactorului St.,
077125, Magurele-Bucharest, Romania
2

University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, Doctoral School of Physics, 405 Atomistilor St., 077125, Magu rele
(Ilfov), Romania
3

GEODAR Research Center for Geomorphology, Geoarchaeology and Paleo-environments, Faculty of Geography,
University of Bucharest, 1st N. Balcescu St.., Bucharest, Romania

4

Department of Mass Spectrometry, Chromatography and Applied Physics, National Institute for Research andDevelopment of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67 - 103 Donath St., 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
5

National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-Ecology (GeoEcoMar), 23-25 Dimitrie Onciul St., 024053, Bucharest,
Romania6

Romanian Academy, Institute of Speleology, 5 Clinicilor St., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Keywords: AMS, Anoxic sediments, Sedimentation rate, Marine radioactivity, Black sea, Late holocene

The construction for the high-resolution Bayesian sedimentation model spanning the last 5500 years basedon 25 AMS radiocarbon dated sediments of bulk organic matter (OM) sampled from the NW Black Sea
anoxic waters of the continental slope is presented in this paperwork. The corrections for the 14C ages due
to marine reservoir effect (MRE) and detritus organic carbon are correlated with exogenous information suchas 210Pb dating, metallurgy pollution and human-induced soil erosion, highlighting the Danube influence on
the geochemistry and chronology of the NW Black Sea sediments thro ugh the input of terrigenous organic
matter.
The results show excellent agreement with some of the previous studies, supporting a total age offset for thebulk OM of 60 years as MRE and 580 years as detritus organic carbon influence. The revisited chronology
pinpoints the first and second invasion of the coccolitho-phores Emiliania huxleyi at 2524 ± 87 and 625 ± 65
years cal. BP. The sedimentation rate shows an increase of about three times with the starting of the lateMedieval, which corresponds to the highest observed sediment discharge of the Danube as are considered
the last 500-300 years. This type of high-resolution sedimentation model is an important step for constructing
the carbon budget in bottom waters of variable oxygen concentration.

26

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Pioneering tracer application of anthropogenic U-233 and U236 in the marine environment
J. Qiao
Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical
University of Denmark (DTU), Risø Campus, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Keywords: 233U, 236U, tracer application, marine environnement

In recent years, the application of anthropogenic 233U-236U as a new tracer pair has
been increasingly adopted, especially in the marine environment. This is due to theirconservative behavior, long residence time in the ocean (105y) and unique fingerprintof their isotopic ratios. Since 2013, we have carried out a series of studies on the
tracer application of anthropogenic 233U-236U in the Baltic Sea, the Pacific Ocean and
the Arctic Ocean. Our findings demonstrate the potential of this tracer pair in
identifying radioactive source terms, reconstructing historical nuclear activities,
benchmarking age-depth model for sediment chronology, tracing ocean circulation
pathways and transit times, quantifying water mass composition and estimating
pollutant/nutrient dynamics. This paper presents an overview of our research on 233UU tracer application, and discusses the implications for future environmental tracer

236

studies.

27

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Field studies on the influence of environmental factors on I - 131 interception
and weathering loss in grass
A. Hossein1, H. J. E. Brown1, B. D. Oughton2
DSA – Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Grini Næringspark 13, 1361 Østerås, Norway

1

NMBU/CERAD - Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Ås, Norway.

2

Keywords: I-131 tracer, grass, interception fraction, weathering loss

A series of 131I tracer experiments have been conducted at two research stations in Norway, one
coastal and one inland to study radioiodine transfer and dynamics in boreal, agricultural
ecosystems. The hypothesis tested was that site specific and climatological factors, along withgrowth stage, would influence foliar uptake of 131I by grass and its subsequent loss. Climatologicalfactors (precipitation, wind-speed and temperature) appeared to affect the dynamics of 131I in thesystem, however the decomposition of these collective influences into specific contributions fromeach factor remains unresolved and requires further study. The study produced a wide range ofinterception fractions and revealed a strong positive correlation between those fractions and stageof growth. The role of stable iodine on uptake of 131I was also investigated. Whilst stable iodine
concentrations in grass and soil were significantly higher at the coastal compared to the inland
site, it was not possible to deconvolute the influence of this factor on the temporal behaviour of131
I. The outcomes of this study have provided new knowledge on the interception and weatheringof radioiodine in boreal, agricultural ecosystems which is a substantial contribution to themodelling toolbox available for Norwegian emergency preparedness in the event of a nuclear
accident.

28

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Phosphorus turnover in the Yangtze estuary and adjacent East China sea using
Cosmogenic 32P and 33P
C. Xu, J. Z. Du
State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Keywords: Phosphorus; 32P; 33P; turnover time; Yangtze estuary

Phosphorus is an essential bio-limiting macronutrient required for living organisms in marine ecosystems.
However, research on the controls of P turnover rate in the eutrophic and hypoxic aquatic environments of
the Yangtze estuary is so far missing, and the regulate mechanism is still unclear. Here, we have estimatedin situ phosphorus-turnover rates by measuring the activities of two cosmogenic radionuclides 32P (t1/2 =14.3 days) and 33P (t1/2 = 25.3 days) in total dissolved P (TDP), suspended particulate matter (SPM), netplankton and rainwater during the spring of 2022. A two-dimensional model was used to evaluate the settingor resuspension flux of particles in the wate column in the Yangtze estuary, the scavenging time of 32P and33

P were 0.59 and 0.54 days, and the removal times of 32P and 33P were 2.7 and 3.0 days. A continuous steady-state model was used to estimate residence times of various phosphorus pools and uptake rates of thebiological food chain in the Yangtze estuary and adjacent East China sea. The residence times of P in the
dissolved pools gradually increased from 4.6 days in the estuarine to 8.6 days in the open sea, which suggeststhat TDP has rapid turnover rates in the estuary water, and even if low TDP concentrations can support
relatively higher levels of primary productivity. 33P/32P ratios increased from the dissolved pools to SPM andto net-plankton, indicating that P turnover time increased as one moved up through the food chain. In addition,
33

P/32P ratios of small particle size SPM is significantly higher than that of large particle size SPM in themixed area of saltwater and freshwater in estuaries, indicating that the age of small particle size SPM is older
than that of large particle size SPM, which likely due to the hydrodynamic effect and sediment resuspension
delay the residence time of small particle size particles in the nearshore waters of estuaries.

29

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Transport and transformation of 137Cs from freshwater to coastal water
H-C. Teien1, M. Nandrup Pettersen1, M. Simonsen2, H.E. Heldal3, H. Haanes4, M. Larsen1, O.C.
Lind1,
1

CERAD Center of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural
Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway. e-mail: hanschristian.teien@nmbu.no2
Norwegian Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 43, Blindern, NO-0313 Oslo, Norway
3
Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P. O. Box 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway
4
Norwegian radiation and nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), Norway
Keywords: 137Cs, speciation, transport, transformation, river, coastal water.

Norway was heavily affected by fallout of 137Cs after the Chernobyl accident and recent studies
have shown that the Vefsnfjord is among the fjords with the highest activity concentrations in thewater column and sediments. The Vefsna river flows into the Vefsnfjord, forming an estuarine
circulation environment with brackish surface layer with increasing salinity from the inner to theouter part of the fjord above a sub-surface high-salinity countercurrent flow restricted by several
threshold sills.
In this study, we have characterized 137Cs contamination in lakes in the Vefsna catchment area, in
the river Vefsna and in the Vefsnfjord during three field campaigns (2020-2022). Results showthat the activity concentration of 137Cs in four of the lakes located in the upper part of thecatchment ranged from 8 to 50 Bq/m3 in water and 3 to 10 kBq/kg in surface sediments. The
activity concentration of dissolved 137Cs in river water ranged from 2 to 10 Bq/m3 and 137Cs
associated with particles suspended in the river water ranged from 130 -500 Bq/kg (0.2-3.2 Bq/m3)
and both the dissolved and the particulate 137Cs were highly variable during flooding events.
During low flow, 137Cs was mainly present as LMM species (>85 %) in the river water, whileduring high flow a larger fraction was associated with the colloidal fraction (32 %) and theparticulate fraction (20-39 %).
In the Vefnsfjord, however, the activity concentration of 137Cs was observed to be lower than inriver Vefsna, decreasing with increasing salinity, reflecting mixing with fjord water and dilution.
In the brackish water, only 137Cs associated with LMM fraction and particulate fraction wasobserved, indicating both aggregation and remobilization of 137Cs from the colloidal fraction. In
Vefsnfjord, the particulate fraction of 137Cs in the estuarine water was significant after periods
with flooding events in river Vefsna, the 137Cs in sediments was significant and seaweed samples
showed bioaccumulation of 137Cs, and the activity concentrations decreased outwards the fjord.
Results indicate that more than 30 years after the deposition, 137Cs is still transported from thecatchment via river water to coastal water, and that 137Cs is redistributed from the colloidal
fraction to the LMM rather than particulate fractions in the coastal water. The work contributeswith information about the transport of 137Cs from freshwater to coastal water and the impact ofenvironmental factors which is important to take into account in marine transport models.

30

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

04 PARALLEL SESSION 2A
Quality Assurance and Quality Control

31

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Lessons learned by PT organizer and how can be used by the laboratories in
the processes of their improvement
J. Kožar Logar1, Romana Krištof1,2, Paul Dohety3, Abdulghani Shakhashiro3
Department for Low and Medium Energy Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia,
e-mail: jasmina.logar@ijs.si
2
Department for Sanitary Engineering, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, 1000
Ljubljana, Slovenia
3
IARMA, Naver House, Navr Road, Thurso, Highland, United Kingdom, KW147QA
1

Keywords: water, sea, environmental samples, gross alpha and beta activity, high resolution gamma
spectrometry, liquid scintillation spectrometry, tritium, radiocarbom, gamma emitters, proficiency test, certifie
reference material, IARMA, QA/QC

Today, PTs (Proficiency tests) and CRMs (Certified Reference Matrials) are an indispensable component ofboth commercial and research laboratories, as they must constantly prove the quality of their analyzes andtheir traceability to basic units. CRMs are used to check their calibrations while analytical methods are tested
by PTs. Good results on PT tests are proof of the good work of the laboratory, while poor results are a newchallenge and an opportunity for improvement. As a rule, results with a grade of W (worning) or N (notacceptable) are sporadic and often difficult to compare with each other, so that the cause of them is sometimes
difficult to discover. A set of results suitable for statistical processing could be useful in this regard. An
individual laboratory needs many years or even decades to acquire enough data of this kind. The PT organizer
can help with this, as he collects data from many laboratories for each PT. How should the organizer prepare
the PTs and what information should he obtain from the participants in order to be able to constructively andactively participate in the evaluation of results, improvement of methods, QA/QC systems and the entire
performance of the laboratories? We will answer these questions and comment other dilemmas on theexample of IARMA, a relatively young and small PT organizer and CRM provider. It has been on the global
market for 10 years. During this time, 148 different samples of various types of waters and other matrices(hay, seagrass, soil, mushrooms) were prepared, for which around 7700 results were collected.

32

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Characterization of Am-241 spiked concrete samples asreference material for an alpha emitter remote sensing
systemA. Klose1, M. Luchkov2, F. Krasniqi2, C. Walther1
12Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Hanover, Germany
Physikalisch-technische Bundesanstalt. Brunswick, Germany

Keywords: Alpha radiation, Radioluminescence

The project RemoteALPHA focuses on the detection of alpha radiation in theenvironment. Until now, contaminations by purely alpha emitting radionuclides were
measured by hand causing considerable risk to the emergency team. In air, alphaparticles have a range of only a few centimetres, making it difficult to detect them in
a topological area such as the environment. As a possible solution we take advantage
of a secondary effect of alpha radiation in air. Alpha particles interact withatmospheric gases, mainly with nitrogen due its share of 78%. By relaxation of theelectron from the excited nitrogen, a UV-photon is emitted. An optical system
mounted on a drone, which detects these UV-photons, will overcome many
problems. To test the optical system, common environmental surfaces were
contaminated with 241Am and characterized using conventional alpha detection
methods.
This presentation will focus on the measurement of contaminations of concrete
samples. The amount of detectable alpha particles depends on various parameters of
the concrete, surface roughness being the most relevant one. The rougher the surface,
the lower the recovery. Also the water-to-cement-ratio and the way of radionuclide
deposition on the surface affect the recovery rate. Concrete samples with varying
amounts of activity and a known surface count rate were measured with the opticaldetection system to test and further improve its sensitivity.

33

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Development of Voluntary Consensus Standards
and Measurement Support for NORM/TENORM Applications
Evgeny Taskaev1, Donivan R. Porterfield2, Cole Hexel3, Kayron Rogers3, Ben Manard3,
Carson Evans3
1 Eckert and Ziegler Analytics, Inc., Atlanta, GA, 30318 2Los
Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87544 3Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
In the United States, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and TechnologicallyEnhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) are predominantly regulatedby the state in which the organization is managing the material. This can result in a wide variety
of approaches to NORM / TENORM across the United States. Our ASTM International D19.04
Subcommittee (Water / Methods of Radiochemical Analysis) is primarily focused on voluntary
consensus standards to assist in appropriately characterizing the radioactive constituents of
NORM / TENORM.
The ASTM D19.04 Subcommittee has been advised that organizations needing to manage(NORM) and (TENORM) may benefit from using existing approved standards and thedevelopment of new voluntary consensus standards on the topic. As may be needed by a relevant
sector, specific collections of applicable ASTM standards can be periodically made available inhard-copy or digital formats for easier use.
To support traceable measurements for NORM/TENORM characterization, Eckert and Ziegler
Analytics, Inc. (EZA) has established a program for providing relevant reference materials,
calibration standards, and proficiency testing samples. Uranium, thorium, radium and 210Pb
containing materials can be available for NORM/TENORM applications. Uranium and thorium
materials in equilibrium with their respective decay products are under evaluation.
EZA pitchblende material is analyzed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for uranium content,
isotopic abundance and trace element content. Uranium concentration was measured by Davies
and Gray titration and the isotopic abundance by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS).
Trace elements were quantified by first removing the uranium matrix on a UTEVA column
followed by analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or ICPoptical emission spectroscopy.
Solid matrices for the preparation of calibration standards and proficiency testing samples areavailable in a 0.5 – 3.5 g/cm3 density range, including Olivine (low NORM material, Σ NORM
isotopes < 12 mBq/g).
34

There is a capability to manufacture 1mx1m flat sources to facilitate custom indoor/outdoor insitu calibrations and proficiency testing measurements. The possibility of needing to calibrate
and perform measurements with drone-based instrumentation will also be considered. The EZA
NORM Program is being developed under an ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO 17034 and ISO 17043
environment. MARLAP, MARSSIM and MARSAME recommendations are also being
considered.
ASTM D19.04 and EZA are determined to assist the organizations managing NORM /TENORM to do so in a consistent and responsible manner.

35

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Preparation of polonium-210 and carbon 14 seafoodreference material and the labs
intercomparison radiochemical analysis
Yanqin Ji, Yuxin Qian, Liangliang Yin, Yuhan Xie
China CDC Key Laboratory of Radiological Protection and Nuclear
Emergency, National Institute for Radiological Protection, China CDC.
100088 Beijing, China e-mail: jiyanqin@nirp.chinacdc.cn
Keywords: Po-210, C-14, seafood, radionuclides, quality control

The natural radionuclide 210Po (T1/2 = 138.4 d) is one of the decay products
originating from 238U. Owing to its relatively high activity concentrations in certain
foods (such as accumulated in sea fish and mussels) and its relatively high ingestion
dose coefficient, 210Po has been of great concern from the viewpoint of a radiation
protection to the human body. IAEA summarised that contributions to annual
ingested dose from radionuclides in diet (excluding 40K), 210Po is about 52%, the main
three artificial radionuclides included carbon 14 (3%). Regarding 14C (T1/2 = 5730y), it has been considered a key radionuclide from the discharge of NPPs, as well as
the waste after a nuclear accident (i.e. Fukushima Daiichi NPP in 2011). The both
Po and 14C activity concentrations are important for establishing the relevant

210

standards for the limits/reference level of radionuclides in foodstuff. This work is forthe purpose of quality control to precisely determine both 210Po and 14C in seafood,
while organized nationwide radioactivity monitoring in foodstuffs samples in China.
The sample of oysters was selected from the Fujian coast, China. After shelled, watercleaned, dried at 80 °C, jet milled and blended at about 250 m, filled bottles andgamma ray irradiation sterilized with a total dose of 25kGy using a 60Co source. A
unit of the sample consists of approximately 150 gram of dried oyster powder. The
activity concentration of 210Pb and 210Po were pre-measured by LSC to confirm the
Pb less interference to 210Po.

210

The batch experiments for the stability and uniformity performed using spontaneous
auto-deposition onto metal surfaces and the spectrum about 210Po,

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ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

combustion and LSC measurement about 14C, respectively. The minimum sample
amount for the measurement is about 0.5 gram for 210Po, 3.0 gram for 14C under thesatisfaction uncertainty. The innovative procedure of determination of 14C in seafood
will be presented.
A description of the material collection and preparation, uncertainty analysis and thedefined results of the 6 labs interlaboratory comparison will be presented anddiscussed as well.

element

carbon content

dried seafood (3-5g)

tubular combustion

oxygen bomb combustion

dried seafood (0.5-2 g)
add tracer (209Po 0.2 Bq)
HNO3+H2O2
digestion
evaporate to near dryness
add 0.5 mol/L HCl+3.5 mol/L NaCl
add ascorbic acid (remove Fe before)

CO32precipitate-adjust pH to 11.0 with 5 mol/L NH4 Cl-precipitated by saturated CaCl2 solution

auto-deposition

with copper or silver disc(at 80 °C water bath, for 2 h)CaCO3absorptive method

suspension method

α spectrometry (210Po)

Reference:
1. IAEA, The environmental behaviour of polonium. IAEA technical reports series No 484.

Vienna, 2017.
2. IAEA, Exposure due to radionuclides in food other than during a nuclear or radiologicalemergency, IAEA-TECDOC-2011, Vienna, 2022.
3. X. Kong, L. Yin, Y. Ji. Simultaneous determination of 210Pb and 210Po in seafood samples

using liquid scintillation counting. J Environ Radioactiv, 2021; 231: 106553.

37

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Development and application of a passive monitoring
network for mapping 3D profiles of airborne HTO inside a
nuclear facility
B. Feng1,2, M. Ibesich2, F. Renz1, G. Steinhauser2
1

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30167
Hannover, Germany. e-mail: binfjf@outlook.com
2TU Wien, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry & TRIGA Center
Atominstitut, 1060 Vienna, Austria
Keywords: Tritium, Passive sampler, LSC, Nuclear facility

Global warming is driving a renaissance of civil nuclear energy use, but it may also
lead to more complicated tritium contamination issues in the near future. It is thus
imperative to comprehensively understand the airborne tritiated water vapor (HTO)
dynamics in nuclear facilities for better radiation protection management andaccident preparation. Despite great effort, mapping the 3D profiles of HTO inside
nuclear facilities with a high temporal resolution remains greatly challenging due tothe technical limitations in representative sampling and rapid HTO analysis.
In this study, a new passive monitoring network, including a modifiable passive
sampler and a rapid method for passively-collected HTO analysis, was developed
and optimized. Bench-scale experiments showed our sampler can representatively
collect sufficient samples under different monitoring demands, and the method isable to simultaneously prepare a large number of samples in about one day. In
addition, we validated the network's feasibility and sensitivity by implementing thepassive matrix in multiple tritium-contaminated rooms. By constructing a 3D
monitoring network in a nuclear reactor hall, we obtained the spatial profiles of HTO
with a daily resolution for the first time. The tritium release rate estimated bymeasured date agreed well with the theoretically-derived one, suggesting no tritium
leakage problem in investigated hall. Overall, we present a new framework for the
rapid identification of tritium sources and characterization of tritium contamination
profiles in any indoor environment, which will provide fundamental information for
future prevention and control of tritium contamination in nuclear facilities.

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ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

A thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) method for 137Cs
activity concentration profiling
M. Hasan1,2, B. Rogiers1, E. Laloy1, J. Rutten1, J. Camps1, O. Van Hoey1, M.
Huysmans2
1

SCK CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Boeretang 200, BE-2400, Mol,
Belgium.
2
Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Vrije Universiteit
Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium.
Keywords: Vertical distribution, Inversion, Bayesian, characterization, TikhonovThis study introduces a cost-effective dosimetry-based method for assessing theactivity concentration depth-profiles in soils, which is crucial for sitecharacterization. Traditional techniques are labor-intensive and expensive. The
proposed method employs lithium fluoride (LiF) based thermoluminescentdosimeters (TLDs), which are passive, compact, and sensitive. To address theinability to detect individual radionuclides from dosimetry data, the natural
background dose is calculated using the TLDs' dose uptake efficiency and activity
concentration of natural radionuclides from soil samples. Monte Carlo simulation
with the PENELOPE code is used to estimate the TLD dose uptake efficiency. The
net dose from the contaminant, mainly 137Cs in the presented case study, is obtainedby subtracting the natural background dose from the measured doses. Tikhonov
regularization and Bayesian inversion using a Gaussian process prior are employed
to calculate 137Cs activity concentration-depth profiles. A strong agreement between
soil sample lab analyses and the TLD dosimetry-based results was observed whencomparing the obtained 137Cs activity concentrations. Additionally, 137Cs activity
concentration from the dosimetry method mostly fell within the 95% credibleinterval of in situ gamma spectrometry results. While Tikhonov regularization
produced over-regularized profiles in some cases, the Bayesian inversion method
produced realistic profiles and uncertainty estimates. The TLD dosimetry-based
method proves effective for determining radioactivity concentration distribution insoils when prior information about the natural background and radionuclide
composition is available.

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ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Harmonization of detection limits for radioactivity
concentrations in water in D&D situations
S. Petisco-Ferrero, R. Idoeta, S. Rozas, C. Olondo and M. Herranz
Dpt. Ingeniería Energética, Escuela de Ingeniería de Bilbao, Universidad delPaís Vasco UPV/EHU, Spain. e-mail: raquel.idoeta@ehu.es
Keywords: Radioactivity, Water, D&D, Detection limits

The decommissioning that is being initiated and/or scheduled for a large part of thenuclear power plants (NPP) reaching the end of their operative life, poses several
challenges for radioactivity measurement laboratories involved in environmental
radiation monitoring plans. One of them is the definition of the detection limits to bereached for the radionuclides analysis in different samples.
The detection limit established should be able to meet the goal of the monitoring planso that the measured concentration values are easily distinguished from certain
maximum activity concentration levels for each radionuclide. These maximum
activity concentration levels are usually set in view of the respective dose
contributions from each radionuclide.
Having a look at the detection limits required for water, we can find the WHO values
for drinking water, accepted for most national legislations. But, if we look at
detection limits required for groundwater or superficial water, there is no regulation
containing neither maximum activity concentration levels nor detection limits. Thisway, different institutions or companies require very different detection limits forradioactivity concentration assessment in those kind of water associated withdismantling and decommissioning (D&D) activities.
In this work we focus on the detection limits required for the D&D activities insurface and groundwater. We propose detection limits obtained by applying themethodology developed by WHO and compare with those requested by radioactive
waste management agencies or regulatory agencies, paying special attention to Ni63 and Fe-55. Conclusions concerning the advantages and disadvantages of thedifferent approaches are derived.

40

Variation of photon absorption and the buildup factors in GSO(Ce) Scintillation Detectors.
1

H. H. Saleh 1, J.M. Sharaf2, M. M. Aldaajeh2
Department of Radiography, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma'an, 71110, Jordan.
2
Department of Physics/ The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
Keywords: GSO(Ce), Effective atomic number, Exposure buildup factor EBF.
Presenting author, e-mail: hanhas2002@gmail.com ; hanan_saleh@ahu.edu.jo

Abstract;
Radiation measurements by scintillation detectors is an
important issue used in various fields especially in healthsectors. GSO(Ce) is an effective scintillation detector
widely used for their mechanical and radiation
characteristics. The precise of radiation measurements is
affected by the buildup factors generated when radiation
penetrated the material. Experimentally, the buildup
factor is defined as the ratio of the collided radiation to theun collided measured radiation. And theoretically,
different techniques were developed to ease these factors
calculations. In this work, we estimate the photon
absorption and their buildup factors for GSO(Ce)detectors as a function of Ce concentrations (0.5, up to 5mole) for selected energies using Phy-X /PSD softwareand MNCP Monte Carlo codes. The results show that both
Exposure build-up factors (EBF) and Energy absorptionbuildup factors (EABF) decreased with increasing photon
energies and increasing with increasing detector
thickness. Moreover, increasing the Ce concentration in
the GSO crystal increased the buildup factors for incident
photons with energies up to (1MeV) and decreased thesevalues for higher photon energies.
The present calculations are essential in estimating the
optimum composition of GSO(Ce) useful in photon
detection.

References;
Jamila S. Alzahrani, Z.A. Alrowaili, H.H. Saleh, Alaa
Hammoud, Sultan Alomairy, C. Sriwunkum, M.S. AlBuriahi. Synthesis, physical and nuclear shielding
properties of novel Pb–Al alloys. Progress in Nuclear
Energy. Volume 142, 2021, 103992.
Akyildirim , H. , Waheed, F. Günoğlu K.and Akkurt. İ.
Investigation of Buildup Factor in Gamma-Ray
Measurement. ACTA PHYSICA POLONICA A. 132(2017)
Geward,L.,Guilbert,N.,Jensen,K.,Levring,H.,2004.WinX
Com-a program for calculating X-ray attenuation
coefficients. Radiat.Phys.Chem.71,653–654.
Harima, Y. 1993. An historical review and current statusof buildup factor calculations and applications. Radiat
Phys Chem., 41:631–672.
Kurudirek, M. and Ȫzdemir , Y. 2011. A comprehensive
study on energy absorption and exposure buildup factors
for some essential amino acids, fatty acids andcarbohydrates in the energy range 0.015–15 MeV up to
40 mean free path. Nuclear Instruments and Methods inPhysics Research B 269, 7–19.

0

1

2

3

4

5

Sardari, D., & Baradaran, S. 2010. Semi empirical
relationship for photon buildup factor in soft tissue andwater. Rad. Pro. Dos., 142: 209-212.

20
18
16
14

1

12
10

Figure 1. The Exposure Buildup Factors for GSO(Ce)detectors with different Ce concentration using photons
with energies (0.6, 0.8, 1, 8, 10)MeV

Sardari, D. & Kurudirek, M. 2012. A semi empiricalapproach to the geometric progression (GP) fitting
approximation in estimating photon buildup factor insoft tissue, water, and dosimetric materials. Int J Phy Sci,
7(44): 5852-5860.
Peter Kozma, Petr Kozma Jr. Radiation sensitivity of
GSO and LSO scintillation detectors. Nuclear
Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:
Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and AssociatedEquipment, Volume 539, Issues 1–2, 2005, pp. 132-136

41

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

IAEA-coordinated Research Helps to Improve Quality of Radionuclide
Measurements in Arid and Semi-Arid Environments
M. Horsky1, A. Harbottlei 1,2, A. Trinkl1, S. Tarjan1, B. Nadalut1, A. Lee Zhi Yi*1, J. Brown1
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
Magnox Ltd, Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DF, United Kingdom (current)*
Corresponding author. E-mail: A.Lee-Zhi-Yi@iaea.org
1

2

Keywords: Radioecology, radionuclides, transfer factors, arid and semi-arid environments, proficiency testing

Assisting its Member States in enhancing their radioanalytical capacities and assuring the qualityof radioecological data are important programmatic activities of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). Since 2021, the IAEA has run a coordinated research project (CRP) K41022 on‘Transfer of Radionuclides in Arid and Semi-Arid Environments for Radiological Environmental
Impact Assessment’. The CRP focuses on obtaining radioecological data via experimental and fieldstudies related to transfer of radionuclides in arid and semi-arid climatic conditions and involves 12
Member States. The main project activity will be to enhance soil-to-plant transfer parameter datasets
which are required for radiological environmental impact assessments (REIA) and support effective
decision-making for radiological protection of the public and the environment. The targetedradionuclides include natural isotopes of Th, U, Ra, Po and anthropogenic isotopes of Cs, Sr, Pu,
Am. This will be supported through the establishment of mutually developed protocols for soil andplant sampling, sample preparation of plant matrices and for transfer factor determination inarid/semi-arid regions. To ensure fit-for-purpose and high-quality results and parameter values for
REIA, the IAEA provided a proficiency testing (PT) exercise in 2022 for the CRP participants. The
participating laboratories analyzed sets of well-characterized test samples using their usual
procedures and reported radionuclide activity concentration results back to the IAEA. All received
results, including uncertainties of measurement, were rated against pre-determined target values andperformance criteria for trueness and precision. Most reported results were scored ‘accepted’. In
addition to ratings, advice on improving performance and possible corrective measures wasprovided. The outcomes of the PT exercise provide important information to the participating
laboratories and assists them with checking and improving their analytical performance. This willcontribute to ensuring adequate quality and comparability of the radioecological data collected
whilst improving radioanalytical capacities in the Member States. The CRP will be described,
providing details of the PT scheme and the results.
This work was conducted while at the IAEA, Terrestrial Environmental Radiochemistry
Laboratory, Seibersdorfi42

05 PARALLEL SESSION 2B
Natural Radionuclides

43

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Investigating the geogenic origin of atypical U characteristics-–
elevated U content, low (234U/238U) activity ratio – of groundwater in
Beauce Limestone Aquifer System, France
M. Zebracki1, Ch. Marlin2, V. Durand2, Th. Gaillard3, K. Moreau2, C. Jardin1,
A. Noret2 O. Diez1, C. Burillon2, G. Alcalde1
1Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), F-92260
Fontenay-aux-Roses, France ; e-mail: mathilde.zebracki@irsn.fr
2Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, GEOPS, F-91405 Orsay, France
3CPGF-HORIZON, F-77210, Avon, France
Keywords : Uranium isotopes, groundwater, Beauce aquifer, selenium, trace elements, 14C

Atypical uranium (U) characteristics - elevated U content (U ≥ 15 µg L–1) and low(234U/238U) Activity Ratio (AR ≤ 0.5) - were locally detected in the Seine river
headwaters (South of Paris Basin)1. Since the stream water gets enriched in U anddepleted in 234U when originating from the groundwater discharge of the regional
multi-layered Beauce Limestone Aquifer System (BLAS), we conducted in 2022 largehydrogeochemical investigations in both other surface and ground waters draining
the BLAS in order (1) to delimit the spatial extent of these atypical U characteristics,and (2) to constrain the origin of the latter. Our results indicate wide variations of U
content (0.013 – 13.4 µgL–1) and AR (0.43 – 1.73), with all groundwater dating fromthe Holocene (0 – 10 ka B.P., according to 14C dating method). The atypical U content
and AR values are not widespread throughout the Beauce area (ca. 9,500 km2). They
are somewhat restricted to the headwaters of two river catchments (Œuf and Juine
rivers). We demonstrate that the atypical AR values have a geogenic origin byevidencing groundwater discharge from two different BLAS aquifer sublayers(Pithiviers and Etampes limestones) and discarding U anthropogenic contribution
from fertilizer application in Beauce soils (cereal plain). The occurrence of high U
content with low AR likely originates from U-enriched detrital and organic- richsediments interspersed in the limestone, which were deposited during the Low
Miocene or that filled buried karstic cavities later.

1 Zebracki M., Marlin C., Gaillard T., Gorny J., Diez O., Durand V., Lafont C., Jardin C., Monange V. 2023. Elevateduranium concentration and low activity ratio (234U/238U) in the Œuf river as the result of groundwater – surface
water interaction (Essonne river valley, South of Paris Basin, France). Vol. 876, 162537.

44

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Radioactivity monitoring in drinking water in Greece
K. Kehagia, D.C. Xarchoulakos, P. Ntafos, C. Potiriadis
Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring Unit, Greek Atomic Energy
Commission, 15341 Athens, Greece. Email: konstantina.kehagia@eeae.gr
Keywords : drinking water, uranium isotopes, alpha and beta activity, indicative dose

The ingestion of water is one of the pathways of incorporation of radioactive
substances into the human body. For this reason, radioactivity monitoring programs
to check the quality of drinking water are systematically in place in many countries
in the last years. The requirements for monitoring levels of radioactive substances inwater intended for human consumption are adopted from the Council Directive
2013/51/EURATOM of 22 October 2013. The Directive lays down values for radon,
tritium, and the indicative dose, which covers many other radionuclides.
The aim of this project is to give a summary of information regarding theradioactivity on Greek waters and present its radioactivity monitoring program in the
country. This program has been developed by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission(EEAE), the competent authority for nuclear safety and radiation protection, in

cooperation with the ministry of health and the municipalities of the country.
The main sources of drinking waters consumed by the population of Greece arespring water, ground and surface water.

The survey refers to systematic measurements of the alpha and beta activity,
the activity concentration of the uranium isotopes (U-238 & U-238) andperiodic random checks of tritium and radon. More than 8000 samples havebeen analysed in the last five years by means of a-spectrometry, ICP-MS andliquid scintillation counting. The results are presented and discussed in thisstudy.

45

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Long-term and continuous field measurements of radon inatmosphere, soil and water
Q. Guo1, L. Zhang2, H. Wang1,21State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School ofPhysics, Peking Univ., Beijing,100871, China e-mail: qjguo@pku.edu.cn
2State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205,
China
Keywords: Radon and its progeny, continuous measurement, air, soil, water,

Radon(222Rn) is a naturally occurring noble gas, ubiquitous and radioactive with ahalf-life of 3.8 days. Radon has received much attention over the last hundred years
due to the fact that it is not only the greatest contributor to the ionizing radiation dose
received by the public among natural radioactivity, but also has been
epidemiologically proved to be the second cause of lung cancer after smoking. In
addition, as a radioactive and noble gas, radon is also widely used as a valuable tracer
for studies in the fields of atmosphere, ocean system, groundwater, environments,
earthquake prediction and so on.
Long-term and continuous field measurement of radon concentration is theprerequisite for radon application as a tracer. To meet the needs, electrostaticcollection coupled with Si-PIN alpha spectrometry was adopted due to its
discrimination of 222Rn and 220Rn, and wider range of measurement sensitivity whichmainly determined by the volume size of measurement chambers. Measurement
instruments for radon in atmosphere, soil and water were developed respectively
with specific technical for avoiding the influence of air humidity which is the own
characteristic of electrostatic collection method. Measurement sensitivity and lower
limit of detection with uncertainty of each kinds of instruments are given, and hourly
monitoring results of radon in atmosphere, soil and water for long-term unattachedoperation are introduced as well.
Reference: 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1961638;
2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110320;
3. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12101257;

4. https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2020.45.3.95

46

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Investigation of boundary layer height evolution and its implication for air
pollution monitoring: a long-term study based on radon in Bratislava, Slovakia
Mohammad Alem Sultani1*, Martin Bulko1, Karol Holý1, Monika Müllerová1, Jozef Masarik1, Ivan Sýkora1, Peter
Tonhauzer2
1
Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius
University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, 842 48 Bratislava
2
Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, Jeséniova 17, 83315 Bratislava*Corresponding author email address: sultani1@uniba.sk
Keywords : Outdoor radon, boundary layer height, box model, air pollution monitoring

The boundary layer height (BLH), which is the lower portion of the troposphere, plays an essential role inthe dispersion of atmospheric compounds near the ground. Many atmospheric studies, including air pollution
monitoring, require data on the evolution of BLH. The purpose of this study is to investigate the evolution of
BLH and its implications for air pollution monitoring in Bratislava, Slovakia, using radon as a tracer ofatmospheric processes. The so-called box model based on radon was utilized to calculate the BLH. In thisstudy, we considered the seasonal variation in radon flux rather than a constant value for the whole year.
When compared with BLH data based on the ERA-5 reanalysis dataset, it was observed that employing theconstant radon flux for the entire year results in BLH overestimation in the winter months andunderestimation in the summer months, respectively. If variable radon flux was used, the BLH values
obtained in this way were consistent with those based on the ERA-5 reanalysis dataset. The applicability ofradon-based BLH for air pollution monitoring was examined, and it was found that the evolution of BLH is
one of the main factors influencing urban air quality. This study also demonstrates that radon can be employed
as a suitable tracer of atmospheric processes. Our findings provide valuable information that can be used to
improve air pollution monitoring and atmospheric research.
This work was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Researchand Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA project No. 1/0019/22 andNo. 1/0086/22) and the Slovak Research and Development Agency (project No. APVV-21-0356). The
authors would especially like to thank the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute for providing data on theconcentrations of air pollutants.

47

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Radon behaviour due to “Galerna” in Bilbao (Northern of
Spain)
N. Alegría1, M.A. Hernández-Ceballos2, I. Peñalva1, J.M. Muñoz3, A. Freire1,
E. Céspedes1
Energy Engineering Department, University of the Basque Country, Plaza
Ingeniero
TorresQuevedonº1,
48013
Bilbao,Spain.
e-mail:natalia.alegria@ehu.eus
2
Department of Physics, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
3
Department of Industry, Basque Government, 01003 Vitoria, Spain
1

Keywords: Radon, Wind, Galerna, Dose Rate

Ten years of radon observations (2009-2019) at the radiological station of Bilbao,
which is part of the Automatic Radiological Surveillance Network of theAutonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain), are used to understand andcharacterize the influence of “galerna” (abrupt westerly change over the northerncoast of Spain) in the intensity and daily variability of radon concentrations. In total,
48 periods of one day have been analysed. The cluster analysis reveals that shortincreases in radon concentrations are associated with the occurrence of “galerna”.
However, not all these periods reflect this increase because Bilbao is located along
the Nervion valley and 16 km far away from the coast. Five of these periods havebeen analysed in detail, on the basis of 10 minutes surface meteorological and radon
data together with backward air mass trajectories, and different radon behaviours
have been registered under this local change in meteorological conditions. This
analysis helps to understand an anomalous radon increase under the arrival of36036035
35

07/09/2016

30

27027025

2020180180

15

9090

10
10

Rn (Bq/m3)

Wind direction (°)
Wind speed (m/s)

maritime winds.

WD WS Rn
WS
WD

23:20

22:40

22:00

21:20

20:40

20:00

19:20

18:40

18:00

17:20

16:40

16:00

15:20

14:40

0

Rn

07/09/2016

70

6060
50

4040
30

2020
10

00

0:00
0:30
1:00
1:30
2:00
2:30
3:00
3:30
4:00
4:30
5:00
5:30
6:00
6:30
7:00
7:30
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
23:00

Temperature (°C)
Relative humidity (%)

90

8080

14:00

13:20

12:40

12:00

9:20

11:20

8:40

10:40

8:00

10:00

7:20

6:40

6:00

5:20

4:40

4:00

3:20

2:40

2:00

1:20

0:40

0:00

5
0

TT Hr Rn
Hr

Rn

48

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

The influence of soil characteristics on radon exhalation rateand in ambient air in Kuwait
Reem Aljber1, Fouad Shaaban1,* and Darwish Al-Azmi2
1. Department of Science, College of Basic Education, Public Authority for

Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait, Email (Reem Aljber):ra.aljber@paaet.edu.kw, reem.aljber@gmail.com.
* Corresponding author, Email: ff.shaaban@paaet.edu.kw,
fouadshaaban60@gmail.com
2. Department of Applied Sciences, College of Technological Studies, Public
Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. Email:ds.alazmi@paaet.edu.kw, dalazmi@yahoo.co.uk
Keywords: outdoor radon, radon exhalation, Kuwait

The influence of soil characteristics on radon exhalation rate from soil and outdoor
radon concentrations were investigated in Kuwait. The measurements were carriedout using AlphaGuard radon monitor in 20 locations beset with different types ofsoil. Grain size analysis of the collected soil samples were performed, moisture
content and soil porosity were determined.
The grain size analysis revealed that the soils belong to gravelly sand and muddy
sand category. The results showed that the study area is characterized by low levelsof outdoor radon concentration with a mean value of 9 Bq/m3, and low radon
exhalation rates range from 2.84 to 18.16 mBq/m2s with a mean value of 9.70
mBq/m2s. Correlation of studies show that the radon exhalation rate is influenced by
the soil type, moisture content, compaction and effective porosity. The relatively
high exhalation rates were recorded in the dry, friable gravelly sand soil, while thelower values were recorded in the wet, compacted muddy sand soil.

49

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Environmental reconstruction in the Oualidia – Sidi Moussa
lagoon complex (western Morocco) using radiometric dating
combined with geochemical approaches
A. Laissaoui1, N. Mejjad1, A. Benmhamed2, N. Ziad3, A. Benkdad1, H. Ait
Bouh1, O. ElHammoumi4, A. Fekri4, E. Chakir2
1

Centre National de l’Energie,des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires.
BP 1382, RP 10001, Rabat, Morocco e-mail: laissaoui@cnesten.org.ma
2
Faculty of Sciences, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco
3
Ecole Nationale des Sciences Appliquées, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra,
Morocco4
Faculty of Sciences Ben M’Sik, University Hassan II, Casablanca,
Morocco.
Keywords: Sediment dating, 210Pb and 137Cs, coastal management, radioactive and metallic
pollution, sedimentation rates.

The Oualidia - Sidi Moussa lagoon complex is located on the Atlantic coast of
Morocco and constitutes an important area of large potential for economic
development. The lagoons are affected by increasing industrial activities, having
NORM as a by-product, due to their proximity to the biggest phosphate processing
plants. The present work addresses the assessment of present and past environmental
conditions in the study area by investigating five sediment cores as environmentalarchives for recent pollution history. The cores were analysed by gamma
spectrometry, ICP-MS and INAA for radionuclides, trace and rare earth element
determination, and dated using 210Pb and 137Cs profiles. Maximal concentrations ofelements were recorded in the profiles at depths matching, according to the obtained
chronologies, the launching of the plants of phosphate processing. Decreasing
concentrations in recently deposited sediment revealed the confirmed effect of theenvironmental policy implemented since early 2000s by the phosphate industrial
operator. Element geochemical approaches were used to determine some features inrelation to the lagoons functioning in terms of sedimentation rates and conditions of
sediment deposition.

50

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Assessment of 238U and 226Ra activity concentration along the
Amazon Tall Tower Observatory site
B. Tappiz1, P. S. C. Silva1, C. K. Ostermann1, N. P. Lima1, L. N. M. Braguin1,
S. Botía2, I. Levin3, O. V. Bustillos1
1
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN – CNEN/SP). Av.
Professor Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000-São Paulo, Brasil. email:brunotappiz@usp.br2
Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Jena, Deutschland
3
Institut für Umweltphysik,Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg,
Deutschland
Keywords: 226-radium, 222-radon, ATTO tower, soil analysis

The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) site is a region located within the
Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve (USRD), approximately 150 km
northeast of Manaus city, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. At the ATTO site, there
are 3 tall towers, which are used for studies on the Amazon rainforest and its
interaction with the soil and the atmosphere. The activity concentration of 238U and
Ra was determined in soil samples collected in the footprint of the ATTO site by

226

gamma spectrometry. The activity concentration of these radionuclides is importantfor understanding the 222Rn exhalation rate and 222Rn flux from soils. Knowledge ofthe 222Rn flux at the ATTO site can be useful for applications in atmospheric research,e.g., the 222Rn tracer method can be used to estimate local and regional emissions ofgreenhouse gasses; simulating 222Rn transport is a powerful tool for evaluation andvalidation of transport schemes in atmospheric chemical transport models. In thisstudy, 39 samples collected from 13 sampling sites along a transect from the ATTO
site to the river were analyzed. The highest activity concentrations were found in the
Igapó forest (69 ± 2 Bq/kg for 238U and 47 ± 5 Bq/kg for 226Ra), a region near the
Uatumã river with prevailing flooded black-water forest, whereas the lowest activity
concentrations occurred in the Campina (Savanna on white-sand soils) andCampinanara (white-sand forest) ecosystems (18 ± 1 Bq/kg for 238U and 13 ± 2 Bq/kg
for 226Ra), a transition area located between river terraces and the Terra Firme forest.

51

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

06 PLENARY SESSION II
M. Aoyama Memorial Session I

52

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Temporal changes of 137Cs activity concentrations in bottom
waters and sediments in the Far Eastern Seas: Partitioning of
137
Cs between bottom waters and sediments
K. Hirose1, P.P. Povinec2
1

Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Japan.
e-mail: hirose45037@mail2.accsnet.ne.jp
2
Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
Keywords: Partition coefficients, Far Eastern Seas, 137Cs, sediment,

Deep ocean sediment, as did seawater, is one of the important reservoirs of 137Cs, ananthropogenic radionuclide with long half-live found in the earth system. To better
understand geochemical behaviour of 137Cs in the ocean, we examined temporalchanges of 137Cs activity concentrations in bottom waters and sediments of the Far
Eastern Seas (Sea of Japan, SOJ, and Okhotsk Sea, OS) during the period of 1998 to
2021. The 137Cs activity concentrations in bottom waters and sediments showed
exponential changes during observed periods. Radioactive decay-corrected change
rates of 137Cs in SOJ exhibited slow increase during the observed period, whereas
137Cs

in seawater and sediment in OS decreased gradually. This reflects a

topographical difference, as SOJ is a semi-closed sea, whereas OS receives
continuously inflow of sub-arctic waters. To elucidate the transfer processes of 137Csfrom seawater to sediment, we discussed temporal changes of partition coefficients(Kd) of 137Cs between overlying water and surface sediment. In shallow areas (<2000 m depth), Kd values were almost constant within the sampling periods,
although the temporal changes of Kd values occurred in deeper waters (> 2500 m
depth). The Kd values increased with increasing depth, which may reflect a pressure
effect as possible mechanism. These findings suggest that chemical processes may
be important as factors controlling movement of 137Cs between seawater andsediment in deep waters (> 3000m depth).

53

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Evaluating the global scale transport of surface seawaterfrom 1956 to 2021 using 137Cs released in the global ocean
Y. Inomata1 and M. Aoyama2
1

Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University,
Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan. e-mail: yinomata@se.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
2
Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, Universityof Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan.
Keywords: 137Cs, Global Ocean, surface seawater, apparent half residence time, inventory

The spatiotemporal variations in the 137Cs activity concentrations in global ocean
surface seawater from 1956 to 2021 using the Historical Artificial radioactivity
database in Marine environment, Global integrated version 2021 and other publisheddata. The global ocean was divided into 37 boxes. The 0.5-yr median value of 137Cs,
inventory, and apparent half residence time in the surface seawater in each box were
investigated. The 137Cs inventory in the surface mixed layer in 1970 was estimatedto be 184 ± 26 PBq. The inventory reached to the maximum value, 214 ± 11 PBq, in
1980, due to direct discharge from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. In 2011, theCs inventory in the global ocean mixed layer increased to 50.7±7.3 PBq compared137

to that before the F1NPS accident, in which the contribution from the accident wasestimated to be approximately 15.5 ± 3.9 PBq. Mass balance analysis indicates thatCs deposited by the global fallout in the western North Pacific Ocean moved to137

the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Subsequently, 137Cs was transported southwards,
followed by westwards transport in the subtropical and equatorial Pacific Ocean andinflowed into the Indian Ocean via the Indonesian Archipelago. The longer apparent
half residence times in the Indonesian Archipelago (36.7 years) and Central Atlantic
Ocean (38.0 year) also support the interpretation of the global-scale transport of 137Csfrom the western North Pacific Ocean to the Indian (20-30 years) and Atlantic
Oceans (30-40 years). In the northern North Atlantic Ocean and its marginal sea,
Cs discharged from nuclear reprocessing plants is transported to the North Sea,

137

Barents Sea and coast of Norway, and Arctic Ocean on a decadal scale.

54

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Ocean simulations for assessing the impact of 137Cs derived
from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
D. Tsumune1, T. Tsubono1, K. Misumi1, Y. Tateda1, M. Aoyama2
1

Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Abiko 270-1194
Japan. e-mail: tsumune@criepi.denken.or.jp
2
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8577 Japan.
Keywords: 137Cs, Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, Regional ocean
model, direct release

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (F1NPS) accident resulted incontamination of the oceans by radioactive materials (mainly 137Cs). The major
pathways to the ocean were direct release and atmospheric fallout. The 137Cs that
deposited on land were supplied to the ocean through rivers. The 137Cs supplied tothe oceans was transported eastwards across the North Pacific by the Kuroshio
Current. A part of 137Cs was transferred to the sediment. A series of ocean model
simulations were conducted to understand the impact off the coast of Fukushima.
Direct release rates were estimated by a regional ocean model using monitoring data
adjacent to the F1NPS. The oceanic simulation with the estimated direct release rates
were validated by monitoring data. Estimates of deposition to the ocean by theregional atmospheric models varied widely, but were found to be underestimates
overall. Due to the unresolved distribution of atmospheric fallout into the North
Pacific, the reproducibility of recirculation to coastal areas of Japan in the North
Pacific model has not been satisfactory; direct emissions from the F1NPS continue,
but since 2014 the impact of river runoff has also been observed in coastal areas
away from the F1NPS. The impact of dissolved 137Cs from rivers is small, while
the impact of particulate 137Cs is significant. Modelling of particulate 137Cs
supplied to the ocean is needed. The transfer from seawater to sediments is about
5%, but the process of resuspension and recirculation from the sediments also needs
to be clarified. Although 12 years have passed since the accident, the levels are stillobservable and further process studies are important.

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Radiocaesium derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear
Power Station in the ocean interior as subtropical mode
water in the North PacificH. Kaeriyama1, M. Aoyama2, Y. Kumamoto3
1

Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura,
Kanazawa,
Yokohama,
Kanagawa,
236-8648,
Japan.
e-mail:Kaeriyama_hideki32@fra.go.jp
2 University of Tsukuba, Ten-noudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan
3 Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15, Natsushima,
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
Keywords: Radiocaesium, North Pacific, subtropical mode waterThis study summarizes the spatiotemporal variation in the distribution of Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (F1NPS)-derived radiocaesium in the ocean interiorof the North Pacific Ocean from 2011 to 2017. The majority of F1NPS-derived
radiocaesium in the ocean interior was found to be contained in subtropical mode
water (STMW), with the intrusion of F1NPS-derived radiocaesium into the oceaninterior particularly likely to have occurred in March 2011 and winter 2011/2012.
Such F1NPS-derived radiocaesium in STMWs in the subtropical western North
Pacific was confirmed until 2017. The total amount of F1NPS-derived 137Cs in
STMW estimated based on the data from 2013, when wide-area observations wereconducted, ≈ 4.3x1015 Bq, was almost the same as the estimated value in 2012.
Therefore, it is considered that there was no further intrusion of F1NPS-derived 137Cs
into the STMW after 2013. In addition, the distribution of F1NPS-derived 137Cs
within the STMW in 2013 was more uniform than in 2012. From 2013 to 2017, a
gradual decrease in F1NPS-derived radiocaesium in the southwestern STMW region
was observed. Part of this decrease may be attributed to transport outside the STMW,
such as the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, or F1NPS-derived radiocaesium
may have been accelerated to circulate within the STMW distribution area or diluted
with radiocaesium from global fallout between 2013 and 2017.

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Role played by rivers in the supply of Fukushima Daiichi–Derived
radionuclides in the coastal zone of Japan

S. Charmasson1
1 Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement,
PSE-ENV/SRTE/LRTA 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance, France, sabine.charmasson@irsn.fr

Keywords: River, Coastal zone, radioactivity, accidentRivers are major links between the continents and the oceans. Indeed, they are vectors to the oceans of many
elements from their watersheds, through weathering and biogeochemical cycles such as nutrient but also
since the Anthropocene era of many pollutants. If we stick to artificial radioactivity, rivers receive controlled
discharges from various nuclear facilities, mainly power plants and spent fuel reprocessing plants installedon their banks.
In the event of an accident, even if they are not subject to direct releases, they contribute to the input ofradioactivity to the coastal zone from contaminated watersheds. Even if these contributions are often small
compared to other sources, they are part of the long term.
A review of the situation of the coastal area around Fukushima, characterized on the one hand by the presenceof many rivers, some of which drain areas heavily contaminated during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
plant accident in 2011, and on the other hand by the seasonal influence of typhoons, will be presented.

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07 PLENARY SESSION III
M. Aoyama Memorial Session II

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Recent investigations of anthropogenic radionuclides
in seawater of the western North Pacific Ocean
J. Kaizer1, P.P. Povinec1, M. Molnár2, L. Palcsu2
1Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University,
84248 Bratislava, Slovakia. e-mail: jakub.kaizer@uniba.sk
2
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre (ICER), Institutefor Nuclear Research, H−4026 Debrecen, Bem tér 18/c, Hungary
Keywords: North Pacific Ocean, Seawater, Fukushima accident, Tritium, Radiocarbon,

During the nuclear weapon testing period in the 1950s and 1960s, significant
quantities of anthropogenic radionuclides (e.g., 3H, 14C, 90Sr, 137Cs, 239,240Pu) were
deposited on the surface of the North Pacific Ocean, and consequently became partof its inventory. The scientists dealing with the environmental radioactivity andoceanography soon realized that although global fallout radionuclides can berecognized as a radioecological threat, they represent a useful tool in tracing transportand circulation of seawater masses and studying physical, geochemical andbiological processes in the marine environment. As a consequence of natural
stratosphere-troposphere exchange and high wet deposition rates, the most of the
global fallout radionuclides were injected into the western part of the Pacific Ocean
which has been later impacted also by the Chernobyl accident, nuclear fuelreprocessing and by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident.
Here we present recent observations of anthropogenic radionuclide inventories in thewestern part of the North Pacific Ocean, with the focus on tritium and radiocarbon.
Natural background of the region of interest is discussed as well.

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Temporal variation of Cs-137 in the seawater from the East Sea/Sea of Japan(from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident to the present)
S.H. Lee1, S. H. Kim2, M. J. Lee1. Y. H. Jung1, H. M. Lee2, M. S. Choi3. D. J. Kim4, C. S. Kim4, H. Y.
Lee5
1Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science(KRISS), Rep of Korea. e-mail: s.lee@k riss.re.kr
2

Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology(KIOST), Rep of Korea.
Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation(KOEM), Rep of Korea.
4
Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety(KINS), Rep of Korea.
5
Kyungpook National University(KNU), Rep of Korea.
3

Keywor ds: Cs-137, seawater, East Sea/Sea of Japan, Fukushima, Kuroshio Current

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, the activity concentration of Cs- 137
in surface seawater showed slightly high concentration in the north-eastern part of the East Sea/Sea ofJapan, but overall there was not a significant difference in Cs-137 activity concentratio n compared toprevious measurements in the entire area.
However, when looking at the activity concentration of Cs-137 in 2014-2015 in the surface seawater,higher levels of Cs were observed than before, and it is believed that this is due to the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant accident via the Kuroshio Current entering the East Sea.
In recent years, the Cs-137 activity concentration in surface seawater has decreased compared to 2015,
and the concentrations are similar to those concentration observed in 2010.
While average activity ratio of 137Cs/90Sr measured from 1996 to 2010 in surface seawater wasapproximately 1.79, the average activity ratio of 137Cs/90Sr in surface seawater of the East Sea from 2013
to 2015 was about 3, indicating that Cs-137 from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was flowing into
the East Sea via the East China Sea.
Since 1980, the effective half-life of 137Cs in the surface water from the East Sea recorded 18 to 19 years
and is consistent with other findings.

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Non-destructive γ-spectrometry of ultra-low backgroundlevel for small size sample
enabled clarification of specific radio-caesium transfer
along food chain off Fukushima after 2011
Y. Tateda1, M. Aoyama2, Y. Hamajima3, D. Tsumune1, M. Tomita4,
1

Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 1646,
Abiko, Chiba, Japan, 270-1194, e-mail: tateda@criepi.denken.or.jp
2Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics (CRIED),
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, 305-8577
3
Low level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, 24, Nomi,
Ishikawa, Japan, 923-1224
4KANSO TSCHNOS CO. LTD. Laboratiry for Instrumentation and Analysis,
3-1-1, Katano, Osaka, Japan, 576-0061
Keywords: Low background γ−spectorometry, Marine fish, 137Cs

Radioactivity concentration of 137Cs in Japanese marine biota was measured byradiochemical separation before 2010. After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power
Station (1FNPS) accident, the 137Cs content in raw marine biota sample of coastal
water was satisfactory level for measurement by γ-spectrometry of the environmental
monitoring to check the radioactivity levels to be within the food safety regulations.
However, for scientific study, those data sets were not usable due to designating thetrue radioactivity concentration below detection limit (<10 Bq/kg-ww). To clarify
the mechanism of 137Cs transfer along food chain, radioactivity measurement ofsmall amount of sample was necessary, e.g. stomach content of fish; benthos such as
mysid, however the determination limit by conventional γ-spectrometry was not
sufficient level. Therefore, to handle small size sample, the low backgroundmeasurement was carried out using seven high purity Ge detectors equipped innershield of >200 years old lead took from roof tile which came out during rebuildingof the Kanazawa castle, those placed in the Ogoya tunnel (546 m length, 135m
underground). Since the benefit of non- destructive measurement, dried marine
sample can be subjected to following

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sequential treatment to derive so called “bio-available” fraction which is realistic toevaluate 137Cs transfer along food chain. As result, the reasons of slower depurationof 137Cs in fish than those in macro-algae and invertebrates, even though the radiocaesium in seawater decreased in the Pacific coastal waters of eastern Japan, were
derived as follows. Particularly in rockfish, the affecting factors were demonstrated tobe due to their sedentary habits causing the fish being exposed to the initial highradioactive water plume; the slower metabolism in rockfish, and slower generational
exchange of the population than other fish. In case of some demersal fish of active
sediment feeder, the radio-caesium transfer from the bottom environment was exhibited.
With regards to surface water fish, the 137Cs radioactivity concentration was notdecreased to the radioactivity levels of those before 2010, due to the trace radioactivity
still introduced to the coastal water. It was considered to kept the radioactivity levels inbiota of food chain being enhanced even twelve years after the F1NPS accident.
Although the 137Cs radioactivity, especially in plankton and benthos was often

observed being heterogenic distribution as 1) caesium bearing micro particle, 2)
entrained radio-caesium rich inorganic particle, 3) contaminated terrigenous matter
etc.. However, those were regarded to be not bio-available, thus other factors to bestudied to understand further.
Reference
Tateda, Y., Kaeriyama, H., Aoyama, M., 2023, In “Radionuclides in the Marine
Environment”. ed Aoyama, M., pp318, 207-266, University of Tsukuba Press.
Povinec, P., Hirose, K., Aoyama, M., Tateda, Y., 2021, Fukushima Accident 10 Years After
2nd Edition, Elsevier, 574pp.
Tateda, Y., Misumi, K., Tsumune, D., Aoyama, M., Hamajima, Y., Kanda, J., Ishimaru, T.,
Aono, T., 2020, J. Environ. Radioact., 106172, 214-215,
Ishimaru, T., Tateda, Y., Tsumune, D., Aoyama, M., Hamajima, Y., Kasamatsu, N., Yamada,Y., Yoshimura, T., Mizuno, T., Kanda, J., 2019, J. Environ. Radioact., 203, 200- 209.
Tateda, Y., Tsumune, D., Tsubono, T., Aono, T., Kanda, J., Ishimaru, T., 2015, J. Environ.
Radioact.., 147, 130-141

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Radiocesium dynamics in typical Fukushima forests
V. Yoschenko1, K. Nanba1
1Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima
Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan. e-mail: r705@ipc.fukushima-u.ac.jp

Keywords: Radiocesium, Fukushima, Forest, Aggregated Transfer Factor.

The long-term dynamics of radiocesium in typical forest ecosystems was studied in the radioactively
contaminated areas in Fukushima Prefecture. Species studied included Japanese cedar, Japanese red pine,
and Japanese cypress. The 137Cs concentrations were monitored in samples collected from the main
aboveground biomass compartments, fresh litterfall, forest litter, and soil. Concentrations of exchangeable
forms of radiocesium and stable potassium were measured in soil samples. During the observation period,
the litter radiocesium inventories at all sites decreased significantly to approximately 1% or less of the total
ground deposition. Approximately 80% of the total radiocesium inventory was localized in the upper 5-cm
layer of soil, and downward migration of radiocesium was slow. Aboveground biomass compartments
showed similar decreasing trends in radiocesium aggregated transfer factors, Tag, in the compartments thatwere exposed to the atmospheric fallout in March 2011 (old foliage, small branches, and outer bark). The
mean Tag in the studied cedar stand compartments currently were in the range of 10-3-10-2 m2 kg-1 dw.
However, the mean Tag and their dynamic trends differed significantly in the wood compartments of the cedar
stands, which may indicate differences in radiocesium root uptake between the observation sites. Local
factors that may explain these differences were analysed.

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08 PARALLEL SESSION 3A
Fukushima, Chernobyl and Test Ground64

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Local Surface and Vertical Distribution and Isotope Ratios
for Radiocesium
A. Shimada1, T. Tsukahara2, M. Nomura2, S. Takeda1
1

Nuclear Safety Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 2-4,
Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195 Japan.
e-mail: shimada.asako@jaea.go.jp
2
Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TITEC), 212-1-N1-6, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
Keywords: Regional Distribution of Radiocesium, 134Cs/137Cs radioactive ratio, 135Cs/137Cs
isotope ratio, Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Because of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), a large
area of eastern Japan was contaminated by radiocesium. There are many old nuclear
facilities in the area. When the old nuclear facilities will be decommissioned in three
decades, the radioactive level of radiocesium from 1F would be more than clearance
level. When radiocesium would be detected at the completion of theirdecommissioning in the site, estimation of the origin of which is from backgroundoriginated 1F and fallout of atmospheric nuclear test or from decommissioned
facilities will be important. Therefore, soils of 3 sites were collected by using U8containers and by core boring, and 137Cs radioactivity, 134Cs/137Cs radioactivity
ratios, 135Cs/137Cs isotope ratios were determined. Separation method of Cs from soilmaterials were developed based on the reported methods 1)2). The 137Cs radioactivity
concentrations were varied in not only between sites but also in the same site,
however, 134Cs/137Cs radioactivity ratio was approximately constant in all sites. In
case of highly contaminated soils, 135Cs/137Cs isotope ratio was almost comparable
to that for the soil collected at near the 1F. On the other hand, in case of lower
contaminated soils, 135Cs/137Cs isotope ratio was slightly higher than that for soil
collected at near the 1F. It is possibly that fallout before the 1F accident contained
Cs to increase the 135Cs/137Cs isotope ratio. In the presentation, vertical distribution

135

will also be discussed.
This study was supported by the collaborative study of the Secretariat of the
Nuclear Regulation Authority, JAEA, TITEC, etc.
1) A. Shimada, et al., J. Nucl. Sci. Technol., 58(11), 2021, 1184.
2) J. Zheng, et al., Anal. Chem., 86(14), 2014, 7103.

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Transfer of 137Cs and 90Sr from soil to potato: Interpretationof association from global fallout in Aomori to accidental
released in Fukushima and Chornobyl
H. Tsukadaa1, A. Takeda2, T. Takahashi3, S. Fukutani3, M. Akashi4, J.
Takahashi5, S. Uematsu5, I. Chyzhevskyi6, S. Kirieiev6, V. Kashparov7, M.
Zheleznyak1
1Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University. 1
Kanayagawa, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan. e-mail:hirot@ipc.fukushima-u.ac.jp
2
Department of Radioecology, Institute for Environmental Sciences,
Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
3
Institute for Integrated Radiation Nuclear Science, Kyoto University,
Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494, Japan
4
Tokyo Healthcare University, Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8558,
Japan
5
Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, Universityof Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
6
State Specialized Enterprise “Ecocentre” of the State Agency of Ukraine
on Exclusion Zone Management, Chornobyl, Kyiv region 07270, Ukraine
7
Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University ofLife and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Chabany, Kyiv region 08162,
UkraineKeywords: Soil-to-plant transfer, Exchangeable fraction, 137Cs/Cs, 90Sr/Sr

Soil-to-plant transfer changes depending on several factors including soil types, soil
managements and etc. Specific activity ratios of 137Cs/Cs and 90Sr/Sr in exchangeable
fraction were applied for more accurate estimating of activity concentration of 137Cs
and 90Sr in potato collected from global fallout area (Aomori) and accidentallycontaminated areas (Fukushima and Chornobyl). The contamination levels of 137Cs
and 90Sr in the soils were 1.0-250,000 and 0.50- 64,000 Bq kg-1, respectively. The
specific activity ratios of 137Cs/Cs and 90Sr/Sr in exchangeable fraction were agreed
with a factor of 2-3 of the ratios in potatoes over 5 orders of magnitude differencesin the activity concentrations on 137Cs and 90Sr in the potatoes. The bioavailability of
the radionuclides and their stable isotopes varied similarly depending on the factors,
therefore, it suggests that the specific activity ratios are powerful tools for estimationof activity concentrations of 137Cs and 90Sr in crops.

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How to measure the bioavailability from individual “HotParticles”
Weissenborn, T.1 ; Leifermann, L1. ; Hanemann P.1 ; Reinhard, S.1 ;Klinkenberg, M.2 ; Brandt, F.2 ; Schulz, W.1 ; van Eerten, D. 1 ; Walther, C. 1
University of Hannover, Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection
Forschungszentrum Jülich

1
2

Keywords: Uranium, Particles, Chornobyl, Leaching

When the Chornobyl nuclear power plant exploded in 1968, nuclear fuel was partly
released as microscopic solid particles. Hot particles pose a risk to humans byinhalation. However, over the decades, weathering may lead to considerable releaseof radionuclides that can enter the human food chain. Since hot particles differ
strongly with respect to morphology, chemical composition and stability,
investigations need to be performed on single particles, rather than on bulk samples.
We separate and extract the particles from the environmental matrix in a SEM witha micro manipulator. Subsequently, the particles are fixed by SEM glue on tungsten
needles. Radioactive isotopes are detected by gamma spectrometry. Element
composition and isotope ratios are imaged by EDX-measurements, SIMS and rLSNMS (Bosco 2021) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 nm. Since all thesemethods are low invasive, the particles are available for chemical investigations. The
individual particles were sequentially leached in ammonium acetate solution,hydrochloric acid, oxalic acid, nitric acid and aqua regia (based on Kashparov 2019).
The solutions are then measured via gamma spectrometry and ICP-MS to analyze
their U content and the amounts of leached fission and breeding products. Fuelparticles are categorized in three classes (Salbu 2018) based on their appearance,
dissolution rates and oxidation state.
To also investigate the inner structure of the particles, a cutting process with afocused ion beam has been developed. This way it is possible to do all mentioned
measurements on the cutting edge. Furthermore, the particle can be its own reference
for leaching experiments.The first leaching steps do not attack the structure of theparticles, and only small fractions of Am-241 and Cs-137 were leached under mild
conditions, indicating a low bioavailability.

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Contamination of STS soil with tritium
L.V. Timonova, O.N. Lyahova, S.N. Lukashenko, A.O. Aidarkhanov.
Branch ‘Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology’ RSE NNC RK, 071100
Abai region, Kurchatov, 2B Beibit Atom Str., Republic of Kazakhstan. e-mail:Timonova@nnc.kz
Keywords: Semipalatinsk Test Site, nuclear tests, soil, 3Н.

The paper presents research findings on the content and distribution of 3Н in soils of
the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS). Because STS soil can be a source of secondary
contamination of environmental compartments with 3Н, research was undertaken at
different radiation hazardous sites: the ‘Experimental Field’, ‘Sary- Uzen’,‘Balapan’, ‘Degelen’, Telkem’ and in the territory of the ‘Atomic Lake’.
Areas of the maximum contamination with radionuclides, ground zeros and areas
with increasing distance were surveyed.
Н in the soil of areas selected was researched in the topsoil (down to 10 cm deep).

3

To determine the content of 3Н, soil samples were prepared using an autoclave
digestion technique. 3Н activity concentration was determined by carrying out a betaspectrometric analysis with a liquid scintillation spectrometer.
Research undertaken allowed for a general assessment of tritium soil contaminationin study areas. As a whole, the content of 3Н in the topsoil of study areas was found
to reach up to 240,000 Bq/kg. The contamination with tritium is related to types oftests conducted, and tritium distribution may depend on the yield of a charge andother characteristic features of a test.

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Residual radionuclide concentrations at the Bokak and Bikar
Atolls, Northern Marshall Islands
J.A. Corcho-Alvarado1, C. Guavis2, P. McGinnity3, S. Röllin1, T.
Ketedromo4, H. Sahli1
1

Nuclear Chemistry Division, Spiez Laboratory, FOCP, Spiez, Switzerland;
Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, Majuro, Marshall Islands;
3
International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, Monaco;
4
Environmental Protection Agency, Majuro, Marshall Islands
2

Keywords: anthropogenic radionuclides, pacific proving ground, Marshall Islands

Here we report activity concentrations of artificial radionuclides (e.g., 236U, 239Pu,
Pu, 241Pu, 242Pu, 244Pu, 241Am, 243Am, 137Cs and 90Sr) in marine and terrestrial

240

samples collected at Bikar and Bokak Atolls, northern Marshall Islands. We
observed low levels of artificial radionuclides in soil from Bokak, but significantly
higher levels in soil from Bikar. The residual radioactivity in the Bikar environment
is comparable to the levels previously reported for other nearby atolls, including
Taka and Utrik, but lower than for Rongerik, Rongelap, Bikini and Enewetak. At
Bikar, the activity concentrations of 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu and 241Am radionuclides were
found to be in the order of a few Bq kg-1. 242Pu, 243Am and 245Cm radionuclides
showed much lower activity concentrations in the order of a few mBq kg-1. 244Pu wasalso detected, in the range of a few µBq kg-1. An analysis of 240Pu/239Pu andPu/239Pu isotope ratios indicated that Bikar Atoll was contaminated mainly with242

radioactive fallout from the Castle Bravo test in 1954. This was further confirmed by
two different age dating approaches that estimated 1954 as the year of thecontamination. We demonstrate that the use of an exponential function toapproximate the yield of heavy radionuclides in thermonuclear explosions withincreasing mass is a valid approach for estimating the age of a contamination.
Moreover, the abundances of the transuranium radionuclides found in soil fromBikar showed the even-odd anomaly of heavy nuclei as it has been observed in otherthermonuclear explosions.

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Characterization of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides
in sediment cores from the Black Sea by high resolution
gamma spectrometry
A. J. López-Fuentes1,2, J. Mantero1, E. Chamizo1, T.B. Sava3, M. Ilie,3, G.
Ion4
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina
Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain. e-mail: alopez14@us.es
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering,
Bucharest, Romania
4
National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-Ecology (GeoEcoMar),
Bucharest, Romania
Keywords: Gamma Spectrometry, Sediments, 210Pb dating, 137Cs, Black Sea

Sediment cores provide quite valuable information from the radiometrical point ofview regarding dating methods or the study of fingerprints of processes, among otherapplications. In addition, the Black Sea region is an important area from a strategicalperspective and could be affected by several anthropogenic radioactivity sources.
Because of the few results in the literature about radioactive data in the Black Sea,
one of the main aims of this work is to cover this gap by performing a radiometricalbackground characterization based on natural radionuclides from 238U and 232Th
series plus 40K. In addition, the anthropogenic 137Cs was also added to thisstudy. For that purpose, sediment cores (10 cm long divided in 0.5 cm layers) fromthe Western Black Sea (sampling carried out by the National Institute of Physics andNuclear Engineering Horia Hulubei) have been analysed. Also, a dating method has
been applied to the core using the 210Pb belonging to the 238U series. In addition, thegamma results have been combined with AMS measurement of the 240Pu/239Pu ratio,
as it is shown in a complementary study also presented in this Conference. Gamma
Spectrometry analysis were performed using a 42% relative efficiency HpGe
detector and the Quality Assurance control included selfabsortion and True
Coincidence Summing correction procedures.
Disequilibrum was found in the 238U series allowing the use of the 210Pb for dating,and radioactive levels of 137Cs were detected.

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09 PARALLEL SESSION 3B
Radioanalytics and Submarine Groundwater
Discharge

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Progress on radioactivity tools for the deep ocean
C. Tsabaris1, E.G. Androulakaki2, M. Davis1,3, S. Alexakis1 and D. L. Patiris1
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 712, GR-19013 Anavyssos, Greece
Nuclear Centre for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Athens 153 10, Greece
3
National Technical University of Athens, Department of Physics, Zografou Campus, GR-15780 Athens, Greece
1
2

Keywords: in situ sensors, γ- ray spectrometry, scintillators, Deep Ocean

The new radioactivity sensor for the deep ocean consists of a detection crystal, connected with aphotomultiplier tube, preamplifier, amplifier and power supply, together with a multichannel analyser fordata acquisition and storage. The electronic modules are especially constructed to fit inside the detector
housing and the power consumption is relevant low (~1 W) in continuous mode of operation. The energy
calibration is checked using the photopeak of 40K which is always present at the oceans as natural constituentof the seawater. A watertight cylindrical enclosure houses the above-mentioned modules together with thedigital units. The enclosure offers continuous functionality up to 4500 m water depth and continuous
operation since it is tested in a special laboratory for pressure tests. The selection criterion for the appropriate
enclosure material is based on minimizing gamma ray absorption and maximizing the pressure tolerance.
The subsea spectrometer was connected with a special battery to power the detection system. The enclosureof the spectrometer and the subsea battery box is also tested for high pressures using a special pressure tank.
During the last face of pressure tests, the enclosure provided a tolerance up to 500 Atm. The radioactivity
sensor is calibrated (energy, energy resolution and full energy peak efficiency) from energy threshold to2800keV and tested for its stability to temperature variations. The efficiency calibration and quantification(in Bq/m3) evaluation were also performed in the calibration tank. An efficiency transfer method based onMonte Carlo simulations was developed to extend the efficiency calibration to water environment withsalinities from 0 to 400 psu using as reference detection systems the KATERINA II and GeoMAREA (lowand medium gamma-ray spectrometers).

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Characterization of novel instruments
for radioactivity monitoring in oceanic environments
G. Siltzovalis1, V. Lagaki1, I. Madesis1, T.J. Mertzimekis1
1

Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
15784, Athens, Greece
Keywords: Marine radioactivity, CZT, HPGe, Monte Carlo simulations, Characterization

The monitoring of radioactivity in ocean waters has been a long-standing need in theinternational research community. This need is the main focus of the EU H2020 FET
Programme RAMONES (Radioactivity Monitoring in Ocean Ecosystems), whichaims at enabling in-situ, near-real-time and long-term radioactivity monitoring in themarine environment. To accomplish this, various prototype marinized radiationsensing instruments will be developed, validated and equip both autonomous
underwater gliders (AUG) and stationary seabed platforms.
In total, two classes of radiation sensing instruments will be presented. The first one
is a prototype high-resolution gamma spectrometer, which will equip a benthic
laboratory, allowing for long-term, in situ spectroscopy studies near the seabed. The
second class of instruments (γ-Sniffers) includes specially designed CZT-based
spectrometers aboard autonomous underwater gliders. The γ-Sniffers are designed toplay a dual role: (a) to perform monitoring of large areas in the water column, aiming
to identify marine radioactivity levels, and (b) to feed AI algorithms responsible ofenabling the autonomous operation of the AUG to explore radioactivity in harsh andremote marine environments, where traditional approaches are virtually nonexistent.
In the present work, experiments in the lab are coupled to detailed Monte Carlosimulations to investigate the response of the detectors and provide optimization
conditions before final deployment of the instruments in the ocean. Results from test
field experiments will also be presented.

RAMONES receives funding from European Union under Horizon
2020 FET Proactive Programme via grant agreement No. 101017808

73

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Natural occurring Ra and Rn to address submarine groundwater dischargederived 90Sr at the land-sea interface
J. Liu1, F Zhang1, X.Yu1,T Peng1, G. Hong 1 and J. Du1*
1State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
Keywords: Sr-90 Radionuclide, Submarine Groundwater Discharge,Coastal bays

Ra and Rn isotopes are powerful tracers to quantify the submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and its
associated flux of chemicals to coastal waters within different time scales (Moore, 2010). Environmental 90Srlargely deposited on the surface of the earth as the global fallout in the 1960s is of great concern due to therelatively long half-life (28.8 a) and a high concentration factor in bone, and high radiotoxicity in wild biota
and humans (Bowen et al., 1974). It is well known that 90Sr migrates from the soil to groundwater and riverwater due to its lower sediment-water distribution coefficient. Coastal bays have been increasingly used forfish and shellfish farming industries recently. The level of 90Sr may be directly related to human health via
farmed fish consumption (Hirose and Povince, 2019). However, SGD-derived 90Sr in the coastal waters has
not been thoroughly studied. In this study, we employed the environmental Ra isotope tracers to assess theamount of SGD in the Xiangshan Bay (XSB), the Dongshan Bay (DSB), and the Qinzhou Bay (QZB) in
China. We determined nutrients and carbon fluxes as well as 90Sr concentrations in fresh groundwater,
recirculated groundwater, river water, and seawater of these bays. Except of nutrients and carbon fluxes by
SGD as general case, here we focused on the case of 90Sr. We estimated the submarine fresh groundwater
discharge (SFGD)-derived 90Sr flux to the ocean conservatively, which is occupying for around 70%, 55%
and 20% of total sources of 90Sr in the XSB, DSB, and QZB, respectively. Based on the non-conservative
behaviour of 90Sr along the salinity gradient and the literature data of SFGD in the marginal seas of China,
extrapolation of these estimates to the entire coast of China yields that the SFGD- derived 90Sr flux accounts
for 29-55% of the riverine input. Our results demonstrated that this subterranean pathway for 90Sr transport
to the coastal ocean from the land should be considered in the monitoring and risk assessment of coastal
waters, especially those fish farming bays and near nuclear facilities.
This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Fund of East China Normal University
Bowen V T, Noshkin V E, Volchok H L, et al. Limnol. Oceanogr. 19(1974), 670-681.
Hirose K and Povinec P P. Mar Pollut. Bull. 146(2019), 645-652.
Moore W S. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci. 2(2010): 59-88.

74

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radium-derived water mixing and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as
sources of carbon and nutrients in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea
Huiying Li1, Jianan Liu1, Tong Peng1, Xueqing Yu1, Fenfen Zhang1, Jinzhou Du1
1State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
e-mail: 52213904023@stu.ecnu.edu.cn

Keywords: Radium isotope, Submarine groundwater discharge, Beibu Gulf, South China Sea, Biogenic elements,
CarbonRadium isotopes are produced by the decay of their parent U-Th series nuclides from sediment and/or soil in
the rivers or in the continent shelf and then transport to offshore seawater. There are four naturally occurring
radium (Ra) isotopes, that is, 224Ra, 223Ra, 228Ra and 226Ra, are radiogenic with half-lives of 3.66 days, 11.6
days, 5.75 years and 1600 years, respectively, which provide the information of different water movements
processes, such as water mixing and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). SGD is a predominant
pathway for carbon and nutrients to the coastal ecosystems because of its large flux and the corresponding
concentrated constituents. The Beibu Gulf is a shallow semi-closed gulf in the northwest of the South China
Sea (SCS) which is a traditional fishing ground. With the rapid development of industrialization andurbanization, the ecosystems of the Beibu Gulf are now facing increasing pollution stress, with frequent
occurrence of red tide in recent years. However, SGD is seriously ignored due to its invisibility and the
difficult of observation technology, which greatly limits the understanding of the biogenic elements cycling
processes in the Beibu Gulf. In the present study, the distributions of Ra in the surface and water column of
the Beibu Gulf have been investigated and then were used to assess oceanic mixing and quantify SGDderived fluxes of nutrients and carbon in the Beibu Gulf. Results showed that Ra-traced water masses werecharacterized in different seasons, and the water mixing facilitated the transportation of nutrient and carbon
from various sources and then modulated marine productivity in the Beibu Gulf. In addition, the SGD-derived
biogenic elements (nutrient, DIC and DOC) fluxes were quantitatively estimated, and provided a new
explanation for the balance of SGD contribution biogenic element budgets in the Beibu Gulf. The
implementation of this study will be of great significance to the health and sustainable development of thecoastal ecological environment of Beibu Gulf.

75

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radium and Radon isotopes as tracer study on submarine groundwater
discharge and its associated nutrient/carbon fluxes along the coast regions ofChina: a synthesis
X. Wang1, J. Du2, X. Chen3, D. Lu1, G. Hong2
1
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Change and Disaster in Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University,
Qinzhou 535011, P.R. China. e-mail: xlwang@bbgu.edu.cn
2State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
3
Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, School of Engineering, Westlake
University, Hangzhou 310024, PR China

Keywords: Radium, Radon, submarine groundwater discharge, nutrient/carbon flux

The tracer methodology of natural occurring radionuclides such as Ra and Rn are the most extensive andeffective to study environmental processes such as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). In this work,
SGD and its associated nutrient/carbon fluxes in various types of coastal ecosystems (estuaries, bays, lagoons,mangroves and saltmarshes, continental margin seas) along the coastal regions in China have been studied
by using Ra and Rn isotopes. As shown in Figure 1, continental margin sea had the lowest average SGD rate.
In contrast, the mangroves and saltmarsh had the highest ones. For SGD-derived nutrient and carbon fluxes,
different spatial scale shows much different fluxes (esturaine>bay and lagoon>margin sea), which lead often
to the eco-environment issues in China sea such as green tidal bloom, hypoxia, ocean acidification, etc. Ra/Rnisotopes were identified to be an effective tracer for SGD-driven chemical fluxes which could not be ignoredin any ecosystems along the coastal regions of China even though worldwide.
This work was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (Grant No. 41906150), and the Firstclass Discipline Construction Project of Beibu Gulf
University.
Chen X., Li L., Du J. Advances in Earth Sicence, 2022,
37(9): 881-898.
Wang G., Wang Z., Zhai W., et al. Geochim. Cosmochim.
Acta, 2015, 149: 103-114.
Wang X. Baskaran M., Su K., et al. Mar. Chem., 2018, 204:
121-132.
Zhang Y., Wang X., Xue Y., et al. Science China Earth Sciences, 2022, 65(10): 1948-1960.

76

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Development of a technique for the determination of 14C inwater by carbonate precipitation and AMS
J. L. García-León1, J. M. López-Gutiérrez2,3, F. J. Santos-Arévalo2, J. I.
Peruchena2, J. A. Galván2, I. Gómez-Martínez2, M. García-León2,4.
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Universidad de
Sevilla (Spain). Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
e-mail: jgarcia34@us.es
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (Universidad de Sevilla, CSIC, Junta deAndalucía), Sevilla, Spain
3
Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, E.P.S, Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)
4
Department of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics, Faculty of Physics,
Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
Keywords: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Radiocarbon, 14C, Dissolved Inorganic
Carbon, Nuclear waste.

The analysis of

14

C in liquid samples has applications in nuclear waste

measurements, environmental studies, and radiocarbon dating. A methodology forthe determination of 14C dissolved in water by AMS is being developed with theobjective of performing precise measurements in radioactive waste from Spain. Our
sample preparation for the measurement of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC)
consists in the precipitation of carbonates in an alkaline solution. The precipitate islater graphitized and measured in a MICADAS system. A similar approach for themeasurement of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) is currently being developed.
A reagent selection optimization was performed. Several combinations of salts,
alkalizers and pH levels were studied and compared regarding chemical yield andbackground. Na, Ca, Ba and Sr salts were studied. The alkalizers compared were
NaOH, KOH and Ba(OH)2, used to reach pH levels of 10, 12 and 13. Yields obtained
ranged between 13.88% and 92.06%.
Background was reduced by isolating the sample from external carbon, being
atmospheric CO2 the main source. A chamber filled with nitrogen gas was used toprevent the alkaline solutions from capturing CO2. By using this equipment andchoosing the appropriate NaHCO3 blank material, a pMC of 0.37±0.05 was achieved,
which is low enough for several different applications.

77

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

11 PARALLEL SESSION 4A
Modelling78

Numerical simulation of particle fluxes and production of cosmogenic nuclide in the Earth's
atmosphere.
R. Breier, P. Čechvala and J. Masarik
Department of nuclear physics and Biophysics, Comenius University, Bratislava, 84248, Slovakia
Keywords: comic rays, cosmogenic nuclide, particle flux, simulations
Presenting author email: jozef.masarik@uniba.sk

1

Modern experimental techniques, such as Accelerator
Mass Spectrometry (AMS) allow us to analyze with highresolution natural archives such as ice cores. The
concentration of cosmogenic nuclides in these archives is
the result of the interplay between three processes:
production, transport and deposition. In order to make fulluse of the information stored in these archives, a detailed
knowledge of the production rates of the cosmogenic
nuclides is necessary.
In order to calculate the cosmogenic radionuclide
production rate, models have to be developed that
describe the interaction of cosmic ray particles with themain target elements of the irradiated object.
The main purpose of this talk is to provide information
about the model we used in our recent simulations.
Besides this, we will present how sensitive the productionof cosmogenic nuclides is to various parameters or input
data that have undergone changes in the recent time.
Our models are purely physical Monte Carlo models
based on the codes GEANT and MCNPX. These models
were used to simulate production and transport ofgalactic-cosmic-ray particles in the irradiated objects. The
model enables us to calculate differential fluxes ofsecondary proton and neutron fluxes as a function ofchemical composition, shielding depth and solar
modulation. These particle fluxes have been used for the
calculation of cosmogenic nuclide production rates in theirradiated objects. Experimental and/or evaluatedexcitation functions were used to calculate production
rates for various extraterrestrial objects (Masarik andBeer, 1999), (Masarik and Beer 2009). Presented are thedepth profiles of cosmogenic radionuclides 36Cl, 41Ca,
26
Al, 10Be, and 53Mn for Knyahinya (Figure 1) and lunar
surface .

Effects of bulk chemical composition and size ofirradiated objects on production processes are studied anddiscussed. The obtained production rates agree well withmost published experimental values.

Figure 2 Calculated production rates of 10Be,
26
Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 53Mn for different depths inMoon surface compared with measured datafrom Apollo 17 samples
The good agreement of calculations with measured values
shows that our model can be used to obtain reliable
production rates of cosmogenic nuclides in extraterrestrial
samples. These results provide the basis for a quantitative
reconstruction of the irradiation and terrestrial history ofstudied objects.
This work was supported by the Slovak Researchand Development Agency under grant SRDA-21-0356.
Masarik, J., Beer, J. 1999. Simulation of particle fluxes
and cosmogenic nuclide production in the Earth's
atmosphere. J. Geophys. Res. – Atmospheres. 104,
12099-12112.
Masarik, J., Beer, J. 2009. An updated simulation ofparticle fluxes and cosmogenic nuclide productionin the Earth's atmosphere. J. Geophys. Res. –Atmospheres. 114, Art. No. D11103.

Figure 1 Calculated production rates of 10Be,
26
Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 53Mn for different depths inKnyahinya meteorite compared with points
representing the measured data.

79

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

On the use of 3D adjoint atmospheric transport modelling to simulate lower
tropospheric concentration variations of cosmogenic radionuclides
P. De Meutter1,2
1

SCK CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400-Mol, Belgium. e-mail: pieter.de.meutter@sckcen.beRoyal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, 1180-Brussels, Belgium

2

Keywords: Beryllium-7, atmospheric transport modelling, tracers, stratosphere-troposphere-exchange

Cosmogenic radionuclides are formed by the interaction between air molecules and cosmic rays. Their
formation peaks in the lower stratosphere. Due to downward atmospheric motion, cosmogenic radionuclides
can reach the lower troposphere, where ground-based environmental monitoring stations can measure theirpresence in air samples. As a results, variations in concentrations of cosmogenic radionuclides in the lower
troposphere can be used to obtain information about downward vertical transport and possibly also
stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange. The latter is known to impact the weather on subseasonal time scales,
and hence could help enable subseasonal weather forecasting.
In this presentation, a new cosmogenic atmospheric transport modelling approach will be presented using theexisting adjoint version of the Lagrangian particle model Flexpart. This novel approach can offer several
benefits over current state-of-the-art modelling approaches as it does not require long spin-up times
associated with other 3D models that are run forward-in-time. This makes it possible to couple Flexpart withhigh-resolution numerical weather data to study specific case studies (which would otherwise becomputationally prohibited due to long spin-up times). The new approach will be validated using daily
beryllium-7 observations at several monitoring stations that verify compliance with the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Examples will show how the new approach can be used to study atmosphericmotion.
Topic: Radionuclides as tracers of environmental processes
Preferred type: Oral

80

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Use of modelling results to enhance the radiological monitoring of
the French Mediterranean coastal zone
C. Duffa1, H. Durand1, C. Chevalier2, C. Antonelli1 and A. Delaval1,
Institut National de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, Centre de Cadarache, France.
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, Campus de Luminy, Marseille, France.
celine.duffa@irsn.fr
1
2

Keywords: Marine dispersion, modelling, coastal contamination, marine monitoring program

IRSN monitors radioactivity levels in the environment. The Rhône River is the main contributor to
the supply of artificial radionuclides to the North-West Mediterranean Sea. These radionuclides
originate mainly from authorized discharges from nuclear industries located on the course of theriver but also from the drainage of the catchment area contaminated by past deposits fromatmospheric nuclear tests and the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Part of the environmental sampling
for monitoring is done along the Mediterranean coast. The results of past measurements have showna labelling attributable to the contributions of the Rhône to the east of the mouth, sometimes as far
as the Spanish border.
In addition, IRSN has developed modelling capacities to simulate the marine dispersion ofradionuclides using hydrodynamic data. The STERNE software provides the user with assessmentsof the spatio-temporal evolution of contamination of seawater and living organisms. We used forthat study one year of hydrodynamic data on the entire North-Western Mediterranean provided by
the MARS3D model with a spatial resolution of 1.2 km and a temporal resolution of 2h. A
reconstruction of the fluxes of 137Cs and 60Co arriving at sea was carried out from radionuclide
measurement data made on the Rhône River at the SORA sampling station and river flow
monitoring.
After simulating the dispersion of radionuclides chronically provided by the Rhône over a full year,
a statistical study of the frequency of return of contamination on each zone of the coastal linear was
carried out. Different dispersion scenarios are identified, depending mainly on wind characteristics
which is the main forcing on hydrodynamic in this area. These results, extrapolated over several
years, could then be compared with radiological monitoring data carried out by IRSN. This workshows the contribution of modelling to optimize the monitoring of the marine environment whenlevels of radioactivity in the environment make their quantification increasingly difficult.

81

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

MODELLING OF DISSOLVED 137CS TRANSPORT ALONG A RIVER- SEA
CONTINUUM AND DESORPTION AT THE ESTUARY
O. Radakovitch1,2, A. Delaval1,3, C. Duffa1, I.Pairaud4, P. Boyer1, L. Flipo1, F. Coppin 1
Institut National de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN/PSE/SRTE, Saint Paul les Durance, France.
Olivier.radakovitch@irsn.fr,
2
Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix-en-provence, France.
3
Adict solutions, Toulouse, FRANCE.
4
UMR 6523 CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, UBO, Laboratoire D’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, 29280, Plouzané,France1

Keywords: 137Cs, modelling, desorption, dispersion scenario, estuary

The world nuclear production will increase sharply until 2035 and most of the planned reactors will be locatedalong a river or by the sea. Any accidental release of radionuclides into the aquatic environment may thus
reach the ocean, and the need to anticipate its consequences remains more significant than ever. IRSN has
developed a chain of models for simulating the behavior of a dissolved 137Cs release on a river- sea
continuum. Two independent models for the fluvial and marine environment were coupled using a dynamic
box-model describing the hydrodynamic and geochemical estuarine processes affecting the 137Cs within an
estuary. The study site was the Rhone River (France, Mediterranean Sea), bordered by 4 nuclear power plants
and characterized by a stratified estuary. The box model connects the flows from the river to the sea and takes
into account a desorption process. Laboratory experiments were performed to specify the role of salinity inthe intensity and kinetics of 137Cs desorption from the particles, which starts above 3-4 PSU and decreases
with the duration of the adsorption phase in the river before to reach saline areas (ageing effect). This
desorption may release up to 40% of the particulate 137Cs activities within the estuary, favoring thus thedispersion of dissolved 137Cs at sea instead of its deposition with particles within the prodelta area. To better
represent this behavior, a kinetic model involving 2 sites of different affinities for adsorption onto theparticles was proposed and is still under development for other radionuclides.

82

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

A comparison of dry deposition parametrization schemes in atmosphericradionuclide prediction models. Application to the Chernobyl case.
E. Berge1, M. Ulimoen1, A. Dobler1, H. Klein1, Ole Christian Lind2
1
2

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway

Keywords: Atmospheric transport models, radioactive particles, dry deposition parameterizations

Dry deposition is often described by a resistance modeling approach including aerodynamic andsurface resistances and gravitational settling. However, in radioactive preparedness models, simpler
approaches neglecting aerodynamic and surface resistances are often applied (e.g. Bartnicki et al.,2011) due to the need for fast calculations and lack of detailed surface information. Advances in
Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) modelling have made detailed meteorological and surface data
more readily available for preparedness models and the inclusion of more detailed dry deposition
schemes feasible. In the present study we implement the particle dry deposition parameterization
schemes of Zhang (2002), the EMEP model (Simpson et al., 2012) and Emerson (2021) into the SNAP
model (Severe Nuclear Accident Program, see Bartnicki er at., 2011) and compare with the present dry
deposition approach of SNAP. The schemes are assessed for a re-run of the Chernobyl case with highresolution NWP data (2.5 km horizontal resolution) and detailed surface information (roughness, leafarea index etc.). We describe the different dry deposition approaches, the meteorological and surface
data and present a discussion of the consequences of the dry deposition parameterization for calculated
deposition in the near source region and for long-range transport and deposition to Scandinavia.
Bartnicki, J., Haakenstad, H., Hov, Ø., 2011. Operational SNAP Model for Remote Applications from
NRPA. Report No. 12-2011, ISSN: 0332-9879. Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway.
Emerson, E.W. Hodshirea, A.L., DeBolta, H.M., Bilsbackc, K.R., Piercec, J.R., McMeekingb, G.R.
and Farmera, D.K. 2020. Revisiting particle dry deposition and its role in radiative effect estimates.
PNAS, Vol. 117, No. 42., https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014761117, 2020.
Simpson, D., Benedictow, A., Berge, H., Bergström, R., Emberson, L. D., Fagerli, H., Flechard, C. R.,
Hayman, G. D., Gauss, M., Jonson, J. E., Jenkin, M. E., Nyíri, A., Richter, C., Semeena, V. S., Tsyro,S., Tuovinen, J.-P., Valdebenito, Á., and Wind, P. The EMEP MSC-W chemical transport model –technical description, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 7825–7865, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-7825-2012,
2012.
Zhang, L., Gong, S., Padro, J., Barrie, L., 2001. A size-segregated particle dry deposition scheme for
an atmospheric aerosol model. Atmos. Environ. 35, 549–560.

83

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

ETMOD (Environmental Tritium MODel): Version 2 Capabilities
S. Chouhan1
1Senior Environmental Modeller/Assessment Specialist, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0,
Canada. Sohan.Chouhan@cnl.ca

Keywords: Atmospheric dispersion, HT, HTO, OBT, Tritium, Model, Environmental Transport and Fate,
Re-emission.

ETMOD is an environmental transport computer program used for predicting radiation doses to humans
from a hypothetical or actual tritium release to the atmosphere from any tritium handling facility. Releases
can be in the form of HT (tritiated gas) and / or HTO (tritiated water).
ETMOD models transport and exposure pathways including atmospheric dispersion, deposition andmigration in soil, HT to HTO conversion, re-emission from soil, transfer from air/water/soil to vegetation,
OBT (organically bound tritium) formation in vegetation, transfer from water/soil/plants to animals andanimal products, as well as transfer to humans through inhalation, skin absorption and ingestion.
ETMOD predicts HT and HTO activity concentrations in air, HTO activity concentrations in soil, HTO andOBT activity concentrations in vegetation, and HTO and OBT activity concentrations in animals and animal
products. It predicts the inhalation and skin absorption doses to humans from HT and HTO in air, and theingestion dose to humans from HTO and OBT in vegetation and HTO and OBT in animals and animal
products.
ETMOD is also useful for maintaining and enhancing knowledge about tritium transport in the environment.
For example, it can help to model inter-comparisons and it can be used to refine environmental parametervalues using acute release data, which can subsequently be used in routine release models. In addition,
because it is possible to bypass certain submodels and override certain parameter values, the user can startcalculations at intermediate points in the transport pathways for the purpose of submodel validation.
Version 2 of ETMOD saw the implementation of OBT formation in plants, as well as the modelling of
HTO in animals. Accordingly, ingestion doses were modified to account for the two above-said aspects.
ETMOD’s Version 2 range of capabilities will be presented with a focus on the back-fitting / creation of its
theory from the source code, testing done, errors corrected, modelling various scenarios with it and the results
obtained.

84

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radionuclide and contaminant transport modeling inestuaries and fjords
Magne Simonsen1, Ole Christian Lind2, Øyvind Saetra1

Norwegian Meteorological Institute, PB43 Blindern, NO-0313 OSLO, Norway. e-mail:magnes@met.no2
CERAD Center of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity, Faculty of Environmental
Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences(NMBU), Norway.
1

Keywords: Transport models, process investigation, fjords, small-scale

Coastal and estuarine environments constitues the interfaces between land andoffshore environments. These ecosystems are important as they are key regions for
sediment formation, biological production and distribution of contaminants andnutrients. Here we will present results from model studies of how small-scale
processes affect the coastal transport of radionuclides and contaminants in different
sites in several fjords in Norway. The impact of speciation and transformation
processes was investigated in a hypothetical case study, showing a strong sensitivity
to the fraction of 137Cs radionuclides strongly bound to particles. Estuary processes
affecting aluminium concentration were also investigated, where salinity-dependent
speciation and transformation processes were implemented, and wind-driven eventswere shown to be able to considerably redistribute both the contaminants and thewater masses in the fjord as well as to change the potential biological exposure overa short time period. Measurements and modeling work from a fjord with high river
input show that the impact of the release description as well as surface mixing andstratification is crucial for the transport. Given the highly variable current patterns incoastal regions, the importance of high quality driver data is essential. In
hydrodynamic ocean models, two-way nesting techniques may provide improved
response of both small-scale processes near the shore and offshore dynamics at larger
scales.

85

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

10 PARALLEL SESSION 4B
NORMS and Natural Radionuclides

86

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Use of FLEXPART-WRF to investigate radon transport
events associated with the impact of a NORM repository
I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez1, J.E. Martín1, J.A. Adame2, C. Grossi3, A. Vargas3 J.P.
Bolívar1
1

Research Centre of Natural Resources, Health, and the Environment(RENSMA), University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain
2
Atmospheric Sounding Station – El Arenosillo, Atmospheric Research andInstrumentation Branch, National Institute for Aerospace Technology.
INTA, Mazagón-Huelva, Spain
3
Institut de Tècniques Energètiques, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Spain
Keywords: Radon, Atmospheric Transport, NORM, FLEXPART-WRF

Two radon measurement stations located to the north and south of a NORM
(Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) repository of phosphogypsum(southwest of Europe) were used to monitor radon behavior during 2018. The
stations are located at opposing sides of the repository, one in Huelva City to thenorth and other one in a rural area to the south. This setup aimed to identify the
influence of the NORM repository on each station and use radon levels as a marker
of atmospheric transport in the local area.
To achieve this, a comparison was carried out with other coastal stations in the southof Spain, finding higher average concentrations in Huelva City, ~3.3 Bq m−3.
Hierarchical clustering was applied to identify days with different radon patterns at
each Huelva station, detecting possible local radon transport events from therepository. Three events were investigated with WRF (Weather Research andForecasting) and FLEXPART-WRF (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model).
It was found that both sampling sites required atmospheric stagnant conditions toreach high radon concentration. However, under these conditions the urban station
showed high radon regardless of wind direction while the rural station also requiredradon transport from the repository, either directly or indirectly.

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Development of a process for removal of naturalradionuclides and other pollutants in acid phosphogypsum
leachates
S.M Pérez-Moreno1, A. Barba-Lobo1, M. Zara1, M.J. Gázquez, J.P Bolívar1
1

Department of Integrated Sciences, Research Centre for Natural Resources,
Health and Environment (RENSMA), University of Huelva, Huelva, 21007,
Spain
2
Department of Applied Physics, Marine Research Institute (INMAR),
University of Cádiz, Cádiz, 11510, Spain
Keywords: Acidic leachate, Phosphogypsum, Alkaline treatment, Natural Radionuclide

In Huelva city (Spain), there are several phosphogypsum (PG) piles over the salt
marshes of the Tinto River covering about 1000 ha. These deposits release naturalradionuclides and other pollutants into their surrounding environment through highly
acidic leachates (pH < 2). The natural radionuclides concentrations in theseleachates, especially U-isotopes and 210Po (210Pb), exceed by 4-5 orders of magnitude
the found ones in unperturbed freshwaters. Furthermore, the concentration of heavy
metals (As, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, etc.) and anions (F-, PO 3- and SO 2-) are also
4significantly
higher. In this work, a cleaning process based on the neutralization of4
these acidic leachates was carried out by using different alkaline chemical reagents,
such us Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, NaOH, Na2CO3, Mg(OH)2, MgCO3).
The results have demonstrated that the treatment of phosphogypsum leachates (PGL)
by neutralization using Ca(OH)2 is a good option for their cleaning. Regarding thesolids obtained during the neutralization process by using Ca(OH)2, calcium
phosphate dominates the phase precipitated, where fluorapatite is formed at the mostbasic conditions. However, these precipitates contain high concentrations of metals,
metalloids and natural radionuclides that should be reduced in order to obtain a highpurity material that could be used as second source of phosphorous.

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Characterization and valorization diagnosis of generated
NORM wastes in the decontamination process ofphosphogypsum leachate
F.J. Soto-Cruz1, E.I. Ceccotti-Rodríguez2, S.M. Pérez-Moreno2, M. CasasRuiz1., J.P. Bolívar2, M.J. Gázquez1
1

Department of Applied Physics, Marine Research Institute (INMAR),
University of Cádiz, Cádiz, 11510, Spain
2
Department of Integrated Sciences, Research Centre for Natural Resources,
Health and Environment (RENSMA), University of Huelva, Huelva, 21007,
Spain
Keywords: NORM Waste, Decontamination, Acid Leachates, Waste Valorization

Phosphogypsum is an industrial waste generated in the production of phosphoricacid, which is considered NORM waste (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material).
Its disposal in stack and exposure to the environmental condition involve theproduction of acid leachate with high load of contaminant and radionuclides. This
fact is a radiological and environmental concern. In this study, a sequential
neutralization was applied to the leachates and the residues obtained werecharacterized from the physical-chemical and radiological point of view.
In the first stage, the pH is raised to 3.5, while in the second, pH 12 is reached. For
this, two alkaline reagents, Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3, were used respectively. The residue
obtained in the first stage was mostly CaF2, while in the second stage Ca5(PO4)3(OH).
Finally, the liquid at pH 12 is agitated, and CO2 from the atmosphere can lower the
pH to 9, obtaining CaCO3. The sequential neutralization process has been shown tobe effective in reducing potential contaminants of the leachate, establishing all therequirements for discharge into coastal waters.
Finally, in the recovery diagnosis of the three solids obtained, the possibility of theirrecovery as an additive or raw material in valorization processes are currently being
analyzed.

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Effects on local atmospheric environment of volcanic ash
from Sakurajima volcano, inferred from atmosphericdeposition of 40K at Kagoshima City, Japan
Y. Kikawada1, W. Hara1, K. Hirose2
1

Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan. email: y-kikawa@sophia.ac.jp
2
Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Japan.
Keywords: atomospheric deposits, 40K, volcanic ash, atmospheric environment

The Sakurajima volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. We examined
the impact of the volcanic ash from the volcano on the atmospheric environment,
referring to the monitoring data of radionuclides in the fallout in Japan since the1960s in the Environmental Radiation Database [1]. The 40K deposition amount in
Kagoshima City, which hosts the Sakurajima volcano, is uniquely considerable
compared to other areas in Japan. The 40K, 214Bi, and 212Pb deposition samples in
Kagoshima City correlate well with the number of eruptions of the Sakurajima
volcano and its ashfall amount in Kagoshima City. On the other hand, the 7Be andCs deposition amount in Kagoshima City does not correlate with the number of137

eruptions and the ashfall amount. In Uto City, located about 100 km north ofKagoshima City, no correlation was found between the number of eruptions of the
Sakurajima volcano and any radionuclides deposition amount. Based on the assumed
Cs/40K activity ratio in surface soil and the potassium content in volcanic ash, the137

proportions of sources of 40K in the deposition samples were estimated from therelationship between the 137Cs/40K ratio of the fallout in Kagoshima City and theamount of ashfall. As a result, it is considered that the direct fallout of volcanic ash
accounts for about 20%, the resuspension of surface soil for about 20%, and the restis the resuspension of volcanic ash. Thus, the impact of the resuspension process of
volcanic ash on the atmospheric environment in Kagoshima City is considerably
more significant than the direct ashfall process.
[1] https://www.kankyo-hoshano.go.jp/data/database/90

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Development of a robust methodology to obtain the radon
exhalation rate in different materials
E. Castaño-Casco1, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez1, A. Barba-Lobo1, J. LlanesGamonoso1, J.E. Martín1, J.A. Adame2, C. Grossi3, A. Vargas3 J.P. Bolívar1
1

Integrated Sciences Department, Research Centre of Natural Resources,
Health, and the Environment (RENSMA), University of Huelva, Huelva,
Spain. e-mail: elena.castano@dci.uhu.es
2
Atmospheric Sounding Station – El Arenosillo, Atmospheric Research andInstrumentation Branch, National Institute for Aerospace Technology. INTA,
Mazagón-Huelva, Spain.
3
Institut de Tècniques Energètiques, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Spain.
Keywords: Radon, Radon exhalation, Accumulation chamber, Insertion depth, Granularmaterials

According to UNSCEAR, 42% of the effective dose received by the public fromnatural sources is due to the inhalation of radon gas and its short half-life progeny,
making it the second cause of lung cancer, only after tobacco. In this work, different
approaches to obtain the radon exhalation rate were studied.
This is a complex task that depends on a multitude of factors, therefore, to refine theexhalation measurement method, a reference soil was made with a radon- emitting
material that allows the measurement of exhalation under controlled conditions. The
methodology used is based on the accumulation of radon inside a chamber, which
will follow an asymptotic exponential behaviour.
The results showed that measurements performed with the system are consistent andreproducible. By using these measurements, a relationship was found between theperimeter and volume of the chamber. This led to the design and manufacturing of aset of accumulation chambers which that by increasing the insertion depth into thesoil or granular material, it is possible to increase the time over which a linear
approximation can be applied without losing precision.

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Biodistribution of naturally occurring radionuclides in
European perch (Perca fluviatilis) from Swedish lakes
F. Piñero-García1,2, R. Thomas1, J. Mantero3, E. Forssell-Aronsson1,4, M.
Isaksson1
1

Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences,
Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SE-413 45,
Sweden. e-mail: francisco.pinero.garcia@gu.se
2
Radiochemistry and Environmental Radiology Laboratory, Inorganic
Chemical Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada,
18077, Spain
3
Department of Applied Physics II, ETSA, University of Seville, Seville,
41012, Spain
4
Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska
University Hospital, Gothenburg, SE-413 45, Sweden
Keywords: Uranium, Polonium, Radium; Radiocesium; Bioaccumulation

Wild European perch (Perca fluviatilis) is one of the most important freshwater fish
species, in Sweden, due to its widespread and its value for recreational fishing.
However, little is known about the biodistribution of naturally occurring
radionuclides in perch. Therefore, in this study, perches from five lakes located indifferent counties in Sweden were collected to investigate the biodistribution of 238U,
U, 226Ra and 210Po in organs and tissues of perch as well as their radiological234

impact. The results showed that uranium radionuclides ranged between
0.1 and 6 Bq/kg with an average value of 1.1 ± 1.5 Bq/kg. 226Ra varied from 0.4 to 8
Bq/kg with a mean concentration 1.7 ± 1.9 Bq/kg. The range of 210Po was 0.5 – 250,
with an average value of 24 ± 52 Bq/kg. For uranium isotopes and 226Ra, uptake fromwater is the main source whereas for 210Po the uptake is dependent on the perch diet.
Perches tended to accumulate uranium isotopes in fins, gills, and skin; 226Ra in bones,
fins and skin and 210Po in the organs linked to the digestive system. Finally, in caseof consumption, it is advised to consume skinned fillets of perch due to the higher
bioaccumulation of naturally occurring radionuclides in the skin and scales of theperch than in the muscles.

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12 PLENARY SESSION IV

93Change in airborne radioiodine physico-chemical distribution with time:a key issue for dose assessment and contamination of the environment
in nuclear emergencies
O. Masson1, H. Wershofen2, G. Steinhauser3,
1

Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEREN/LEREN, F-13115 SaintPaul Lez Durance, France
2
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, 38116, Germany
3

TU Wien, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry & TRIGA Center Atominstitut, Getreidemarkt 9/163,
1060 Vienna, Austria

Keywords: Radioiodine, Distribution, Atmosphere, Dose, Emergencies

In the radioprotection domain, dose induced by the inhalation of radioiodine is determined through the
distribution of iodine species between particulate, gaseous organic, and gaseous inorganic forms. Amongthem, molecular 131I2 has the largest dose coefficient and leads to higher deposition and contaminationof the environment than for gaseous inorganic and particulate iodine forms (subject to dry only
deposition). At short distance from a nuclear facility, i.e., where radioiodine concentrations will be ofconcern in case of a nuclear accident, the assessment of the contribution of the above- mentioned iodine
forms remains highly uncertain. Conversely, at long distance from a release point, the iodine distribution
observed after nuclear weapons testing or nuclear accidents is rather well balanced. This equilibrium(roughly 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 for particulate, gaseous organic and gaseous inorganic radioiodine) is also observed
for stable iodine. We conclude that the change in the radioiodine distribution obeys to environmental
parameters. Which ones? Given its high reactivity and short atmospheric lifetime, 131I2 should not remain
in such a high proportion long after a release or at several thousand km from the emission.
The transfer kinetics between gaseous and particulate radioiodine forms is not fully understood andexperimental verifications are scarce. Field experimentations conducted by Wershofen and Aumann(1989) showed that theses kinetics are rapid and prone to affect the airborne radioiodine distribution atshort and medium distances. However, these authors did not consider the specific role of photolysis
which may radically change the contribution of molecular iodine. This mechanism will be investigatedduring field experiments around the nuclear reprocessing plant of La Hague by the end of 2023.

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Level and distribution of anthropogenic radionuclides in China - interaction ofmarine and terrestrial environment
Xiaolin Hou1,2
1

Xi’an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Adacemy of Sciences, Xi’an 710069, China. e-mail:houxl@ieecas.cn
2
Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental and Resources Engineering, Risø, 4000 Roskilde,
Denmark. e-mail: xiho@dtu.dk
Keywords: Anthropogenic radionuclides, Plutonium, iodine-129, Sources, input of river flow

An overall investigation of artificial radioactivity in terrestrial and the adjunct sea environment of China has
being implemented in the past years to obtain their distribution and sources, understand their dispersion andtransfer pathways and environmental impact. The level and spatial distribution of 129I，plutonium isotopes,
Cs and 90Sr in the soil as well as vegetation and surface water and 14C in tree rings in the terrestrial area of

137

China, as well as these radionuclides with 3H in the environment of China Seas were obtained. In general, arelative higher level of anthropogenic radionuclides, e.g. 129I, 239, 240Pu, 137Cs, 90Sr were observed in North
China compared to South China (Zhang & Hou 2019; Zhang et al. 2021; Zhao et al. 2022). No significantly
enhanced levels of anthropogenic radionuclides were observed in the surrounding area of Lop Nor nuclear
weapons testing sites (300-600 km distance to the center of the testing site) were measured, due to the desert
and hard bed of dried salt lake topography and geography in Lop Nor region. The measured 240Pu/239Pu atomic
ratios in all environmental samples except a few samples from northeast Xinjiang were around 0.16-0.20,
which are similar to the ratio of the global fallout of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests (0.18), indicating
most of the plutonium and many other anthropogenic radionuclides originated from global fallout.
Significantly lower 240Pu/239Pu ratios of 0.11-0.13 were observed in soil samples collected from northeast
corner of Xinjiang, this might result from the transport of the close-in deposition of Semipalatinsk nuclear
weapons tests in 1950-1963 (Zhao et al. 2000).
The 129I and Pu level in the surface soil shows a gradually declined trend from North to South China, andrelative higher level were observed in North China, especially in the eastern inner Mongolia at the west sideof the Greater Khingan Mountains and Yinshan Mountains, this is attributed to the long-distance transport ofgaseous 129I by dominant westerlies wind in this region from Europe, where large amount of 129I wasdischarged to the seas and atmosphere from Sellafield and La Hague spent fuel reprocessing plants. The
mountain topography and climate condition in the eastern Inner Mongolia promoted the deposition and95

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retention of 129I in the region. These hypotheses were confirmed by the measured distribution of 129I in thesediment cores collected from Jiaozhou Bay, East China Sea and Tal lake in Philippine, which showed
constantly higher level of 129I in the upper layer sediment (after 1980), and the decreased inventory of 129I in
the sediment core from north location to south location in Asia (Fan et al. 2016; Zhang et al. 2019; Zhao et
al. 2021a, b). The declined 129I level from North to South China resulted from the transport of reprocessing
derived 129I dispersed to North China to South Asia by East Asia winter monsoon (Zhang et al. 2020).
The level of 129I and 3H in the China Sea shows a higher concentration in the north (Yellow Sea and Bohai)
compared to the south (East China Sea and South China Sea). Meanwhile a high 129I/127I atomic ratios andH concentration in the coastal seawater, especially the estuarine seawater were much higher than the open3

seawater, and in the surface seawater compared to the deep water. The 129I/127I atomic ratios in seawater ismuch lower than that in river or lake water. The high 129I and 3H in the estuarine and costal water is attributed
to the terrestrial input of 129I through rivers by leaching and transport of 129I deposited in on the land, and thehigh deposition of 129I in North China compared to South China. A significantly increased 240Pu/239Pu ratios(0.25-0.35) was observed in the seawater and sediment in the China Seas, clearly showing the contributionof the continuous resuspension of radioactive substance in the PPG nuclear weapons tests site and its longdistance transport through the North Equator and Kuroshio Currents. A remarkable Fukushima 137Cs signal
was observed in the South China Sea and West Pacific Ocean, especially in the middle and subsurface layer,
which was transported to this region from Fukushima through a long-distance transport via water circulation.
Acknowledgement: This work was mainly implemented by the environmental radioactivity group in theInstitute of Earth Environment, CAS, including W. Zhou, Y. Fan, L.Zhang, X. Zhao, N. Chen, Q. Liu, M
Zhang, S. Xing, D. Zhang, Y.Wang, Z. Huang, Y.X. Liu, M. Fang, D. Liu, W. Zhang, T. Zhang, J. Liu, H.
Jiang, L. Tang, H. Dang and supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2015FY110800)
and Chinese Academy of Sciences (ZDBS-SSW-DQC002)
References:
Fan Y.K., Hou X.L:, Zhou W.J., Liu G.S. 2016. 129I record of nuclear activities in marine sediment corefrom Jiaozhou Bay in China. J. Environ. Radioact. 154, 15-24.
Liu D., Hou X.L., Du J.Z., Zhang L.Y., Zhou W.J. 2016. I-129 and its species in the East China Sea: level,
distribution, sources and tracing water masses exchange and movement. Scientific Reports, 6; 36611.

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Wang Y.Y., Hou X.L., Zhang W.C., Zhang L.Y., Fan Y.K. 2020. Determination of ultra-low 236U inenvironment samples using ICP-MS/MS measurement and chemical separation. Talanta, 224, 121.882.
Zhang L.Y., Hou X.L., Li., H., Xu, X. 2017. A 60-year record of 129I in Taal Lake sediments (Philippines):
Influence of human nuclear activities at low latitude region. Chemosphere, 193,1149–1156.
Zhang L.Y., Hou X.L., Xu S. et al. 2020. Temporal variation of 129I and 127I in aerosols from Xi'an, China:
influence of East Asian monsoon and heavy haze events, At. Chem. Phys. 2020, 20:2623-2635.
Zhang M.T., Hou X.L.*, Zhang L.Y., Qiao J.X., Gao R.Q., Liu Q., Distribution of Anthropogenic 129 I in
the Western South China Sea and Its Application for Tracing the Sources and Movement of Pollution.
Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56(17):12298–12306.
Zhang M.T., Qiao J.X., Zhang W.C., Zhu L.C., Hou X.L., Plutonium isotopes in the northwestern South
China Sea: Level, distribution, source and deposition. Environmental Pollution 298(17/21):118846
Zhang W.C., Hou X.L. 2019. Level, distribution and sources of plutonium in the coastal areas of China,
Chemosphere, 230:587-595
Zhang W.C., Hou X.L., Dang H.J., Chen N., Zhang H.T. Distribution and migration of 239,240Pu in soil
profiles in North China. Sci. Total Environ. 2022, 875:159471
Zhang W.C., Hou X.L:, Zhang H.T., Wang Y.Y., Dang H.J., Xing S., Chen M. 2021. Level, distribution
and sources of plutonium in the Northeast and North China. Environ. Pollut. 289, 117967.
Zhao X., Hou X.L., Du J.Z., Fan Y.K. 2019. Anthropogenic 129I in the sediment cores in the East China sea:
Sources and transport pathways, Environ. Pollut. 245, 443-452.
Zhao X., Hou X.L., Huang Z., Liu H., Jiang H. Environmental radioactivity in Chinab-level, distribution
and sources, Environmental Pollution 306(1–6):119401
Zhao X., Hou X.L., Huang Z., Liu H., Jiang H. Plutonium isotopes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Sources,
distribution, and their environmental behaviors, Environmental Pollution, 2022, 306: 119401.
Zhao X., Hou X.L., Zhang D.L., Yang Y.P., Huang Z., Liu Q. 2021b. Records of iodine isotopes (129I, 127I)
in the Barkol peat bog from northwest China and their sources, transport and preservation. Chemosphere,
279, 130531.
Zhao, X., Qiao, J., Hou, X. 2020. Plutonium isotopes in Northern Xinjiang, China: Level, distribution,
sources and their contributions, Environ. Poll., 265,114929

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Utilities of environmental radioactivity tracers in assessing coastal carbon
sequestration potential
X. Ren1,2, X. Wang2, F. Zhang1, J.Z. Du1, J.Q. Du1,2,3, G. Hong 1,4*
1State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Change and Disaster in Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University,
Qinzhou 535011, P.R. China, 3 National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian 116023, China
4
Integrated Marine Biosphere Research International Project Office, State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal
Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
2

Keywords : Radionuclides, Chronology, sediments, organic carbon burial/sequestration

Coastal blue carbon often refers to the carbon sequestration longer than 100 years in coastal wetland vegetatedecosystems such as salt marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. Plants take up atmospheric carbon
dioxide through photosynthesis to store carbon in the above-ground and below-ground biomass and throughaccumulation or burial of their litters and dead branches into bottom sediments or soil sediments adjacent tothem. As coastal wetland vegetated plants are mostly short-lived except mangroves (~ 100 years of life span),consequently, below-ground soil/sediments are of great interest for carbon sequestration from theatmosphere. Environmental radioisotopes (e.g., 7Be, 137Cs, 228Th, 239+240Pu, 210Pb) are widely used to estimate
sediment mass accumulation rate. Stable isotope composition of C and N along with chemical elemental andorganic biomarkers are used to identify sources and microbial transformation of organic matter in the belowground sediment column. Radium isotopes and Radon are used to estimate the submarine groundwater
discharge. A few examples to estimate coastal blue carbon in coastal wetlands in China are introduced here
to stimulate further discussion to find novel applications of environmental radioisotopes to quantify processes
occurring in the coastal blue carbon ecosystems and their interaction with terrestrial and oceanic
environments. In the northern coast zone of China, the carbon sequestration flux of SOC (SF-SOC,
g·m−2·yr−1) was 82.84 (reed marsh), 151.93 (barren intertidal flat), and 123.71 (subtidal flat), largely
controlled by sediment mass accumulation rate of sediment (MAR). In the central coast of China, the MARof Chongming East Beach (CEB), the largest tidal wetland in the Yangtze estuary, was constrained using
7
Be, 228Th and 210Pb in different time scales. The SF-SOC in ECB showed a sharp decrease from high to low
tidal flats. In southern China, the Beibu Gulf coast is populated with mangrove forests, the primary source oforganic carbon in the mangrove sediments was found to be terrigenous. SF-SOC was 4.0-17.8, 3.0-18.7 and 10.4
-28.1 in Qisha Harbor, Sanniang Bay, and Lianzhou Bay of the gulf. At all sites investigated, the SF-SOC reflects
the anthropogenic impacts and climate change, such as dam contracture in river basin, land utilization,
wetland conservation, sea level rise, etc.
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China under grant 2022YFE0209300，and theOpen project of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Change and Disaster Researchunder grant 2022KF001
Carter M W. Moghissi A A. Health Phys. 33(1977), 55-77.
Du J Q, Du J, Zhang F, et al. Sci. Total Environ. 859 (2023): 160253
Jiang Y F, Du J Z, Zhang J, et al. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 34(2012):114-121.
Guo J, Costa Jr O S, Wang Y, et al. J. Environ. Radioact. 213 (2020): 106136.

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Pushing the limits of the 1 MV Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry system at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradoresto analyse 233U and 244Pu
Elena Chamizo 1, Mercedes López-Lora1,2
1

Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Universidad de Sevilla, Junta deAndalucía, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Sevilla, Spain.

2

Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping
University, Linköping, Sweden

Keywords : AMS, CNA, actinides

The Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) hosts the first multi-elemental 1 MV
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) system by High Voltage Engineering Europa(Amersfoort, The Netherlands) since 2005. An increasing know-how on its
performance and on actinides radiochemistry has made it possible the analysis of Pu,
U and Np radionuclides. To date, 236U, 237Np and 239,240,241Pu are routinely analysed at
the CNA. Due to its compact design, the achieved M±1X/MY abundance sensitivities are
not competitive with those offered by state-of-the-art compact AMS systems. Still,background levels at the 106 atoms per sample for 237Np and Pu isotopes, and236

U/238U abundance sensitivities of 10-10, have been demonstrated, opening the gate

to many applications. Recently, the limelight has been put on the analysis of 233U and
244

Pu. With extremely low concentrations and atomic abundances (global fallout

233

U/236U and 244Pu/239Pu atom ratios at the 10-2 and 10-4 level, respectively (Hain etal., 2020; López-Lora et al., 2023), their AMS analysis is extremely challenging. In
this work, we will evaluate the performance of the 1 MV AMS system to the analysisof 233U and 244Pu, and we will show a few examples illustrating the potential of thestudy of the 233U/236U and 244Pu/239Pu atom ratios in natural samples as a tool tounravel global fallout from nuclear industry U and Pu sources.
Hain, K., Steier, P., Froehlich, M. B., Golser, R., Hou, X., Lachner, J., et al. (2020).
233U/236U signature allows to distinguish environmental emissions of civil nuclear industry
from weapons fallout. Nature Communications, 11(1), 1–3.
López-Lora, M., Olszewski, G., Chamizo, E., Pettersson, K., & Eriksson, M. (2023).
Plutonium Signatures in a Dated Sediment Core as a Tool to Reveal Nuclear Sources in theBaltic Sea. Environmental Science and Technology.

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Next generation of isobar suppression at the new 1 MV AMS system
HAMSTERJ. Lachner1, A. Wieser1,2, S. Findeisen3, R. Golser2, M. Kern2, A. Wallner1

Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
Isotope Physics - Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Austria
3
Department of Research Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
1
2

Keywords: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, isobar suppression, 135Cs, 137Cs

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) operates the DREAMS facility based on a 6-MV
tandetron and there provides state-of-the-art capabilities for measurements of 10Be, 129I, and a number of otherisotopes routinely determined by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). A new compact AMS facility,
HAMSTER (Helmholtz Accelerator Mass Spectrometer Tracing Environmental Radionuclides), is planned
to be installed at HZDR in late 2023. There, the repertoire of measured isotopes will be expanded to actinides
and furthermore to non-classical AMS radionuclides such as 135Cs and 137Cs by including a laser-based isobar
suppressor. There, anions are slowed down in a buffer gas filled radio-frequency quadrupole to near-thermalenergies and collinearly overlapped with a laser beam. This is investigated and already implemented at the
AMS facility VERA (Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator) of the University of Vienna. As apractical example I will show results of measurements of the ratio of Cs isotopes 135Cs and 137Cs by Ion-Laser
Interaction Mass Spectrometry (ILIAMS) at VERA, where different electron detachment energies of CsF2
and BaF2 anions allow for suppression of the Ba isobars when overlapping the low-energy anion beam witha green laser beam. Furthermore, I will present our design of the second generation of such an ion cooler andfirst impressions and results from the setup of this system at HZDR.

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13 PARALLEL SESSION 5A
Atmosphere I

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40-years 210Pb and trace elements concentrations at Helsinki, Finland
E Ioannidou1, S Papagiannis2,3, M Manousakas2,4, Ch. Betsou1,5, K. Eleftheriadis2, J. Paatero6, L.
Papadopoulou7, A. Ioannidou1*
1

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Physics, Nuclear Physics Lab., Thessaloniki, 54 124 Greece,
e-mail: anta@physics.auth.gr
2
Environmental Radioactivity Lab., INRASTES, NCSR Demokritos, 15310, Ag. Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
3
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110, Ioannina, Greece
4Paul Scherrer Institut, Research Department General Energy and Environment (ENE), Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232
Villigen PS1, Switzerland
5
Lab. Of Archaeometry and Physicochemical Measurements, ATHENA-Research and Innovation TechnologiesCenterXanthi’s Division, University Campus South Entrance, Kimmeria, P. O. Box 159, Xanthi, GR-67100, Greece
6
Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Observation Services, P.O. Box 503, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland
7
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Geology, Dep. of Mineralogy-Petrology-Economic Geology,*

Keywords: radioactive tracer, long-term observations, atmospheric pollutants.

Weekly air filter samples were collected from the Helsinki metropolitan area between 1962-2005.
The concentrations of the radioactive isotope 210Pb and of trace elements (eg. Si, Zn, Pb) were
determined to evaluate the influence of different pollutants on the atmosphere and environment.
Both 210Pb and Pb were studied to understand their sources, dispersion and identify the effects ofanthropogenic activities. Most of Pb in the human environment is of technological origin. Pb
extracted from mines has very low 210Pb content. Pb concentrations have decreased since 1970s andare strongly correlated with lead smelters north of Helsinki, on-site incinerators, lead gasoline andfuel combustion. Trace elements and 210Pb concentrations had decreased significantly, especiallyafter 1980, coinciding with first regulations applied for controlling and reducing air pollution in
Europe.
Seasonal differences cause significant changes in elemental concentrations. The maximum 210Pb
concentrations appear in the cold season. In winter, the lower troposphere becomes stratified,allowing air pollutants to stay close to the ground level. All elements present the greatest reductionin their annual atmospheric concentrations during spring.

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Source apportionment study of total carbon fraction of urban aerosols in
Bratislava, Slovakia

I. Kontuľ1, M. Ješkovský1, J. Kaizer1, P. P. Povinec1, M. Richtáriková1, K. Sučák1
1

Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University
in Bratislava, Slovakia

Keywords: radiocarbon, urban aerosols, source apportionment

Carbonaceous aerosols are an important component of aerosol particles in the atmosphere due to theirenvironmental and human health impacts. Their source apportionment is therefore of great interest. This
study focuses on aerosols from the Bratislava urban area. For a period in 2022/2023, ambient aerosols werecollected on quartz microfibre filters with two-week sampling period at the campus of Comenius University
in Bratislava, Slovakia. Total carbon (TC) fraction, i.e. the sum of all carbonaceous particles of the collectedaerosols, is used for this analysis. Based on measurements by accelerator mass spectrometry, the contributionof carbonaceous particles from fossil sources (fossil fuel burning) and contemporary biogenic sources(biomass burning, natural sources) can be determined. The presented results will illustrate the variability of
total carbon content of the aerosols and also the changes in the proportion of fossil and biogenic sources ofcarbon particles in the air. The fossil-fuel derived aerosols are major part of the sampled aerosols, but
although the sampling site is in the middle of considerably urbanized and industrialized city, biogenic
carbonaceous particles make a significant part of the total carbon fraction.

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Origin of atmospheric 129I in Southern Spain
J.M. López-Gutiérrez1,3, J.I. Peruchena2,3, G. Manjón4, E. Liger,5,7, E.
Gordo6,7, F. Hernández7.
1

Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, E.P.S, Universidad de Sevilla (US-Spain)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC-Spain)
3
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (US, CSIC, Junta de Andalucía-Spain)
4
Dpto. de Física Aplicada II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, US (Spain)
5
Dpto. de Física Aplicada II, Universidad de Málaga
6
Servicios Centrales de Apoyo a la Investigación, (UMA-Spain)
7
Grupo de Geoquímica y Radiactividad Ambiental, (UMA-Spain)
2

Keywords: Iodine-129, aerosol, NFRP, atmosphere, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.

I (T1/2 = 15.7 × 106 y) is a radionuclide whose presence in the environment changed

129

strongly due to the emissions from the two largest nuclear fuel reprocessing plants
in Europe: Sellafield (UK) and La Hague (France). Most of the 129I has beendischarged to the sea, but part of it is released as gaseous 129I. Liquid discharges ofI mostly travelled from these plants to the North Sea and then to the Arctic along

129

the Norwegian coast. Gaseous discharges spread quickly over the Northern
Hemisphere.
We present the results for atmospheric 129I concentrations and 129I/127I isotopic ratios
over two cities in Southern Spain: Seville (37°23′N, 5°59′W) and Malaga (36°43′N,4°28′W) in 2013. The results showed gaseous 129I concentrations typically in theorder of 105 at.m-3 over Seville. Particulate 129I concentrations were in the order of
104 at.m-3 over both cities, but typically lower in Malaga compared to Seville. 129I/127I
isotopic ratios were similar in the two cities, in the order of 10-9 to 10-8. A very good
agreement was observed on the temporal evolution of the two iodine species inSeville and between particulate 129I in Seville and Malaga, indicating a common
origin of the 129I over the two cities.
The analysis of the air masses arriving to Seville and Malaga showed that high 129I
levels coincided with winds coming from Sellafield and, especially, from La Hague
NFRP. Direct emissions from La Hague are considered the most likely source of theatmospheric 129I over Seville and Malaga during 2013.

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Case study of recent radioactive contamination in the lower
atmosphere of Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago
A. Cwanek1, E. Łokas1, A. Burakowska2, E. Nalichowska1
1

Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish
Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland. email:anna.cwanek@ifj.edu.pl
2
Contamination Survey Division, National Centre for Nuclear Research,
Andrzeja Sołtana 7, 05-400 Otwock, Poland
Keywords:
radioactive pollution, air filters, Spitsbergen

Several unexpected signals of radionuclides have recently been detected in theatmosphere and reported by the scientific community. It is believed that theseincidents could be associated with undeclared nuclear activities, not directly
connected with nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the Earth’s System is undergoing a
distinct transformation due to climate changes, with the most rapid processes in the
Arctic region. Global warming could be a significant factor triggering or enhancing
air resuspension of pollutants. Therefore, continuous observation as well as thedevelopment of new monitoring strategies for atmospheric radioactivity appears
nowadays of great importance. The presented research concerns analyses of selectedradionuclides from aerosol samples collected at The Stanisław Siedlecki Polish Polar
Station in Hornsund, Svalbard archipelago (77°00′ N, 15°33′ E) covering the years
2002-2018. Radionuclides under study represent groups of different origins, which
include lithogenic (40K, 210Pb), cosmogenic (7Be), and anthropogenic (137Cs, 238, 239,
240Pu) isotopes. A long-term and multivariate analysis of their content and dynamics

of changes in the ground layer of air comprises a valuable contribution to theknowledge of radioactivity in the High Arctic atmosphere.
This study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland under research
project No. 2021/43/D/ST10/02049.

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A fast algorithm for real-time monitoring of artificial
radioisotopes implemented in the Catalan Environmental
Radioactivity Surveillance Network
A. Cerezo1, I. Reichardt, E. Prieto, R. Casanovas, M. Salvadó
1

Unitat de Física Mèdica, Facultad de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut,
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/Sant Llorenç, 21. 43201 Reus.
Mail: agustin.cerezo@urv.cat
Keywords: Environmental radioactivity, gamma-ray spectrometry, analysis methods.

The Catalan Environmental Radiological Surveillance Network consists ofdifferent types of scintillation gamma spectrometry detectors for thecontinuous and real-time automatic measurement of environmental radiation.
These following monitors generate, every 10 minutes, a gamma spectrum: 23
direct measurement monitors (13 with LaBr3(Ce), 5 SrI2(Eu) and 5 NaI (Tl)detectors), 10 particulate filter monitors (9 with LaBr3(Ce) detectors and 1with SrI2(Eu)) and 2 river water monitors. This means that, as average, a 1.5
million spectra are recorded and need to be analysed.
A method for the automatic and real-time quantification of the activity
concentration of artificial and natural isotopes was developed and tested in
the laboratory and is being implemented in the network. The uncertainties in
the activity concentrations, as well as the corresponding detection limits, were
calculated applying the ISO-11929 standard. The method is based on theanalysis by spectral regions or ROIs (Regions of Interest), eliminating fromthe ROIs of the artificial isotopes of study the contributions due to emissionsof natural isotopes (overlapping and Compton radiation), the ambient
background, the possible intrinsic background of the detector and thecontributions of other possible isotopes. As a result, an equation is generated
for each isotope. This equation allows us to obtain its net activity
concentration (Bq/m3). This procedure is applied to determine the activity
concentration of isotopes of natural origin (212Pb, 214Pb and 214Bi) andartificial (131I, 137Cs and 60Co).
The method successfully eliminates the contribution (natural elements,
intrinsic background and Compton). Therefore, it allows obtaining the net
activity concentration of the artificial isotopes of interest. Artificial isotopes
detection events recorded by the network monitors will be presented.

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14 PARALLEL SESSION 5B
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry I

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Extending the set of environmental tracers by the novel
anthropogenic signatures 233U/236U and 237Np
K. Hain(1), K. Fenclová(2), S. Glatzel(3), M. Martschini(1), A. Sakaguchi(4),M. Strasser(5), P. Steier(1), S. Turner(6), M. Wagreich(3), A. Wiederin(1),J. Wolf(1,7), A. Yokoyama(8), J. Zinke(9), R. Golser(1)1University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Währinger Straße 17, 1090
Vienna, Austria, e-mail: karin.hain@univie.ac.at
2
Czech Technical University, Department of Nuclear Chemistry, Prague,
Czech Republic
3
University of Vienna, Department of Geology, Vienna, Austria
4
University of Tsukuba, CRiES, Tsukuba, Japan
5
University of Innsbruck, Department of Geology, Innsbruck, Austria
6
University College London, Department of Geography, United Kingdom
7Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
8
Kanazawa University, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa,Japan
9
University of Leicester, School of Geography Geology & The Environment,
United Kingdom
Keywords: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, environmental archives, Uranium-233,
Neptunium-237

The atomic 233U/236U ratio was proposed as a superior oceanographic tracer
as this signature allows to distinguish environmental emissions of civil
nuclear industry from weapons fallout and uranium (U) behavesconservatively in sea water. For tracer applications, a careful characterizationof the principal sources of 233U including the contribution from natural
production is required. 233U/236U ratios were analysed in samples fromdifferent locations, partly time-resolved or of well-known age to be able tonarrow down the time span of the maximum 233U release. Samples compriseda coral core (Flinders reef, Australia), a sediment core (lake Hallstatt,
Austria), a peat bog core (Pürgschachen Mire, Austria) and sediment from thelayered urban artificial ground of Vienna (Austria). Whenever possible, the
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isotopic signatures and/or mono-isotopic makers such as 240Pu/239Pu or 237Np.
In agreement with the results for a Baltic Sea sediment core publishedpreviously, the maximum 233U/236U ratios in the lake sediment were found to
be exceptionally high, i.e. > 0.1. 237Np is another promising oceanographic
tracer, but its quantitative analysis by mass spectrometric techniques such as
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is hampered by the lack of an isotopic
spike. The present status of our corresponding joint project aiming at the
production of a 236Np spike material will be discussed. Mass 236 has beensuccessfully produced by the irradiation of Th foils with a 7Li beam in the 3040 MeV range at the RIKEN Nishina Center. AMS measurements using
fluoride molecules indicate that the observed surplus of mass 236 above
background is indeed 236Np.

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Analysis of 90Sr in environmental samples at the attogramlevel by accelerator mass spectrometry
M. Martschini1, M. Honda2, S. Merchel1, S.R. Winkler3, R. Golser1
1

University of Vienna – Faculty of Physics, Isotope Physics, Waehringer
Strasse 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria. e-mail: martin.martschini@univie.ac.at
2
Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki, Japan
3
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
Keywords: Strontium-90, accelerator mass spectrometry, ILIAMS

Despite its reasonably short half-life (T1/2 = 28.9 a), radiometric detection of
the radiologically relevant anthropogenic radioisotope 90Sr is cumbersome
and time-consuming. Detection limits of conventional mass spectrometrictechniques for 90Sr have been similar to the radiometric limit of 3 mBq mainly
due to interferences of stable isotopes and/or the stable isobar 90Zr. Here, wereport on the successful detection of 90Sr at the ag/g-level in environmental
samples by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The world-wide unique
Ion-Laser InterAction Mass Spectrometry (ILIAMS) technique at the Vienna
Environmental Research Accelerator AMS-facility provides unprecedented
90

Sr-sensitivity: the overall Sr-detection efficiency is 4×10–4 and the blankvalue 90Sr/Sr < 5×10–16. This corresponds to a 100-fold improved detection
limit of <0.03 mBq, i.e., 4x104 atoms or 6 ag of90

Sr in a sample of 2-3 mg of Sr. Recently, we have successfully determined

the 90Sr/Sr ratio in <1 g of contemporary coral aragonite and samples of 300500 ml of seawater, and analyzed the 90Sr content in soils and otherenvironmental archives after adding Sr carrier. Sample preparation chemistry
relies mainly on column separation by Sr-resin and subsequent precipitationas SrF2 followed by dry admixing of PbF2. Measurement results on IAEA
reference materials (bone and soil) are in good agreement with their expectedvalues and demonstrate the robustness of the technique.

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Exploring the lowest levels of environmental 90Sr/Sr compared to 236U/U incarbonates and seawater using a new, highly sensitive Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry technique
S.R. Winkler1,2, M. Martschini2, S. Merchel2, J. Carilli3, J. Zinke4, P. Steier2, T. Batsankalashvili1,
G.M. Henderson5, R. Golser2
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
University of Vienna – Faculty of Physics, Isotope Physics, Vienna, Austria
3
Naval Information Warfare Center, San Diego, California, USA
4
School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, UK
5
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
1
2

Keywords: marine radioactivity, ocean tracers, 90-Sr, 236-U, GEOTRACES

Strontium-90 (90Sr) is an anthropogenic radionuclide, which, due to its radiological relevance, hasbeen most intensively monitored in the past. In terms of initial activity, over 630 PBb of thisradioisotope have been distributed globally from stratospheric fallout of bomb-testing, and there are
more localized contributions from test, accidents, and releases from reprocessing plants. In the pastmassive sample sizes (up to 100 l of seawater or 100 g of coral aragonite) were required even rightafter the peak period of global fall-out from bomb testing. On the other hand, the high amount ofstrontium dissolved in seawater complicates the use of mass spectrometric methods, as an isotopic
abundance sensitivity of at least 1·10-15 is required to detect the estimated main signal. With recent
advances in isobar separation technique in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the Universityof Vienna, this requirement has come within reach, offering new research possibilities. The newtechnique uses an ion-cooler and laser-photo-detachment to suppress the stable isobar 90Zr almost
completely. With initial test samples we could confirm an isotopic abundance sensitivity of 8·10-16
90

Sr/Sr, sufficient for application to ocean water samples. In this presentation we will show

comparison of 90Sr to 236U, another ocean tracer that has been studied intensively recently. We will
present results from contemporary coral skeleton material, the methods, requirements, and impactof sample preparation. Further, first result from ocean water samples and the sample preparation
and blank levels for these types of samples will be shown.

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Finally, we explain our sample preparation scheme to extract 236U, simultaneously with 90Sr for
multi-isotope applications of both.

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ALIS - a new isobar suppression setup fortrace analysis of 90Sr at CologneAMS
O. Marchhart1,2,3, M. Schiffer3, E. Chopan3, M. Martschini1,
G. Hackenberg3, P. Steier1, A. Priller1, D. Mücher3, R. Golser1
1

University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Isotope Physics, Währinger
Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria. e-mail: oscar.marchhart@univie.ac.at2
University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School in Physics, Boltzmanngasse
5, 1090 Vienna Austria
3
University of Cologne, Institute for Nuclear Physics, Zülpicher Straße 55,
50937 Cologne, Germany

Keywords: Strontium-90, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Ion cooler, Isobar suppression

Strontium-90 (T1/2 = 28.64 a) is among the most hazardous fission products and is ofgreat environmental interest due to its radiotoxicity as well as its potential as anenvironmental tracer. Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is the most sensitive
method for the detection of long-lived radionuclides. However, the interference ofthe highly abundant stable isobar 90Zr prevented its use for 90Sr. The Ion-Laser
InterAction Mass Spectrometry (ILIAMS) setup at the Environmental Research
Accelerator (VERA) has demonstrated to solve this problem by neutralizing theisobar via laser photodetachment in a gas-filled radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ),
achieving a detection limit for 90Sr of < 0.1 mBq [1].
In a collaboration between the University of Vienna and the University of Cologne,
a new advanced RFQ ion cooler for trace analysis of 90Sr in environmental samples
has been developed, aiming to further improve the ion-laser interaction assisted AMS
measurement efficiency of 90Sr and thus shorten the required measurement time. It
is part of the Anion Laser Isobar Separator (ALIS), a new isobar suppression setup,at the 6 MV AMS facility of CologneAMS. An AMS measurement routine for 90Sr
is under development. The routine will be tested with environmental samples
provided from the AVR reactor site in Jülich.
[1] M. Martschini et al., Radiocarbon, 64(3), 555-568. doi:10.1017/RDC.2021.73

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Performance and first analysis using accelerator mass
spectrometry in CENTA laboratory, Bratislava
M. Ješkovský1, J. Kaizer1, I. Kontuľ1, J. Kvasniak1, J. Pánik2, J. Zeman1,
P.P. Povinec1
1

Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics,
Physics and Informatics, Comenius University,84248 Bratislava, Slovakia. email: miroslav.jeskovsky@uniba.sk
2
Institute of Medical Physics, Biophysics, Informatics and Telemedicine,
Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia

Keywords: AMS, radiocarbon, CENTA

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) proved for decades the suitability andsuperiority in the measurement of long-lived radionuclides and stable nuclides.
Therefore, it’s used in many laboratories all around the world for dating purposes,
environmental studies, material and health sciences, etc. The main advantages of
AMS compared to radiometric methods are the smaller size of used samples (evento µg) and shorter measuring times. During AMS analysis, ions of rare isotopes are
extracted from a sample material in the ion source and after energy and mass
separation are accelerated by an electrostatic tandem accelerator while counting
individual ions with nuclear detectors after acceleration to MeV energies.
A Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA) was established in2013 at Comenius University in Bratislava, comprising two ion sources, a low energy
analysing and injection system, and a Pelletron accelerator with 3 MV of the maximal
terminal voltage. This system was upgraded in the summer of 2022 by a high-energy
analysing beam line with the end-of-line detector, together with the bouncing system
for the fast switching of the isotopes. The performance characteristics of the facility
and the first AMS measurements will be presented in this paper.

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Status and development of 90Sr soil measurements at CologneAMS
G. Hackenberg1, M. Schiffer1, S. Herb1, O. Marchhart1,3, D. Elchine2, S. Heinze1, T. Pabst1,
E. Chopan1, A. Dewald1, E. Strub2, D. Mücher1
University of Cologne, Institute for Nuclear Physics, Zülpicher Straße 77, 50937 Cologne, Germany,e-mail: ghackenberg@ikp.uni-koeln.de
2
University of Cologne, Division of Nuclear Chemistry, Zülpicher Straße 45, 50674 Cologne, Germany
3
University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Isotope Physics, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna
1

Keywords: Sr-90, accelerator mass spectrometry, soil90

Sr is produced by nuclear fission and is a prominent nuclide in nuclear waste and fallout. It plays a majorrole in decommissioning of nuclear facilities, e.g., for the decommissioning of the AVR Jülich prototype
reactor large amounts of soil have to be analyzed. Due to its radiotoxicity, the clearance levels forunconditioned release are low. Since the state-of-the-art measurement techniques rely on the low energy
β-decay of 90Sr (T1/2 = 28 y), the sample preparation and the detection are rather complex and time consuming.
Using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 90Sr can be measured after a simplified separation. The counting
does not depend on the 90Sr decay, this reduces demands on sample preparation as well as the sample size.
The main efforts are a high sputter efficiency and the suppression of the stable isobar 90Zr.
First soil samples have been measured at the 10 MV tandem accelerator in Cologne. The sample preparation
is done in a collaboration with the division of nuclear chemistry. The 90Zr concentrations of standard materials
can be fully separated from the radionuclide 90Sr at beam energies of 80 MeV using our 10-anode gas
ionization detector. The background level 90Sr/Sr is below 10-13. This contribution will present the status of90

Sr measurements, the preparation of soil samples and first measurement results. We also will discuss thechallenges related to characterizing large numbers of 90Sr samples in an industrial-like setting, as requiredfor decommissioning of e.g., the AVR Jülich.

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15 PLENARY SESSION V

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Identification of gaps and challenges in the management of NORM
R.García-Tenorio1.2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain2
Department of Applied Physics, ETS Arquitectura, Avenida Reina Mercedes, 41012-Sevilla, Spain

1

2

Keywords: NORM, gaps, chalenges, sampling, characterization, doses

During the 21st century a key role in radiation protection is being played by NORM issues. Different protocols
have been developed for a proper protection of the workers, public and the environment associated to NORM
activities, considering in each case their peculiarities.
However, and mostly due to the tendency to simplification, several gaps and challenges are still existing in
the management of NORM. Some of them will be detailed and evaluated in this work. Special emphasis will
be put in the need of proper sampling methods, in the need of proper radioactive and non-radioactive
characterization of NORM samples and in the selection of no over conservatives models for NORM
assessments. All these needs demand of skilled multidisciplinary personnel
Recommendations to overcome the comment gaps and challenges will be given,

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Sub Surface Science - Radionuclide Research in and about the Underground
D. Degering1, M. Köhler2, N. Dietrich1
1
2

VKTA – Strahlenschutz, Analytik & Entsorgung Rossendorf e. V., Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Gartenheimallee 14, 01277 Dresden, Germany

Keywords: Underground laboratory, deep geothermal energy, alpha recoil, dating

The analysis of environmental radioactivity frequently requires low detection limits to capture the present
activity range. As a consequence, contributions from external radiation sources must be minimised to achieve
very low blank values. Underground laboratories provide such environments due to their reduced influenceof cosmic ray contributions and the opportunity to install large scale and effective shieldings.
We present a summary of 40 years of operation of the underground laboratory Felsenkeller (Dresden,
Germany). Situated at a depth of 140 m w.e. it allows for the best conditions to analyse several thousand
samples per year routinely. Its main application focuses on low level gamma spectrometry but also low leveltritium analyses is performed successfully.
Currently nine gamma spectrometers plus two liquid scintillation counters are installed, all at least in low
level quality. The scope of applications ranges from measurements for consumer protection to analysis forscience and research to environmental monitoring.
Among these, one focus in recent years included investigations on fluids and precipitates from plants for the
exploitation of deep geothermal energy. Deep waters are often characterised by enhanced salinity in the orderof 100 g l-1 and activity concentrations of the Radium isotopes 226Ra and 228Ra up to several 10 Bq l-1.
Laboratory investigations showed a stabilisation of Radium species above some 10 g l-1 salinity. Furthermore,
Monte Carlo simulations revealed a close relationship between the 228Ra/226Ra activity ratio in the fluid andthe Th/U concentration ratio of the aquifer rock. Thus the 228Ra/226Ra ratio may serve as an fingerprint of thegeological formation serving as the aquifer.
Changes in the thermodynamic conditions as they occur in the plant lead to different precipitates, so called
scalings. Two types are of special interest for radiation protection and waste management issues: Ba/Sr
sulfates and Pb containing phases since they accumulate 228, 226Ra and 210Pb, respectively. Moreover, thesulfate scales allow a determination of their formation age via the combination of 228Ra/226Ra and 228Th/228Ra
activity ratios. The actually unwanted accumulation of natural radionuclides may serve in this case as avaluable tool for the understanding of the scale formation in the geothermal plant.

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Detector radiopurity and background problems in underground experiments
S. Nagorny1,21

Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University, K7L 3N6 Kingston, ON, Canada. email:sn65@queensu.ca
2Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute, K7L 3N6 Kingston, ON, Canada
Keywords: Neutrinoless double beta decay experiment, Radiopurity, Low-background detector

The neutrino is a key particle in astroparticle physics and cosmology, but some of its fundamental properties
are still not well understood. While strong evidence that neutrinos have non-degenerate mass has come fromobservations of neutrino flavor oscillations, neutrinoless double beta decay (0ν-DBD) is the only practical
path to determine the nature of the neutrino (Dirac or Majorana) and one of the most sensitive probes of its
absolute mass. Currently-running and planned 0ν-DBD experiments aim to reach an experimental sensitivity
in terms of half-life at the order of 1027–1028 yr to probe the inverted neutrino hierarchy. This became feasible
mainly due to the significant progress in detector techniques (bolometers, scintillating bolometers,
semiconductor detectors, scintillators, and time-projection chambers) along with the development of highquality crystalline materials with tailored characteristics such as a high purity 76Ge, TeO2, Zn82Se, 116CdWO4,
Li 100MoO4, Ca100MoO4, etc. At the2 same time, a combination of various factors, such as the availability of
isotope enrichment technology or its high natural abundance, the existence of a suitable detector material anda well-established technology for its production leads to the concentration of experimental efforts on a few
DBD-active isotopes – 76Ge, 82Se, 100Mo 116Cd, 130Te, 136Xe. Moreover, the ultimate experimental sensitivity
could be achieved only in a well-shielded experimental setup located deep underground and operating a tonscale detector. Hence, special care has to be taken at every stage of the detector development and production,in order to avoid detector radioactive contamination, to reduce contribution from environmental backgroundand cosmogenic activation of materials.
Here we will discuss the importance of the radiopurity of the detector and construction materials, the isotope
of interest selection and major related background components, dangerous cosmogenically activated nuclides
and strategies to overcome all above listed factors on examples of a few low-background DBD experiments.

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Accreditation of the IAEA’s Environmental Laboratories for reference material
production and updates on IAEA proficiency test exercises
Mai Khanh PHAM and Iolanda OSVATH,
IAEA, Marine Environmental Laboratory, 4 Quai Antoine 1er, 98000 Monaco.

One of the mandates of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and especially of the
Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications(DNSA) and its Environment Laboratories(EL) is to provide assistance to Member States’ to improve the quality of measurement results
they obtain using nuclear and associated analytical techniques. In this context, the IAEA
provides reference materials (RMs) and certified reference materials (CRMs), characterized for
activity concentrations of radionuclides, mass fractions of trace elements and methyl mercury
or organic compounds and stable isotope ratios.
The use of RMs and CRMs, participation in proficiency tests and inter-laboratory comparisons
allow the verification of analytical performance. RMs and CRMs are among the most important
tools to improve and maintain the analytical quality of laboratories and to demonstrate thequality of measurement results. The availability of RMs and CRMs is a prerequisite for
ensuring the quality of data used for various assessments, development of new measurement
techniques and training, as well as to support other Agency programmes.
The presentation will focus on the accreditation of CRM production for radionuclides withgamma emitters in marine and terrestrial matrix, and in the second part on the world-wide 2022
Proficiency Test for radionuclides in sea water sample.
In the first part the DNSA-EL Quality Policy for the production of RMs within the IAEA will
be covered, which ISO guides were implemented to ensure the services related to the provisionof CRMs and how the NA-EL are committed to achieving these objectives through theimplementation of a QMS (Quality management System) that is structured to address, asapplicable, the criteria given in the international standards ISO 17034, ISO/IEC 17025 related
to analytical methods used for the characterization of CRMs and other relevant international
standards and guides. The achievements for accreditation of radionuclides of some CRMs
through Autrian Accrediation Body Query Company (akkreditierung-austria.gv.at) or SearchCompanies (akkreditierung-austria.gv.at) will be presented.
In the second part, the results and evaluation for the proficiency test (PT) conducted within the
IAEA-RML-2022-01 worldwide open proficiency test exercise for sea water sample will bepresented. The data were evaluated by the Radiometrics Laboratory (RML) of the Environment
Laboratories using its standard approach for proficiency test evaluations. In total 112
laboratories worldwide with 91 feedbacks, to which 15 participants from Spain laboratories(network with 11 feedbacks) participated in this exercise. The performance of laboratories for
specific radionuclides and applied radioanalytical methods will be discussed in detail. For the
futures PT any suggestions for matrix of marine samples and radionuclides studied would be
welcomed.

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Progresses on the 210Pb-based dating of recent sediments
under varying rates of supply
J.M. Abril1
1

Department of Applied Physics I, E.T.S.I.A., University of Seville, Spain.

Keywords: 210Pb-dating, temporal variability, sedimentation rates, 210Pbexc fluxes, TERESA
model.

The method based on 210Pb provides absolute age determination in recent sediments(< 100-150 years), which are treated as a continuous medium. The most common
sedimentary scenarios involve ideal boundary conditions and no post- depositional
redistribution. However, the chronology cannot be decoded without a set ofassumptions on the temporal variability of fluxes (F), initial activity concentrations(A0), and sedimentation rates (w). The assumption of constant flux is adopted by the
CRS and CFCS models, which have been of the most widely used. This work reviews
recent advances that have questioned this paradigm and explores the boundaries ofthe state-of-the-art. A systematic survey of sediments with a varve-based chronology
has shown that the most common conditions involve random and independent
variability in w and A0 that results in varying fluxes that correlate with w. Thisviolates the assumptions of the CRS, CFCS and PLUM models. The SIT model,
which claimed its ability to date sediments with independent time variability of F
and w, seemed to be the definitive dating tool. However, it has been shown that thismodel lacks of a sound physical basis and misuses the Fourier expansion series. The
new TERESA model is based on the above statistical correlation between F and w
and performs the numerical simulation of tens of thousands of normal distributionsof A0 and w to decode the sediment history that best fits the experimental data. In thiswork, its use is demonstrated with a wide set of challenging sediment cores.
However, it is far from being a definitive dating tool. Moreover, the study of model
errors allows the applicability of CRS and CFCS models when the variability offluxes is randomly distributed on the time line, or when it shows stepped changes.

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16 PARALLEL SESSION 6A
Atmosphere II

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Uranium and thorium airborne levels around a Yellow-cake_UF4
conversion plant: Stack discharge and resuspension contributions
O. Masson1, L. Pourcelot1, P. Paulat1, J. Faramond1,
1

Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEREN/LEREN, F-13115 SaintPaul Lez Durance, France

Keywords: Uranium, Thorium, Conversion, Airborne concentration, Resuspension, Stack discharge

Ten years after a first study we provide a new insight on airborne uranium activity concentrations arounda yellow-cake_UF4 uranium conversion plant. Airborne uranium concentrations were weekly measured
over a one-year period. These concentrations depend on time spent downwind of the facility,
meteorological parameters (mostly rain and air mass origin) and emissions. The most impacted
downwind area and the main emission and discharge sources have been characterized with regards toambient airborne uranium concentrations. Along the past decade, a 22-fold decrease was observed in theatmospheric uranium discharge. Consequently, the airborne uranium concentration also decreased but
against all odds with a much lower (7-fold) magnitude. Resuspension of formerly accumulated uranium
on soils around the facility is evidenced as a secondary and delayed source. However, the respective
contribution of resuspension activities, either natural (i.e., wind-induced) or anthropogenic (earthmoving, agricultural practices…) can significantly impact the ambient airborne uranium concentrations.
Very sensitive ICP-MS measurements show slightly exceeding levels above the regional background in
the nearest city of Narbonne but to a very low extent and similar to what was observed with marine air
mass intrusions. Thanks to filter weighing, mass activity concentrations were clearly enhanced during
operational periods as compared with shutdown periods. This highlights the benefit of using the mass
activity concentration as a clear signature of the industrial source and independently of the atmosphericaerosol burden.

Figure 1: Uranium source
apportionment around auranium conversion plant:
geogenic, soil resuspension,and stack discharge.
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Impact of extreme Saharan dust intrusion on radioactive
aerosols in southeast Spain
F. Piñero-García, P. Santos Cárdenas, M.A. Ferro-García
Radiochemistry and Environmental Radiology Laboratory, Inorganic
Chemical Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada,
18077, Spain. e-mail: franciscopigar@ugr.es
Keywords: Atmospheric aerosols; PM10; Mineral dust; 210Pb; 7Be; Radiocesium.

From 14 to 16 March 2022 an extreme Saharan Dust Intrusion event (SDIe) occurred,affecting Southwestern Europe, and reaching as far as northern Europe. The episode
was exceptional with records of PM10 concentration (above 1000
µg/m3) registered by Spanish air quality network. The impact of the episode was
maximum in southeast of Spain and in the current study we analyze the influence of
this extraordinary episode on radioactive aerosols collected in Granada (Spain). At
the monitoring station of the University of Granada, atmospheric aerosols wereweekly collected, and radioactivity levels were determined by gas flow proportionalcounter (Gross α and Gross β) and gamma spectrometry (7Be, and 210Pb). The
radioactivity results of the aerosols monitoring during 1st semester of 2022 and SDIe
are summarized below:

Range
Mean ± SD
Extreme SDIe

1st Semester

Be(µBq/kg)

210Pb

Gross α(µBq/kg)

Gross β(µBq/kg)

10 – 200
90 ± 60200 ± 10

190 – 700 560 – 7800
70 – 860
440 ± 150 5100 ± 2200 520 ± 230
400 ± 10 3600 ± 130 400 ± 20

7(µBq/kg)

The largest impact of the extreme SDIe was detected in Gross α, resulting in thehighest levels detected during the first semester of 2022. Comparing the radioactivity
levels during the severe episode with respect to previous week, Gross β and 210Pb
increased while the activity concentration of 7Be aerosols decreased. Additionally,
during the extreme SDIe, 40K (250 ± 60 µBq/m3) and 137Cs (4 ± 1µBq/m3) were also detected. Finally, all the radiotracer analyzed decreased the week
after the SDIe, being the largest fall on 7Be aerosols.

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Unprecedented xenon collection and separation from air onsilver-exchanged zeolites
C. Gueibe1,2, J. Rutten1, J. Camps1,2, D. Moyaux3, W. Schroeyers2, R.
Plenteda4,†, N. Hermanspahn4, D. Minta5, S. Schreurs2
1

Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
Hasselt University (UHasselt), CMK, NuTeC, Diepenbeek, Belgium
3
Institute for RadioElements (IRE), Fleurus, Belgium
4Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Vienna,
Austria
5
Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Department of Process
Engineering and Technology of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Wrocław,
Poland2

Keywords: Xenon, adsorption, separation, silver-exchanged zeolite

Low level measurements of atmospheric radioxenon, such as for the verification of
the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, require complex collection, separationand detection systems. The collection and separation of Xe in this context isparticularly challenging owing to its very low natural abundance in air (i.e. 87 ppb)
and its inertness. For the detection part, the collected Xe gas needs also to be depletedof Rn to minimize interferences on the radioxenon detection. Historically, thecollection and separation of atmospheric radioxenon has been performed with acomplex succession of adsorptive columns using molecular sieves and activatedcarbons.
In this work, we demonstrate the potential of two silver-exchanged zeolites to collectand separate Xe directly from dry air in a single adsorptive column. These two silverexchanged zeolites show unprecedented Xe adsorption capacities in air (> 3
cm³SATP/kg) and Xe selectivities in air (> 1000). They also allow to efficiently
separate Xe from Rn and thermally recover Xe with a high purity. However, themoisture content of the gas stream can have a negative effect on the xenon adsorption
properties in these adsorbents. The results are compared to a typical activated carbon,
used in this context, but also to two metal-organic frameworks with promisingproperties for Xe/Kr separation.
†

Present address: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria

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A methodology to determine 212Pb, 212Bi, 214Pb and 214Bi in
atmospheric aerosols; application to precisely obtain aerosol
residence times and Rn-daughters’ equilibrium factors
A. Barba-Lobo1, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez1, J. Llanes-Gamonoso1, E. CastañoCasco1, E.G. San Miguel1, J.P. Bolívar1
1

Department of Integrated Sciences, Center for Natural Resources, Healthand Environment (RENSMA), University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain. email: alejandro.barba@dci.uhu.es
Keywords: 220Rn – 212Pb – 212Bi, 222Rn – 214Pb – 214Bi, Aerosol residence times,
Equilibrium factors, Gamma-ray spectrometry

Progeny of 222Rn and 220Rn (214Pb and 214Bi, and 212Pb and 212Bi, respectively) arevery useful to estimate atmospheric aerosol residence times and Rn equilibrium
factors. However, precise measurements of these radionuclides are quite complex
due to their very short half-lives (~ 20 min – 10 h). Therefore, this study aims todevelop a new and precise methodology to measure these radionuclides. Radon- 222
and 220Rn were measured using an atmospheric radon monitoring (ARMON) system,
while their respective progenies were collected in a filter and measured by gammaray spectrometry using an extended range (XtRa) high purity germanium (HPGe)
detector. The filters employed for the samplings and for the efficiency calibration
was of propylene type (44 x 44 cm2), using a very high-volume air sampler, modelASS-500 (air flow ~ 500-600 m3 h-1). For the XtRa efficiency calibration, RGU-1(238U-series) and RGTh-1 (232Th-series) standards, provided by the International
Atomic Energy Agency, were mixed and uniformly spread onto calibration filters,
covering the same region as that in sample collection. Time- series aerosol samplings
were carried out at “El Carmen” Campus at the University of Huelva (SW Spain),achieving precisions for the 222Rn and 220Rn progeny concentrations 10%, residence
times about 1-3 hours, and equilibrium factors statistically compatible with1,

which is consistent with other works. In addition, a total critical time (time elapsed
between sampling start and counting end) was found to be about 2-2.5 hours for the
precise determination of the 212Bi and 214Bi.

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17 PARALLEL SESSION 6B
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry II

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Isobar analysis in the actinide range for the characterizationof a prospective Np spike material
A. Wiederin1, K. Hain1, M. Martschini1, A. Sakaguchi1, P. Steier1, A.
Yokoyama4, R. Golser3
1

University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics - Isotope Physics, Austria
University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School in Physics, Austria
3
University of Tsukuba, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, Japan
4
Kanazawa University, Institute of Science and Engineering, Japan
2

Keywords: Isobar separation, AMS, Actinides, Neptunium, Uranium, Plutonium,
237

Np (T1/2 = 2.1 Ma) is the second most abundant anthropogenic actinide in theenvironment. However, the lack of an isotopic Np spike impedes the normalizationof AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) results. We consider 236Np the mostsuitable candidate to serve this purpose. Such a spike material is currently underdevelopment, but the expected co-production of 236U and 236Pu necessitates anelaborate separation of U and Pu from Np by chemical means. A combination of
three approaches can now be used to characterize a prospective Np spike. In the firststep, the ratio of 236X/237Np of the prospective spike materials is determined in an
AMS measurement on the actinide beamline at VERA (Vienna Environmental
Research Accelerator). The isobaric analysis of mass 236 is primarily based on theelement-specific formation ratio of AnF4 –/AnF5– of the three actinides An in questionin the AMS ion source. This separate measurement uses targets mixed with PbF2. An
isobaric interference could be identified by a deviation from the calibrated AnF4 –/AnF5– formation ratio for the expected actinide.
To complement this isobar analysis for the spike characterization, the novel ILIAMS(Ion-Laser InterAction Mass Spectrometry) method for isobar separation has been
applied to the actinide range for the first time. Our results indicate that ILIAMS
provides an independent way to analyze the 236Pu content of the prospective spikematerial and may expand the list of actinides accessible to AMS measurements inthe coming years. The first steps towards measuring 238Pu in AMS by suppressing
the primordial isobar 238U by up to 8 orders of magnitude will be presented, as wellas the detailed procedure of the Np spike characterization.

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Technetium-99: what is your environmental abundance?
Stephanie Adler1, Karin Hain1, Fadime Gülce1, Martin Martschini1, Stefan
Pavetich2, Stephen G. Tims2, L. Keith Fifield2, and Robin Golser1
1

University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Vienna, Austria
Australian National University, Department of Nuclear Physics andAccelerator Applications, Canberra, Australia
2

Keywords: Technetium, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Isobar Suppression

Concentrations of the anthropogenic radionuclide 99Tc (t1/2 = 2.1 ·105 yr) are rather
well studied in the Irish Sea, where the Sellafield reprocessing plant is responsible
for high concentrations of 0.1-10 mBq/ml. However, there is little data on the global
distribution, or on the physico-chemical behavior of 99Tc in the environment.
Determination of the 99Tc concentration in samples further away from contamination
sources requires a detection method with extraordinary sensitivity of better than 1µBq/sample. In mass spectrometric detection methods for 99Tc, the stable isobar
Ru, and all molecules with a mass of 99 amu, have to be suppressed. Accelerator

99

Mass Spectrometry (AMS) of 99Tc is currently only possible at AMS-facilities
equipped with large accelerators that can reach >10 MV terminal voltage. The
Australian National University (ANU), uses a 14 MV tandem accelerator, so that theions are accelerated to ~190 MeV, suppressing all molecular interferences for theselected 99Tc13+ by foil-stripping.

Ru and 99Tc are separated in an 8-anode99

ionization chamber exploiting minute differences in their energy loss characteristics,
observable only at these high ion energies. The AMS technique requires
normalization to an abundant isotope of the same element, which is not possible forTc. Extracting TcO− and NbO– from the sputter matrix and normalizing the 99Tc
counts to a 93Nb12+-current showed a precision of 10%. Using this approach, a 99Tc
dilution series of 1 mBq – 1 µBq /sample was analyzed, achieving a correlation
coefficient R2= 0.993 and a blank level of 0.2 µBq /sample. Recently, this method
was applied for the first time to analyze a comprehensive set of samples fromdifferent environmental reservoirs, including 1 g peat bog samples and 10 L water
samples from the Pacific Ocean and European rivers.

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Exploring the limits of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry innuclear waste characterisation
D. Sánchez-Jiménez1, E. Chamizo 1, José María López-Gutiérrez1,2, J. I.
Peruchena1
1
2

Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Sevilla, Spain
Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, E.P.S, Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)

Keywords : 36Cl, 41Ca, actinides, nuclear waste, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.

At the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Sevilla), research efforts are being
devoted to explore the limits of the 1 MV Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)
system to analyse several long-lived radioisotopes present in nuclear waste that area challenge for the technique due to its compact design: 41Ca (T1/2=9.94×104 y) andCl (T1/2=3.01×105 y). The low energies prevent the suppression of the isobaric

36

interferences (i.e. 41K (41Ca) and 36S (36Cl)) based on their different nuclear stopping
power. Thus, our approach is focused on the removal of K (41K) or S (36S) throughoptimized radiochemical methods, and on the 41K or 36S indirect evaluation during
the AMS analysis using other stable K and S isotopes with well-known isotopic
abundances.
At this work, we will present the status of the AMS analysis and radiochemistry
technique of 36Cl, 41Ca. First results point to background atomic ratios of 10-11 for
Ca/40Ca, and of 10-9 for 36Cl/Cl. In addition, the first results on real samples of41

different nuclear waste matrices are presented: dry sludge and ion exchange resins,
as well as the results of a comparison exercise between the ETH-Zürich AMS facility
and the CNA to evaluate the accuracy of our method for estimating 36S during 36Cl
measurement.
Another field of study is the analysis of actinides radionuclides such as 236U,
239,240,241

Pu and 237Np. The focus is put here on the implementation of simplified

radiochemical methods allowing the analysis of all the species from the same cathodeusing one single UTEVA® extraction chromatography resin.

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Measurement of the 239Pu, 240Pu and 236U in sedimentsfrom the Black Sea using the 1 MV AMS system at CNA
A. J. López-Fuentes1,2, E. Chamizo2, J. Mantero1, T.B Sava3, M. Ilie3, G.
Ion4
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina
Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain. e-mail: alopez14@us.es
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering,
Bucharest, Romania
4
National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-Ecology (GeoEcoMar),
Bucharest, Romania
Keywords: AMS, Isotopic Ratio, Sediments, Uranium, Plutonium, Black Sea

In this work novel results on anthropogenic 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu and 236U in sedimentcores collected at the northwestern Black Sea are presented. The samples wereanalysed on the 1 MV AMS system at CNA, with a demonstrated capability todetermine ultratrace amounts of actinides radionuclides in environmental samples.
Very scarce literature has been published about anthropogenic actinides
radionuclides in Black Sea sediments. To the best of our knowledge, information on
the Pu isotopic composition (i.e., 240Pu/239Pu) and 236U is lacking, which areessential radionuclides to elucidate the influence of the Chernobyl accident in theregion. The sediment cores have been dated using the 210Pb method in acomplementary work also presented in this conference, thus allowing the temporal
reconstruction of the Pu and 236U fingerprint in the area. This results arecomplemented with information on 137Cs, also obtained by gamma spectrometry.
The cores, sampled between 250 and 1000 m depth and with a length of 10 cm, were
provided by the National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering Horia
Hulubei.
Preliminary results point out to the existence of additional sources other than
Chernobyl accident, with 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios below the expected ones for Global
Fallout.

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Marine radioactivity investigations around a dumping area
outside Gothenburg by Acceleratory Mass Spectrometry
M. López-Lora1, E. Chamizo2, M. Karlsson1, V. Lérida2, J. M. LópezGutiérrez2,3, J. Scholten4, M. Eriksson1
1

Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping
University, Linköping, Sweden
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de
Sevilla, Virgen de África 7, Sevilla, Spain
4
Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Keywords: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, actinides, marine samples, Baltic Sea

In 1964, contaminated radioactive waste was dumped in a shallow area outside
Gothenburg. The documentation about this event is limited to a few reports found at
the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, and no information about either the activity
content or the specific composition of the waste is available. The radiological statusof the dumped material is not known and potential leakage of radioactivity to the
local marine environment has not been studied earlier. In this context, theradioecology group at Linköping University (LiU, Sweden), in collaboration with
the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Sevilla, Spain) has performed a pilot
study aimed at the evaluation of the possible impact in this area caused by those seadumped radioactive materials. The aim of this work is the study of 129I and actinides(233U, 236U, 237Np, 239Pu, 240Pu) from a series of samples of diverse matrices (seawater,
seaweed, mussels and oysters) collected from the local marine environment ofGothenburg. Those analysis have been performed by using the 1M Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry (AMS) system hosted at the CNA. Regarding actinides, seawater
samples were processed by using a chemical procedure for the sequential extractionof U, Np and Pu [1]. Moreover, different tests have been performed to expand thismethod to other matrixes. The first results from this work do not reveal significant
evidence of leakages of radioactivity from the dumped radioactive materials in thearea.
[1] M. López-Lora, I. Levy, E. Chamizo,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2019.03.036.

132

Talanta.

200(2019)

22–30.

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

A dynamic and automated dilution setup for a quantitative characterization ofactivated graphite material
Martina Gwozdz1, Raphael Margreiter2, Klaus Eberhardt3, Stefan Heinze1, Markus Schiffer1,
Alexander Stolz1, Matthias Dewald4, Erik Strub2, Alfred Dewald1, Dennis Mücher1
1

University of Cologne, Institute for Nuclear Physics, Zuelpicher Str. 77, Cologne, 50937, Germany
University of Cologne, Division of Nuclear Chemistry, Zuelpicher Str. 45, Cologne, 50937, Germany
3
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Institute for Nuclear Chemistry, Fritz-Strassmann-Weg 2, Mainz, 55128,
Germany
4Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Cologne, Germany
2

Keywords: 14C, AMS, Gas Injection System, Nuclear Waste Management
Disposing of activated graphite from graphite moderated reactors requires a quantitative characterization of
its radioactive isotope 14C. At the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the University of Cologne we have developed
an automated system that oxidizes and dilutes solid, activated samples, and then allows measurement of theresulting gaseous CO2 using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). This system provides a high sample
throughput while reducing the risk of contamination of the AMS components, which are also used for lowlevel 14C measurements.
Our setup includes a new gas-interface (GIS) setup developed at Cologne AMS, which captures the oxidized
CO2 with a zeolite trap and transfers the sample to the AMS ion source. Mixing with non- activated CO2 gas
can be done in either the syringe or mixing volume, allowing for flexible dilution.
Compared to the established Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) method, our system offers the advantageof omitting elaborate chemical sample preparation, and the AMS technique can be used down to 3·10E-9
Bq/g, which is more sensitive than the LSC method at 2·10E-4 Bq/g [1]. Additionally, dilution with gas offersa more reliable process for lowering the activity than dilution with solid blank material.
In this talk we present the successful measurement of activated graphite irradiated at the TRIGA II reactor in
Mainz by comparing material diluted with solid blank material to that diluted inside the GIS. Our system
offers a dynamic and automated dilution setup for quantitative characterization of reactor graphite samples.
Supported by BMBF under contract number 15S9410B.
[1] Hampe, D., Gleisberg, B., Akhmadaliev, S., Rugel, G., Merchel, S.: Determination of 41Ca with LSC
and AMS: method development, modifications and applications. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear
Chemistry, Bd. 296, Nr. 2, S. 617–624, DOI 10.1007/s10967-012-2145-8, 2013

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18 PARALLEL SESSION 7A
Marine Environment

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Chemical implication of partition coefficient of 137Cs between
aqueous and suspended and phases in natural water
K. Hirose1, Y. Onda2, H. Tsukada3, Y. Hirayama4, Y. Okada5, Y. Kikawada4
1

Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Japan. email: hirose45037@mail2.accsnet.ne.jp
2
Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, Universityof Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. 3Institute of Environmental Radioactivity,
Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan. 4Department of Materials and Life
Sciences, Sophia University, Japan. 5Atomic Energy Laboratory, Tokyo City
University, Kawasaki, Japan
Keywords: Partition coefficients, irrigation water, 137Cs, sediment, chemical model

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, terrestrial environmenthas been seriously contaminated by radiocesium. As a result, higher radiocesium
levels in river/lake water have continued in the Fukushima area, although they exhibit
gradual decline trends. To have better understanding of movement of radio- cesiumin terrestrial environments, partition coefficient of 137Cs between solid (suspended
matter, sediments) and aqueous phases, Kd, has been introduced.
Although Kd is a tool to have better understanding of dynamic behavior of 137Cs innatural water system, the Kd values in river waters, ranged from 2×104 to 7×106 L
kg-1, showed larger spatiotemporal variability. In this study, furthermore, very low
Kd (20 L kg-1) of 137Cs was determined between Yugama crater water and sediment,
Kusatsu-Shirane Volcano. It is important to elucidate factors controlling the partition coefficient of 137Cs in natural water system. Previous study revealed that thelogarithmic Kd of 137Cs in river negatively correlated with logarithmic electroconductivity and logarithmic suspended sediment (SS) concentrations, respectively.
We, here, introduce a chemical model to explain variability of Kd of 137Cs in natural
water system. The chemical model contains complexation of stable cesium (133Cs)
with mineral and organic binding sites in SS, metal exchange reactions, and presence of colloidal species. The chemical model reveals that plots of the logarithmic
Kd values versus logarithmic concentrations of 133Cs+ are within a band of a slope of-1, which means that Cs is strongly associated with binding site in SS and a major
chemical interaction between 137Cs and binding site in SS is isotope exchange
reaction between 133Cs and 137Cs rather than metal exchange reactions with othermetal ions. The effect of the SS concentrations to Kd, may be explained by presenceof colloidal 137Cs, passing through filter, which is a potential dissolved species of
137Cs in river water. The result suggests that better understanding of geochemical
behaviors of stable Cs in natural water is important to know movement of 137Cs innatural water systems.
.

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The distribution characteristics of Pu mass ratio in the marine environment
around the Korean Peninsula
S.H. Lee1, M. J. Lee1. Y. H. Jung1, M. S. Choi2. I. H. Choi3

1Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Rep of Korea. e-mail: s.lee@k riss.re.k r
2

Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, Rep of Korea.
Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Rep of Korea.

3

Keywor ds: Pu mass ratio, Korea, Seawater, Sediment

The 240Pu/239Pu mass ratio has been used as a tool for understanding the biogeochemical
characteristics of the marine environment, as well as the behavior of ocean currents and particle
reactive elements, due to its variation in distribution and concentration based on various factors suchas the source and inflow routes, and ocean currents. While various studies have been conducted on
the distribution characteristics of 240Pu/239Pu in the northwest Pacific and the East China Sea, only
a few studies have been conducted on the distribution of 240Pu/239Pu in the seas surrounding the
Korean Peninsula, and as a result, it is not yet well known.
In this study, we measured the masses of 240Pu and 239Pu in seawater, sediment, and seafood in theseas in Korea and based on the reported results, we aimed to determine the distribution characteristicsof Pu isotopes in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and East Sea (the Sea of Japan).
In the Yellow Sea, the Pu isotopes originating from global fallout was dominant, whereas the impactof Pu isotopes from nuclear bomb tests conducted near the Pacific Proving Grounds was weak. On theother hand, in the East China Sea and the East Sea, the Pu isotopes from nuclear bomb tests conductednear the Pacific Proving Grounds was found to be significant source as they are being introduced
through the Kuroshio Current.
Additionally, we will be reported on the characteristics of Pu mass ratio in seafood collected fromthe seas surrounding the Korean Peninsula, .

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The effects of climate change on sources of radionuclides to and within the marine
environment.

J.P. Gwynn1, V. Hatje2, N. Casacurberta3, M. Sarin4, I. Osvath5

Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, The Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway.
Centro Interdisciplinar de Energia e Ambiente (CIEnAM) & Inst. de Química, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
3
Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, and Laboratory of Ion Beam
Physics, ETH Zürich.
4
Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India.
5
International Atomic Energy Agency, Marine Environment Laboratories, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
1
2

Keywords: Climate change, sources, human activities, man-made radionuclides, naturally occurring radionuclides
The effects of climate change (CC) on contaminants and their potential consequences to the marine environment are
increasingly important, as they pose overlapping risks. The Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine
Environmental Protection - Working Group 45 (GESAMP WG45) has been tasked to understand better the interactionsof observed and predicted CC impacts and contaminants in the marine environment. Climate impacts on the land,cryosphere, and oceans will ultimately have consequences for the sources, fate, behaviour, uptake and toxic effects ofcontaminants for marine ecosystems and humans. Climate impacts, such as changes in ocean warming, ocean
deoxygenation and circulation, sea-level rise, precipitation and run-off, intensification of extreme events, and ocean
acidification impacts, will interact with contaminants in a complex manner that is currently poorly understood.
The radionuclide sub-group of GESAMP WG45 has focussed its initial efforts on the implications of relevant climatechange impacts on existing sources of radionuclides to and within the marine environment from past and present, planned
and accidental human activities and on further potential sources of radionuclides to the marine environment. Increased
awareness of the scope of climate change impacts on the range of existing and potential sources of radionuclides is essential
for national authorities, commercial and environmental stakeholders and the wider public alike to better understand futurerisks to changes of current levels of radionuclides in the marine environment. In addition, through such understanding theneed for mitigation or adaptation can be identified and addressed where and as appropriate.

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Monitoring of radioactivity along the French Mediterranean coast
C. Antonelli1, C. Duffa1, S. Charmasson1
Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Bât 153, B.P.3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance cedex 7, France. email: christelle.antonelli@irsn.fr ; celine.duffa@irsn.fr ; sabine.charmasson@irsn.fr
1

Keywords: Monitoring, marine environment, man-made and natural radionuclides

Since the beginning of the 90’s, IRSN realised sampling of bioindicators (mullet fishes and mussels) along
the French Mediterranean coastline in order to (1) establish reference levels and (2) highlight the possible
influence of nuclear installation/activities on the marine environment. Gamma analyses, conducted since thebeginning, are now completed by measurements of 3H(OBT), 14C, 241Am, 238Pu, 239+240Pu and allow to obtaina new overview of the radiological influence of human activities on this environment. Additional
measurements of 210Po in fishes and mussels also used to best estimated the dose by ingestion for seafood
consumers.
Historical and spatial analyses are presented, and the influence of the different nuclear site/activities isinvestigated.

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Transport and accumulation of artificial radionuclides in amarine core from the Celtic Sea
Abascal-Ruiz, Unai1,2, Lérida-Toro, Victoria2, López-Gutiérrez, José
María2,3, Periañez, Raul.4, Hurtado , Santiago1. Hicks, Natalie5, Klar
Jessica6, Abril, José María4, Villa- Alfageme, María3
1

Dpto. Física Aplicada II, ETSIE. Universidad de Seville, Spain
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Dpto. Física Aplicada I, EPS, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
4
Dpto. Física Aplicada I, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
5
School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, UK
6
Université de Perpignan UPVD – CEFREM, France
2

Keywords: 236U, 129I, Sediments, Sellafield

The Celtic Sea is affected by the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (NFRP).
Sellafield NFRP worked from 1952 to 2021 releasing liquids from spent fuelreprocessing and purge waters from fuel storage ponds. The discharges wastes
contain a large range of radionuclides (e.g. isotopes of I, Cs, U, Np, Pu) which spreadalong the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and could be used as different
environmental processes tracers. Sediments act as sink of some of thoseradionuclides and could be used to estimate the NFRP discharges.
In this work 129I, 137Cs, 236U, 237Np, Pu isotopes and 241Am deep profiles of two
sediment cores from the Celtic Sea are presented. Both cores (Core-A and Core-I)
were collected in 2015 March in the new RRS Discovery in the DY030 sampling
campaign ( Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry, UK).
The results show the influence of Sellafield NFRP, principally in 129I and 236U
concentrations and inventories, 2.03·1015 at·m-2 and 4.09·1012 at·m-2 respectively forCore-A and 5.20·1014 at·m-2 and 5.96·1011 at·m-2 for Core-I. Those values are
considerably higher than the reported for soils from the Northern Hemisphereindicating the high influence of Sellafield NFRP discharges. The obtained results
suggest that the 236U behaves less conservative than is reported in the literature, on
top of that, the 236U trapped in sediments might act, in oxic conditions, as a secondary
source of this radionuclide by redissolution from the sediments to the water column.

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19 PARALLEL SESSION 7B
Radioanalytics I

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Fast radiochemistry for the measurement of airborne
radioactivity in emergency situations
Daniel Zapata-García
Environmental Radioactivity Working Group, Physikalisch-Technische
Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, Germany
Keywords: Emergency preparedness, airborne radioactivity, radiochemical analysis, solid
fusion, extraction chromatography

A key aspect of the radiological protection of the population and the environment is
the fast detection of possible radiological events. For this purpose, diverse
monitoring networks continuously search for any anomalous presence ofradioactivity in the environment. In the event of a nuclear or other radiologically
relevant emergency, also a timely response from the radiological protection
authorities to organise adequate countermeasures is a crucial aspect, which may
affect thousands of people. Decision-making in this context will be based upon thedata provided by these networks, which need to be generated and exchanged as fast
as possible, but also assuring their reliability. To make all these requirements
possible, monitoring networks need improvement focused on the development of fast
response protocols and the harmonisation of measurement results.
In the event of a nuclear or radiological incident, the direct measurement of theradioactivity on-site is the preferred option. However, there are possible scenarios
where alpha and beta-particle emitting isotopes might be the predominant dispersed
agent and, therefore, more complex determinations including radiochemical
separation of these radionuclides would be necessary.
The present work deals with the development of a fast analytical method for themeasurement of alpha- and beta-particle-emitting radionuclides in aerosol samples.
Using solid fusion for the treatment of samples followed by a radiochemical tandem
scheme based on extraction chromatography for the simultaneous separation of up
to four radionuclides, the presentation will highlight the most significant results andpoint out the problems arisen along the process.

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Monitoring heavy metal pollution by using sediment collector along a rivercatchment: Ker-Ya River in north western Taiwan
H.-C. Li1
1

Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. e-mail: hcli1960@ntu.edu.tw

Keywords: Heavy metal pollution, sediment collector, Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, Ker-Ya RiverWe designed a sediment collector to collect sediments in river water for monitoring heavy metal pollution in
the catchment of Ker-Ya River which contains industrial manufactories and Hsinchu Science-based Industrial
Park (HSIP). The sediments were collected about every two weeks from July 2021 to January 2022 in twosites: one is at the waste water outlet from Hsinchu Science Park (Site 3), and the other one is close to theriver mouth of Ker-Ya River into the ocean (Site 1). Elements dissolved by 0.5N HCl (acid- leach, AL) andby Aqua Regia (Concentrated HNO3 : HCl = 1:3, AR) at 95 oC on a hot plat from the 24 sediment samples
were analyzed by using an ICP-OES, respectively. According to the regulation of Environmental Protection
Administration of Taiwan (EPAT), the upper (must evaluate risk) and lower limits Cu, Zn and Ni in thesediments are 157 and 50 (mg/Kg), 384 and 140 (mg/Kg), 80 and 24 (mg/Kg), respectively(https://sed.epa.gov.tw/Sediments_Public/discoverC_quality). Our results show that (1) Cu and Znconcentrations in all samples from Site 3 are greater than the upper limits whereas their concentrations in Site
1 are lower than the upper limits except for the sample collected during 20210920~1006 when a typhoon
appeared, reflecting pollution resource from the Hsinchu Science Park. (2) The AL/AR (%) of Zn and Cu are
100% respectively in Site 3, whereas the AL/AR (%) of Zn and Cu in Site 1 are 75% and 88%, respectively,
indicating Zn and Cu from the industrial source are much more active. (3) The major elemental contents fromthe two sites are quite different: Ca>Al>Fe>Na>Mg>K in both AR and AL phases at Site 3, whereas
Fe>Al>Na>Ca>Mg>K in AR phase at Site 1. The high Zn, Cu, Ni and Ga concentrations in Site 3 correspondto high Ca, Na and Sr contents, probably indicating the waste water was treated by large amount of salts fordecomposing the pollutants. (4) Heavy metal elements can be effectively captured by suspended sediments
in river water, which is the base for monitoring pollution event. With our sediment collector, one cancontinuously collect samples under all weather conditions.

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20 PARALLEL SESSION 8A
Marine sediments

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On the use of time-markers in 210Pb sediment dating model validation
M. Eriksson1, P. Törnquist1, G. Olszewski1,2, Marie Karlsson1, Håkan B.L. Pettersson1,3
1

Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Division of Radiological Sciences, 581 83
Linköping, Sweden
2
Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Laboratory of Toxicology and Radiation Protection,
Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
3
Department of Radiation Physics, and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, 58183
Linköping, Sweden
Keywords: 210Pb dating models, assumptions, limitations, uncertainties, time-markers

Radiometric dating is widely used, and several models have been applied, especially in sediment studies.
Unfortunately, model limitations, assumptions and uncertainties are seldom shown and discussed inpublished reports, which may lead to biased conclusions of the presented results. Limitations and assumptions
that can results in bias in age and sedimentation rate calculations are e.g., that settled sediment particles are
not changed after settling on the seafloor (mass conservation), radionuclides are immobile and daughter
products in the decay chain will remain in secular equilibrium (226Ra + daughters). One challenge is also toacquire undisturbed sediment cores that are not affected by sample handling. Tilted sediment corer during
sampling, vessel movement/shaking on the sea are both sources of mixing introduced in the core. On theanalytical side, challenges to measure and acquire traceable, precise, and accurate results can also result in abias of the outcome model results. The supported activity seriously influences the dating model results. Once
challenge is to determine the supported activity as it must be based on some assumptions on the relationshipbetween 226Ra and its granddaughter 210Pb. It is vital to validate the dating results, and the use of time-markers
is a powerful way doing this work. The presentation will discuss 210Pb dating models in general, theassumptions, limitations and uncertainties, but with focus on the validation and tuning of the model using
time-markers.

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Radioactivity in the Irish coastal environment
A. Collison1,2, C. Keary1, L. Morrison3, O. Hanley2, J. Haberlin1, A. Kinahan2, N. Murphy2, J.
Murphy1, L. Currivan2, L. León Vintró4
1

2

3
4

School of Science and Computing, South East Technological University, Waterford, Ireland. Email:
A.Collison@epa.ie
Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Protection Agency, Clonskeagh
Square, Dublin 14, Ireland.
Earth and Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
School of Physics, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Keywords: Natural Radioactivity, Sellafield, Irish Sea, Oysters, Seaweed, SedimentRadionuclide discharges to the Irish Sea from the Sellafield reprocessing complex in Cumbria (UK) since
the early 1950s have led to the widespread contamination of North Western European Continental Shelfwaters by a wide range of artificial radionuclides. Concerns about the potential radiological significance of
these discharges to the Irish population prompted a number of studies to be carried out from the early1980s, and to the establishment of regular monitoring programmes. As a result, a considerable body of data
has been gathered on the geographical distribution and temporal evolution of artificial radionuclide levelsin the Irish coastal environment, and on their accumulation and uptake in different environmental
compartments. In contrast, comparatively few data exist on the distribution and behaviour of naturalradionuclides, perhaps reflecting the fact that, for many decades, the impact of radionuclide discharges from
Sellafield remained the main issue of public concern. However, natural radioactivity and, in particular,
practices involving naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), have become of renewed regulatoryinterest in recent years.
In this study, we report the results of a survey carried out by our laboratories during July-September 2021.
The aim of the survey was to provide a status update on artificial radioactivity levels in the Irish coastal
environment by revisiting some the sites from previous surveys carried out in the 1980s and 1990s, and toextend the analysis to include a range of natural radionuclides with a view to establishing a baseline withwhich to assess future concentrations and the potential impact of NORM activities. Samples of coastal
sediment and seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) were collected from 19 sites around the Irish coastline, andoysters (Crassostrea gigas) were sourced from seven commercial farms located along the east and west
coasts of Ireland. The samples were analysed using gamma spectrometry for the determination of naturaland artificial radionuclides (40K, 210Pb, 137Cs, 226Ra, 228Ra, 238U and 241Am). Additionally, the 210Po content
in the oyster samples was assayed by alpha spectrometry following radiochemical separation. The
geographical distribution of artificial radionuclides was found to be similar to that in previous surveys, withthe highest concentrations occurring along the North Eastern coast, reflecting the circulation pattern ofwaters in the Irish Sea. However, in line with the significant reduction of radionuclide discharges from
Sellafield since the mid-1970s, 137Cs levels are shown to have diminished by two orders of magnitude sincethe 1980s. Although artificial radionuclides remain present in all environmental compartments for samples
located along the North Eastern Irish coast, measured concentrations are much lower than those for thenatural radionuclides, which dominate the total activity of the samples and show no clear geographicalpattern. For oysters, the highest measured 137Cs concentration, at 0.04 ± 0.02 Bq kg–1 (fresh wt.), is threeorders of magnitude lower than the measured mean for 210Po and 40K, and one order of magnitude lower
than the measured mean for 210Pb, 226Ra and 238U.

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Tracing sediment dynamics in El Confital bay (Spain):natural radionuclides distribution and their relationships
with sediment characteristics
A. C. Arriola-Velásquez1, A. Tejera1, I. Alonso2, F. Cámara3, M.
Cantaluppi3, H. Alonso1, N. Miquel-Armengol1, J.G. Rubiano1, P. Martel1
1

Department of Physics, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios
Ambientales y Recursos Naturales i-UNAT, Universidad de Las Palmas deGran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ,Spain. e-mail: ana.arriola101@alu.ulpgc.es
2
Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Universidad de Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria, Spain
3
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano, via
Sandro Botticelli 23, 20133 Milano, Italy
Keywords: Natural radionuclides, Tracers, Coastal sediments, Sediment dynamics

In this study, the spatial distribution of different natural radionuclides was compared
for two periods of time in El Confital Bay (Spain). For this, the activity concentration
values of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K were determined by gamma spectrometry for 37
submarine samples collected in 2005/2006 and 39 samples that were gathered in
2022. This comparison showed that 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K trace the sediment erosion,transport and accumulation that can be found in diverse parts of the bay.
Additionally, the spatial distribution of unsupported 210Pb (210Pbex) was analysed forthe 2022 samples. This showed that 210Pbex is a useful tracer of areas of the bay that
present lower erosion of the seabed and thus, where accumulation by sedimentation
is favoured. Besides this, an assessment of the influences of the grain size andmineral composition of the samples in their activity concentration values of 226Ra,
Ra and 40K and 210Pbex was also carried out. The result showed that the variations

228

in activity concentration values of these radionuclides in the different samples are
more related to their mineral composition than to their grain size.

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Plutonium isotopes dating for the recent sediments in shallow
lakes in Eastern China
Y. H. Xu1, H. P.Yu1, J. X. Zhao1, C. Li1, X. L. Hou2
1
The Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in
the Yangtze Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui
Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China. e-mail: yhxu@ahnu.edu.cn
2
Department of Environmental Engineering, DTU Risø Campus, Technical
University of Denmark, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
Keywords: Plutonium isotopes, 137Cs, sediment dating, shallow lakes,

Plutonium isotopes have been regarded as a promising substitute of 137Cs fordating modern sedimentation process because of the increasingly sensitive, effective
and ecnomic plutonium isotopes measurement technologies. In this study, sedimentcores were collected in several typical shallow lakes in the middle and lower reachesof the Yangtze River in Eastern China, and analyzed for 239Pu, 240Pu, 137Cs and 210Pb.
Sources and vertical distribution patterns of plutonium isotopes in sediments ofdifferent lakes were investigated and compared with 137Cs. Factors influencing the
distribution of radionuclides in the shallow lakes were discussed. According to thetime markers of Pu isotopes in the sediment profiles, sedimentation rates were
estimated for the lakes and the results were compared with those obtained from both
the dating methods using 137Cs and 210Pbex. The comaprsion results indicated that
plutonium isotopes dating method is a very sensitive and effiective geological tool
for studing modern sedimentation process in shallow lakes. The total Pu inventories
in different lakes were calculated and compared, as to deduce the response of themodern sedimentation process of the lakes to the regional environmental changes
and human activities.

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Sources of organic carbon in sediments from Kongsfjorden, Arctic
XU Ren 1, Jinzhou Du 1, Jinlong Wang1, Tao Yu 2,
1

1State key laboratory of estuarine and coastal Research, East China Normal University,Shanghai, 200241, China
Laboratory of Marine Isotopic Technology and Environmental Risk Assessment, Third Institute of Oceanography,
Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen, 361005, China

2

Keywords: δ13C, δ15N, C/N, 14C, TOC Source, Arctic

Since industrialization, the burning of fossil fuels and the clearing of land have increased the concentration ofcarbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 40 %. The role of the global carbon cycle and the impact of human activities
on it are not only the focus of the scientific community, but also become the main basis for governments to formulate
climate change mitigation policies. Global burial of carbon (especially organic carbon) in sediments has recently
generated a great deal of interest in fjords, especially those in high latitudes, due to their high vulnerability to
climate change and the significant carbon burial that exists there. In this research, the 210Pb and 137Cs dating
methods were used to calculate the chronology of column samples collected in the Kongsfjorden, Arctic in 2017,
and the organic carbon sources of sediments including surface sediments in this area were studied by means ofδ13C, δ15N, C/N, 14C and magnetism. By quantifying δ13C, δ15N, C/N, 14C and magnetic data, the results show thatwith the increase of offshore distance, the organic carbon source in surface sediments gradually changes fromterrestrial to Marine sources, and there are three obvious sources of organic carbon in the sediments in this fjord,
namely, glaciated permafrost source, fossil fuel source and marine source. Based on this, a three-end-member mixed
model was established to study the organic carbon in the sedimentary columns in this area. The results show thatafter global warming, the source of organic carbon in the sedimentary columns in this area is obviously transformed,
which may be caused by the glacier dissolves and brings a lot of organic matter.

148

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Plutonium isotopes as tracers of sediment transport processes
in the southern Gulf of Mexico
Corcho-Alvarado1, M. Díaz-Asencio2,3, S. Röllin1, J.C. Herguera2, O. Díaz
García4
1

Nuclear Chemistry Division, Spiez Laboratory, Federal Office for Civil
Protection, CH‑3700 Spiez, Switzerland
2
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada(CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California, México
3
Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (ENES), UNAM Mérida, México
4
The Water Institute, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Keywords: 240Pu/239Pu ratio, deep-sea sediments, Nevada test site fallout, global fallout

We present a study on the source and distribution of plutonium (Pu) in deep
sediments (depth: 257 to 3739 m) of the southern Gulf of Mexico. Sediment cores
collected from the continental shelf and upper slope region showed 240Pu/239Pu ratios
of 0.15 to 0.26, and 239+240Pu-inventories ranging from 14.7 to 33.0 Bq m−2, which
are consistent with those expected for global fallout Pu for this tropical region [1].
In contrast, sediment cores collected from the lower slope region and abyssal plain
showed low 240Pu/239Pu ratios of 0.07 to 0.13 and much lower 239+240Pu inventories
below 6.8 Bq m−2. Low 240Pu/239Pu ratios indicate that fallout from the Nevada testingsite (USA, 240Pu/239Pu ~ 0.035) was an important source of Pu in deep-sea sediments[2-5], and that this Pu was likely more efficiently scavenged from the water column
than Pu from global fallout [2-5]. We estimate that up to 44% of the total inventoryof 239+240Pu in deep-sea sediments is due to the Nevada source. Analysis of Pu
isotopes in two sediment traps from the upper slope regions shows 240Pu/239Pu ratios
comparable to those observed in global fallout. These results indicate that global
fallout Pu is currently the main source of Pu in sinking particles in the water column.
Therefore, a significant fraction of global fallout Pu must still be present, either in a
dissolved phase, or as biologically recycled material in the water column, or
scavenged on the shelf and shelf break. We use an advection-diffusion model tosimulate the Pu profiles in deep-sea

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sediments of the Gulf of Mexico and to obtain bioturbation and sedimentation
parameters. We show that Pu radionuclides in deep-sea sediments are tracers of
bioturbation rather than accumulation processes [5]. Our results open up importantquestions on the application of Pu isotopes to support sediment chronologies.
References[1] KELLEY, J.M. et al., Global distribution of Pu isotopes and 237Np. Sci Total Environ, 1999. 237–
238: 483-500.
[2] BUESSELER, K.O. and E.R. SHOLKOVITZ, The geochemistry of fallout plutonium in the North
Atlantic: II. 240Pu/239Pu ratios and their significance. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1987. 51(10):2623-2637.
[3] SCOTT, M.R. et al., Transport and deposition of plutonium in the ocean: evidence from Gulf of
Mexico sediments. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 1983. 63(2): 202-222.
[4] HICKS, H.G. and D.W. BARR, Nevada test site fallout atom ratios: 240Pu/239Pu and 241Pu/239Pu,
1984: United States. 5.
[5] Corcho-Alvarado et al. (2022). Distribution and source of plutonium in sediments from the southern
Gulf of Mexico. Env Sci Poll Res 29(57): 85766-85776.

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Temporal investigation of radionuclides and metals in Gera Gulf, Lesvos,
GreeceF.K. Pappa1,3, Z. Mulita2, S. Manolaki2, E. Krasakopoulou2, C. Tsabaris3, D. Patiris3
1

Department of Environment, School of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene,
Greece, e-mail: fkpappa@hcmr.gr
2
Department of Marine Sciences, School of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene,
Greece, zonjamulita21@gmail.com, ekras@aegean.gr
3
Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 46.7 km Athens-Sounion,tsabaris@hcmr.gr, dpatiris@hcmr.gr

Keywords: NORM, hydrothermal vent, organic garbon (OC), major elements

The study of semi-enclosed gulfs is of great importance due to the biochemical and radiological load theyreceive. The gulf of Gera is a semi-enclosed water body located in the island of Lesvos characterized bycoastal hydrothermal vents and igneous geological substrate. It is an area connected with the agricultural
watersheds - mainly olive tree groves. The gulf also received tannery waste waters for many years. In thiswork a multidisciplinary study in the gulf of Gera was attempted in a temporal manner. Natural radioactivity,
major elements, grain size analysis and organic carbon analysis were performed. The temporal investigation
was achieved via applying radio-dating methods in the two sediment cores, one located near the coastal
thermal vent and the other in the centre of the gulf. The coastal sediment core was more sandy (98%) andwas characterised by higher sedimentation rates (0.61 cm y-1) compared to the muddy (85- 95%) sedimentcore in the centre of the gulf (0.37 cm y-1). The radioactivity concentrations were higher than the mean values
in Greece, probably due to the igneous geological background. The anthropogenic impact in the gulf was
found to be negligible.

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21 PARALLEL SESSION 8B
Radionuclides in biota152

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Seafood ingestion dose following the Fukushima accident
using probabilistic and deterministic approaches
A. Mori1, M. P. Johansen2, S. Takahara1
1

Nuclear Safety Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4
Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan. e-mail:mori.airi@jaea.go.jp
2
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked bag 2001,
Kirrawee DC, 2232 NSW, Australia.
Keywords: Dose assessment, Probabilistic method, Deterministic method, Ingestion,
Seafood

Radionuclides released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP)
spread into the environment by various pathways, including the marine ecosystemand eventually into some marine organisms that could be consumed as seafood.
Assessing this pathway is important from the perspective of public radiation
protection. The ICRP presents two assessment methods (probabilistic anddeterministic methods) for determining the dose for persons who are exposed toradiation. Which method to use and which specific values to select for each method
depends on the characteristics of the assessment and available data, and it is left tothe interpretation of the assessors.
In this study, internal dose from seafood ingestion was assessed using an extensive
compilation of activity concentrations in seafood that considers 22 radionuclides.
The assessment receptor represents the residents in the Tohoku region which
includes the Fukushima Prefecture. Representative consumption rates were obtained
from a national nutritional survey. From the probabilistic calculation, the 95th
percentile dose from the FDNPP accident-derived radionuclides was 22 µSv fromseafood consumption during the first year after the accident and 1.6 µSv during thesecond and third year. Overall, the ingestion dose for typical seafood consumers of
the Tohoku region returned to near background levels within 3 years. The differencesin results between probabilistic and deterministic methods will be discussed in thepresentation.

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Assessment of radio cesium and natural radionuclides inmosses and study of their distribution in a mountainous
region in Central Portugal using GIS.
Caroline Licour 1,2, Pedro Almeida3
1

NEMP applied research lab, HE2B-ISIB, Brussels, Belgium

2

IRISIB research center, Brussels, Belgium

3

Beira Interior University (DECA), GeoBioTec (UIDB/04035/2020), 6201001 Covilhã, Portugal
Keywords: Portugal, radio cesium, lithogenic isotopes, mosses

Airborne transport is responsible for long-range spreading of pollutants via
atmospheric routes. A fission product such as 137Cs, is a good tracer to study the
distribution of pollutants and its mechanisms through the atmosphere. It has great
ability to be airborne transported on aerosols and its half-life of 30 years allows
assessment in a time scale covering several decades. Moreover, lithogenic
radioisotopes are also good indicators of transfer, especially in a region as Central
Portugal, where the soil is naturally rich in those isotopes and their progeny.
Measurements for these radioisotopes were performed in mosses. Those nonvascularand non-root plants are relevant for the study of atmospheric contamination becauseof their capability to collect nutrients from precipitation or dry deposition. We
collected samples in the Serra da Estrela and Beira Interior region in Portugal (400
to 1500m altitude). 137Cs,7Be, and lithogenic isotopes as 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K are
assessed using gamma spectrometry.
The samples are geolocated using a dual frequency handheld GNSS receiver for
G.I.S. processing of data. The results are mapped to analyze the local distribution of
the radioactivity and evaluate for a possible correlation with proxies such as geology,
U content of the bedrock, but also morphology.
Results suggest that artificial and local radioisotopes are distributed following
different mechanisms.

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Dose rates to reference organisms due to regional radionuclide backgroundlevels in France
S. Reygrobellet1
1
Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEREN/LEREN, BP3, 13115 Saint-Paul-LezDurance, France

Keywords : Radionuclides, background levels, dose rates, biota

The methodology of the radiological risk assessment to the biota follows a graded approach which is
proportionate to the stakes. This methodology is based on the principle of the difference between the exposure
concentration or exposure dose rate and a benchmark. Its nature can change depending on the assessment. At
the second step the absorbed dose rates to reference animals and plants are compared with a limit dose rate
which is evaluated from the ecotoxicity tests results (for example the screening dose rate of ERICA1 tool: 10µGy.h-1). The radiological risk for animals and plants can also be based on a comparison with the usual
exposure level of organisms. This is an anthropogenic background level outside the influence ofradionuclides releases from a given nuclear site.
The IRSN study involves operating the monitoring data which are on RNM2 website in order to define
regional radionuclide background levels. Then, these data on the regional environmental radioactivity areused to quantify the average absorbed dose rates to reference organisms and to know the levels to whichanimals and plants are usually exposed. They also represent a benchmark to interpret the risk assessment’s
results.
Regional background levels in France will be presented. They allow comparison with activity levels added
by nuclear facility discharges into the environment and to evaluate the net contribution from those facilities.
This is of particular significance since the added contribution may be similar or sometimes lower that fromthe background levels for some radionuclides. Then, dose rates to reference animals and plants calculated by
the ERICA tool from regional radionuclide background levels will be presented. The assessor will also know
the dose rate level to which reference organisms are exposed in a specific regional area outside the influenceof radionuclides releases from a given nuclear site.
1

ERICA : Environmental risk from ionising contaminants assessment

2

RNM : https://www.mesure-radioactivite.fr/

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Distribution of anthropogenic radionuclides in King George
Island (South Shetland Archipelago, Antarctic Peninsula)
M. Saniewski 1*, P. Wietrzyk-Pełka 2, M.H. Węgrzyn 2, D. Saniewska 3, P.
Bałazy 4, T. Zalewska 1
1Institute of Meteorology and Water Management - National ResearchInstitute, Waszyngtona 42. 81–342, Gdynia, Poland
2
Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387,
Cracow, Poland
3
Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk, Al. Marszałka
Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378 Gdynia, Poland
4
Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Powstańców
Warszawy 55, 81-412 Sopot. Poland
Keywords: 90Sr, 137Cs, Antarctic, Cryptogamic species, zoobenthos, macrophytobenthos

For many years Antarctic ecosystems have been considered pristine, however recent
studies, including our results, contradict this assumption. Activity of anthropogenic
radioisotopes (137Cs and

90Sr) in the most common species, zoobenthos,

macrophytobenthos, bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants, as well as soil,
sediment, seawater and guano samples collected over a large area on King George
Island (South Shetland Archipelago) in the austral summer 2018/2019 clearly
indicate the importance of large-scale transport in shaping the level of pollution inareas very distant from potential sources of contamination. Additionally,
radioisotope pollution can be measured even after a very long period (>60 years)
since their occurrence. The mean activity of 137Cs measured in lichens, bryophytes,
vascular plants and soil was, respectively: 3.72 Bq kg-1dw, 3.70 Bq kg- 1dw, 2.62 Bq
kg-1dw, 4.07 Bq kg-1dw. The highest activities of 137Cs in lichen and soil werereported in the vicinity of other glaciers, where some lichen species haveactivity of 137Cs from 16.5 Bq kg-1dw to 25.7 Bq kg-1dw and in soil
9.36 Bq kg-1dw. In marine species the lowest average activity of 137Cs were in
Gastropoda (0.52 Bq kg-1dw) and highest in Bryozoa (5.35 Bq kg-1dw) and Porifera(24.2 Bq kg-1dw) and could reflect differences in feeding strategies of these

species.

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This study has been performed within the framework of a National Science Center projects
No. 2017/27/N/ST10/02230 and No. 2019/33/ B/ST10/00290. The work of Paulina
Wietrzyk-Pełka was supported by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP, scholarshipagreement No. START 92.2020).

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Removal of the radioactive micropollutants from environmental water by theactivated carbon from alternative sources
J. Kožar Logar1, Nikola Bošković2, Ivana Coha3, Romana Krištof1,4, Jelena Radonić2, Maja Turk
Sekulić2
Department for Low and Medium Energy Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia,
e-mail: jasmina.logar@ijs.si
2
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja
Obradovića 6, 21102 Novi Sad, Serbia
3
Laboratory for Radioecology, Ruđer Bošović Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
4
Department for Sanitary Engineering, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, 1000
Ljubljana, Slovenia
1

Keywords: fruit kernel, activated carbon, environmental water, adsorption, gross alpha and beta emitters(GAB), Liquid scintillation spectrometry (LSC), high resolution gamma spectrometry

Activated carbon is one of the most common adsorbent involved in water treatment due to its high specificsurface area and high degree of surface reactivity. The alternative activated carbons derived from apricot(Prunus armeniaca), plum (Prunus domestica) and cherry/sour cherry (Prunus avium/Prunus cerasus)
kernels were produced by thermo-chemical activation using phosphorous acid. The materials were alreadytested on wastewater polluted by heavy metals and pharmaceuticals. The study was extended to radioactive
inorganic micropollutants. Environmental water obtained in the vicinity of former uranium mine at Žirovski
Vrh was chosen due to its rather high content of radionuclides. Activities of total radionuclides were firstly
obtained by screening method of gross alpha / beta activity determination for water before and after usage.
Activated carbon from plum showed remarkable results, lowering alpha and beta activity for 95.1% and95.9% respectively at certain treatment conditions. High resolution gamma spectrometry was second
analytical technique for activated carbon and water characterization before and after the treatment. Resultsof both methods were comparable what confirmed the efficiency of the activated carbon produced from fruit
kernels and usefulness of the rapid and simple screening method (GAB) for evaluation of different adsorption
tests as well as for further routine monitoring of treated waters after economic removal of radioactive
micropollutants on large scale.

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Predicting radiocesium soil-plant transfer on a global scale: ameta-analysis study
M. Vanheukelom1,2, F. Abrams1,3, M. Mgn’ong’o2,3, T. Al Mahaini1, L.
Sweeck1, J. Van Orshoven3, E. Smolders2
1

Biosphere Impact Studies, SCK CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400-Mol, Belgium.
e-mail: margot.vanheukelom@sckcen.be2
Division of Soil and Water management, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark
Arenberg 20, 3001-Leuven, Belgium.
3
Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan
200E - box 2411, 3001-Leuven, Belgium.
Keywords: Radiocesium Concentration Ratio (CR), Absalom model, random forest model,
database.

Soil-to-plant models can guide decisions concerning agricultural countermeasures
for radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs, ‘RCs’ hereafter). However, the models aredeveloped for temperate conditions in the aftermath of the Chernobyl and Fukushima
accidents and are unlikely able to make worldwide predictions. The reason is thatthey were created with limited datasets of certain temperate regions and thus cannot
be extrapolated to other climates and their typical soils. Therefore, a database wasbuilt of soil to plant RCs concentration ratio (CR) values of various combinations toverify the current process-based models and develop new data- driven models. First,
data were obtained via meta-analysis (>3000 articles for the time period 1954-2022)
and compared with the >6200 datapoints (>120 articles) of CR values (0.000052–
370 kg kg-1) summarized in IAEA reports (TRS-472 (2010), TE-1927 (2020), TE1979 (2021)) and >1700 datapoints of CR values (0.00011–23 kg kg-1) reported after
the Fukushima accident. Second, datapoints from the reports were used to compare
model performance. Using the same model variables, the machine learning (random
forest) models consistently outperformed the process- based models (Table 1). The
multiple (linear) regression models were not much worse than advanced machinelearning models. A machine learning model solely based on the exchangeable K
content in soils only poorly predicted RCs transfer (R² = 0.21, N = 815). Data
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utmost importance to create data-driven models to effectively predict the risk of137

Cs entering our food chain in case of nuclear incidents worldwide.

Table 1. Comparison of RCs soil-plant transfer model performances evaluated onlog CR values.
Process-basedmodel name

Datapoints

Modelvariables
3

Multipleregression
model R²
0.47

Processbasedmodel R²
0.02

Machinelearning
model R²
0.69

Absalom1999

805

Absalom2001

175

6

0.64

0.23

0.68

Tarsitano2011 183

5

0.59

0.42

0.58

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Soil erosion and sedimentation rate using Cesium-137 in the
Sembrong catchment
J. Sharib@Sarip1, D. Nor Fardzila Ahmad Tugi1, M. Tarmizi Ishak1, C.
Anthonius1, M. Izwan Abdul Adziz1
1

Radiochemistry and Environment Group, Waste and Environmental
Technology Divison, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia), 43000
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia, e-mail: jalal@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my
Keywords : Soil erosion; Sedimentation;, Cesium-137; Gamma Spectrometry; Catchment

The use of Fallout Radionuclides (FRNs) as tracers for the study of soil erosion andsedimentation in catchment areas is still not very popular when compared toconventional methods in Peninsular Malaysia. However, this approach is gaining
ground among researchers because various factors have been identified especially insmall study areas in parallel with the time period of the study. In this study, Cesium137 is used as a medium-term tracer to measure the rate of soil erosion in the
Sembrong catchment area, Kluang as a study site for two different study seasons.
The Sembrong catchment area is the main choice for this study and the area is notvery large and is among the catchment areas that have the most important ecosystems
in Peninsular Malaysia. It has a fresh water reservoir of 7.76 km2, with an estimatedstorage capacity of 24.84 million m3 and covers an entire catchment area ofapproximately 130 km2. Sediment core sampling is carried out in two different
seasons, namely the rainy and dry seasons, using standard metal corers, involving
sampling at several sampling stations that involve a variety of land uses. All thesediment samples taken were pre-sliced by 2cm and brought to the Radiochemistry
and Environment Group (RAS), Nuclear Malaysia to undergo the sample preparation
process such as drying, sieving and finally for analysis using a Gamma Spectrometry.
The results of the analysis show that the rate of soil erosion and sedimentation forboth seasons is variable where the dry season only gives the value of the soil erosion
rate. Meanwhile, the rainy season has provided

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both soil erosion values and sedimentation rates for the overall results. This situationis shown in the dry season which has given the value of the soil erosion rate between
5.09 t/ha/y to 65.2 t/ha/y. Meanwhile, the value of soil erosion and sedimentation
during the rainy season ranges from 8.02 t/ha/y to 39.78 t/ha/y and 4.81 t/ha/y to 50.81 t/ha/y, respectively. Rubber and oil palm plantations refer to Station 17 andstation 4/6 which are located near Lake Semberong and Sungai Sembrong have thehighest soil erosion and sedimentation rates at

51.03 t/ha/y and -50.81 t/ha/yrespectively. In conclusion, 137Cs as a medium-term tracer has been successfully used
to determine the rate of soil erosion and sedimentation in two different seasons for
the Sembrong catchment area.

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22 PLENARY SESSION VI

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Current state of Zaporizhzhia NPP and othernuclear risks in Ukraine
Georg Steinhauser
TU Wien, Austria

With the blasting of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023, the situation has once again escalated around
the Zaporizhzhia NPP in Ukraine. Similarly, the stationing of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus
has reminded the globe of the risks of a nuclear confrontation in Eastern Europe. In this flash talk,I will give a brief overview of current nuclear risks resulting from the Russo-Ukrainian war. Rather
than a tactical assessment, I will deliver a radioecologist’s assessment. I will try to compile
information from Ukrainian, Russian, European, and American sources for a comprehensive risk
assessment including an outlook of how the situation might evolve in the future. A major point of
this flash talk is sparking a discussion with the audience to compile the viewpoints of theradioecological community.

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Distribution of carbon isotopes in different soil fractions, including soil CO2
gas on the example of Ultisols, South Carolina, USA.
A. Cherkinsky1, GV Ravi Prasad1, H. Sheng1, D.Markewitz2, S. Billings3, D. Richter4
Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, 120 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
acherkin@uga.edu
2Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
3
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research,
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
4
Division of Earth and Climate Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
1

Keywords: Soil fraction, Land use, Distribution of Radiocarbon and Stable isotopes

The Critical Zone is a thin layer between the rock and the sky, from the top canopy down to the
bedrock-soil interface. This is the fragile zone on which natural ecosystems relies because this iswhere nutrients are being released from the rocks. Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory is one of theten USA observatories that were studied with the accent on the restoration of soil after intense cotton
agriculture and following erosion. We have studied three Ultisols: one believed to have been neverused for cultivation, another was used for growing cotton since the beginning of 19th century through1920s, with the forest regeneration after cultivation, and third is cultivated until now. We haveanalysed the bulk soil organic matter (SOM), humic acid extracted from the bulk soil and insoluble
fraction. We have also analysed the carbon dioxide from soil gas collected at the different depths toestimate the intensity of SOM decomposition.
The results shown that its distinctive 14C signature tracks SOM accumulated in the top 50-60 cm,
acquired after massive atmospheric nuclear tests in the beginning of 1960’s. Our data combinedwith model simulations indicate that not only a few decade old mostly conifer forest but also wide
broad leaf reference forest rapidly incorporate “bomb” carbon in SOM and all its fractions. The
maximum of Δ14C =200‰ was in HA from the surface horizons of the reforested soil. The analysesof the soil CO2 show the differentiation of 14C concentration with the depth, the deep samples
collected at 3 and 5 m cultivated soil CO2 exhibited a prevalence of the “bomb” carbon compare toboth forest soils, and uncultivated soil under forest exhibited lowest 14C concentration.

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Development of population level biomarkers for low doseradiation: the importance of non-targeted effects.
Carmel Mothersill and Colin Seymour
Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton L8S 4K1, Ontario
CanadaKeywords: ecosystem approach, radiation protection , low dose, non-targeted

effects, radiation effects

Recent moves within ICRP to develop an integrated approach to radiation
protection of both humans and non-human biota are focused on regulatingdose to exposed populations based on behaviour, size, lifestyle and“radiosensitivity”. Currently man and 12 reference organisms are usedcovering various taxonomic groups, behaviours, and exposure scenarios e.g. marine, terrestrial, sediment or airborne. However, most biologists agree
that particularly in low dose exposure legacy sites, the factors determining
effects and outcomes are far more complex that this simple frameworksuggests. The issue is developing reliable predictors of system or ecosystem
health rather than relying on biomarkers that give information about effects
on individual cells, organs or organisms. Approaches to this include theAdverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) which looks at multiple levels oforganisation from gene to ecosystem Another approach used by our group is
to look at the role of non-targeted effects such as genomic instability (GI) andbystander effects (BE). These mechanisms involve transmission of
information between different levels of organisation. In the case of BE signals
from exposed to unexposed cells or organisms coordinate response at higher
levels of organisation permitting population responses to radiation to be
optimised. GI is more complex as it involves not only signalling but alsotrans-generational transmission of genetic or epigenetic changes and maylead to long-term adaptive evolution. GI may also be involved in memory or
legacy effects, which contribute a further component to the dose effectmeasured in legacy sites. Our recent analysis of the contributions of memory
and legacy effects to the total effect using data sets from Chernobyl and
Fukushima (voles, birds and butterflies) suggest this type of analysis mayhelp reduce uncertainties over lab to field extrapolations. Given the clear
discrepancy between actual data measured in the field and dose effects
generated using databases populated mainly with acute lab based
experimental data, it is imperative that we strive to develop meaningful
holistic systems for protection of those living in contaminated ecosystems.

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Mean soil contaminant concentration does not provide a conservative indicatorof external exposure to wildlife – reindeer in Jotunheimen, Norway as a case
study
O.C. Lind1, E. Bæk2, L. Skuterud3, J.C. Beasley4, B. Salbu1, V.S. Baranwal5, T.G. Hinton1
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Center of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Faculty ofEnvironmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, 1433 Ås, Norway. e-mail: olelin@nmbu.no2
Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), P.O. Box 329 Skøyen, NO-0213 Oslo, Norway
3
Orkland kommune, P.O. Box 83, NO-7301 Orkanger, Norway
4
University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources,
P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC, USA
5
Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), P.O. Box 6315 Torggarden, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
1

Keywords: Wildlife dosimetry, Exposure characterization, Chernobyl fallout

Adequate information on external exposure is often a limiting factor in risk assessments due to a lack of
dosimetry data for free-ranging animals in areas contaminated with a heterogeneous distribution ofcontaminants including radionuclides such as 137Cs. Most wildlife exposure data are therefore estimated frommodel simulations which are rarely validated by empirical dosimetry data. An additional short-coming toecological risk assessments are that fundamental assumptions inherent in exposure assessments most often
are not tested. In the present work, we quantified the temporally and spatially resolved external exposure ofreindeer (Rangifer tarandus) over a five months period in a Chernobyl fallout affected mountainous area of
Norway using GPS-coupled radiation dosimeters. These data were then compared to ERICA Tool model
simulations of exposure based on airborne surveys of 137Cs soil contamination in order to test a fundamental
assumption in screening-level risk assessments: Mean soil contaminant concentrations can be used toconservatively estimate chronic external exposures to representative animals.
Our results show that external exposure modelled from mean soil contaminant concentrations underestimatedexposure by 70% compared to empirical measurements based on GPS-dosimeter collars on individual
animals. Using area-weighted mean contaminant levels to account for spatial-temporal heterogeneity
improved the model estimates somewhat, but still underestimated the field dosimeter data (46-53%). A
comparison of our external dosimetry work on reindeer to similar work performed on Chernobyl wolves
found the two studies concur that risk assessors should be cautious in using averaged soil contaminant levels
to provide conservative estimates of external exposure to representative individuals as this could misguideassessors and cause inappropriate management decisions.

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23 PARALLEL SESSION 9A
Radioecology

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Environmental and Nutritional Chemistry of Wild Harvested Berries vs.
Commercial Berries: Depositional and Uptake Chemistry and Human Health
Assessment
C. Maynard1, M. Herod2, M. McKee3
MSc Candidate, Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Avenue East,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5& Environmental Program Officer, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Federal Government of Canada, 280
Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5S9. e-mail: christy.maynard@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

1

2
Dr. Matthew Herod, Adjunct Professor, Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa,
75 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5& Senior Project Officer, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Federal Government of Canada, 280 Slater Street,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5S9. e-mail: matthew.herod@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

Malcolm McKee, Lead Technical Advisor, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Federal Government of Canada,
280 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5S9. e-mail: malcolm.mckee@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

3

Keywords: Radionuclide and trace element uptake, Environmental cycling, Indigenous traditional foods
In northern Saskatchewan, Canada, there are several active and decommissioned uranium mines and mills licensed by
Canada’s nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). In these areas, Indigenous
communities harvest traditional foods and Canadian diet studies have identified wild berries as an important part oftheir diet. Food ingestion is recognized as an exposure pathway of anthropogenic and naturally occurring radioactive
materials and trace metals. Accurately communicating potential human health risks from environmental radionuclides
and trace metals in traditional foods is of vital importance since the information may affect the Indigenous
community’s mental and physical well-being. Uninformed concerns and miscommunication may drive dietarychanges to replace traditional foods with less nutritionally dense market foods that can increase the risk of chronic
diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Wild blueberries and the soil the plant roots grew in were sampled
approximately 10-25 kms away from CNSC-licensed facilities in northern Saskatchewan. Samples were analyzed by
Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) in a metal-free, ultraclean laboratory to obtain trace metal
concentrations and radionuclide concentration. Sample results and data were obtained for important dose contributors
to calculate ingestion dose. As a comparison with the Saskatchewan blueberry and soil results, commercially-available
blueberries were also collected from Ontario farms and grocery stores. This research project builds on the CNSC’s
ongoing, independent analysis of trace metals and radionuclides in foods and environmental samples near CNSClicensed facilities, identifies geochemical relationships between radionuclides and trace elements in blueberries,
examines the uptake chemistry and environmental cycling of radionuclides and trace elements, helps inform CNSC’s
regulatory decision-making process, and supports future human health risk communication with Indigenous
communities.
Acknowledgements:
Dr. Slobodan Jovanovic (CNSC), Niall Crawley (CNSC), and Dr. William Shotyk (University of Alberta). Thankyou all for your incredible support!

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A New Global Seafood Dose Assessment
M. P. Johansen1, J. G. Carpenter2, S. Charmasson3, J. P. Gwynn4, P. McGinnity5, A. Mori6, B.
Orr2, M. Simon-Cornu3, I. Osvath5
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Kirrawee DC, 2232 NSW, Australia. email: Mathew.Johansen@ansto.gov.au
2
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), Yallambie VIC 3085, Australia
3
Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Saint Paul lez Durance, France
4
Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, The Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
5
IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories, 4 Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco
6
Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
1

Keywords: Seafood, global dose assessment, Polonium-210, Monte Carlo dose distributions

Artificial and natural radionuclides are known to accumulate in seafood worldwide and, when ingested, causeinternal dose to seafood consumers. It has been nearly 30 years since the IAEA MARDOS global seafood
dose assessment was published. Since then, world seafood consumption has increased, diet patterns havechanged, and new inputs of radionuclides into marine systems have occurred (e.g., Fukushima accident).
A new global assessment of seafood dose is being conducted that uses a much-expanded global database on
radionuclides in seafood (Marine Radioactivity Information System -MARIS) as well as global diet data andupdated parameters for dose calculation. The new assessment:• Evaluates 16 natural and anthropogenic radionuclides.
• Draws from more than 84,856 global data for biota in MARIS, from which 31,665 final activity
concentration data passed quality assurance screening.
• Uses seafood consumption data from national and sub-national diet studies representing approximately
35% of the world population.
• Develops new correction factors for the loss of Po-210 from cooking and radiological decay as well as
the decreases in Po-210 in maricultured seafood.
• Implements a bespoke Monte Carlo application for calculating seafood dose distributions.
• Compiles and evaluates + 150 seafood ingestion dose estimates published in the past 30 years.
The results provide well-supported estimates on the mean and distribution of background seafood dose forworld consumers. This important new result provides a comparative reference for local, regional and nationaldose assessments; for the dose rates resulting from facility and accident releases, and for quantifying the
global changes in ingestion dose from seafood over time.
Numerous researchers and aligned organisations from around the world have provided input into the project.
The assessment is being conducted within the IAEA Coordinated Research Project “Behaviour and Effectsof Natural and Anthropogenic Radionuclides in the Marine Environment and their Use as Tracers for
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Influence of Eu(III) and U(VI) on rat and human kidney cells
D. Butscher1, C. Senwitz2, A. Heller2, T. Stumpf1, A. Barkleit1
1Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology,
01328 Dresden, Germany. E-mail: d.butscher@hzdr.de2Technische Universität Dresden, Professorship of Radiochemistry/Radioecology and Central Radionuclide Laboratory, 01069 Dresden,
Germany
Keywords: Cytotoxicity, Kidney cells, Uranium, Europium, EC50, Speciation

Radionuclides (RNs) that enter the human body, for example through ingestion or
inhalation, pose a potential health risk due to their radio- and chemotoxicity. The
kidneys are especially exposed to the incorporated RNs, as they are mainly
responsible for the excretion of toxic substances from the blood stream. Therefore,
the effect of uranium(VI) and europium(III), an analogue for trivalent actinides suchas Am or Cm, on rat (NRK-52E) and human (HEK-293) kidney cells was studied invitro at the cellular and molecular levels.
Exposure experiments were carried out in which cells were incubated with these
metal ions (10−9 – 10−3 M) for 7, 24 and 48 hours. The cell viability after exposure to
the metal ions was measured using the XTT-assay. The half-maximum effective
concentration (EC50) was calculated on the basis of the dose-response curves. In
addition, morphological changes due to metal ion exposure were investigated bystaining selected cell compartments and intracellular uptake was determined by ICPMS. The speciation of a metal determines its bioavailability, influencing both theeffect on cells and its uptake into cells. Therefore, time resolved laser-induced
fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) was used to investigate the speciation of Eu(III)and U(VI) in the cell culture medium, in the cell-exposed medium and in cellsuspension. The obtained results on the cellular and molecular level contribute to abetter understanding of the toxic effects of RNs.
This work is funded in the frame of the RADEKOR project by the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, grant number: 02NUK057A and
02NUK057B).

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Influence of EDTA and EGTA on the Eu(III)/Cm(III)speciation in the human digestive system
S. Friedrich1, J. Kretzschmar1, B. Drobot1, T. Stumpf1, A. Barkleit1
1Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology,
Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
e-mail: s.friedrich@hzdr.de
Keywords: Speciation, Complexation, Decorporation, Europium, Curium

In mining and industrial areas involved in lanthanide (Ln) production, both
environment and population show increased Ln concentrations. To lower the healthrisks of these heavy metal ions on the affected persons by decreasing the Lnconcentration in the human body, chelation therapy is used as decorporation strategy.
Chelation therapy is also an important tool for radiation protection. The
aminopolycarboxylic acid diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) is the only
clinical approved decorporation agent against actinides (An). However, DTPA is notequally efficient for all An and can be also toxic at higher concentrations.
Therefore, we comprehensively studied the complexation behaviour of DTPA related
compounds such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ethylene glycol-bis(βaminoethyl ether)-N,N,N’,N’-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) with trivalent europium andcurium by combining spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry. The influenceof these ligands on the speciation of Eu(III) in the simulated human digestive system
has been determined on a molecular level using time-resolved laser-induced
fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS). Furthermore, the ligands were successfully
synthesised in their deuterated form to perform 2H-NMR spectroscopy to overcome thelarge 1H-NMR background occurring from organic molecules such as proteins andenzymes in the artificial digestive system. These investigations contribute to anadvanced understanding of the molecular processes in chelation therapy and its further
development in the future.
This work is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research(BMBF) under grant number 02NUK057A and is part of the joint project RADEKOR.

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Po loss in Seafood due to Cooking and its dose implications

210

M. Behbehani, and Saif Uddin
Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research,
Kuwaitsdin@kisr.edu.kw
Abstract
An experimental study was conducted to assess the loss of 210Po due to cooking fresh seafood.
Fresh fish and shrimp samples from Northern Gulf waters were cooked (grilled and cookedusing local recipes) to simulate the effect of different cooking methods. Twenty-Five speciesof fish were compared and significant differences in 210Po concentration in uncooked samples
were observed between species. The effect of the treatment (uncooked, grilled, boiled andstock) was compared for each species and it was found that cooking led to a significant decreasein 210Po concentration ranging from 14 to 58% compared to the uncooked samples, with nodifference between grilled or boiled treatments. The effect of the cooking and shrimp led to asignificant 38% reduction of 210Po concentration as compared to uncooked treatments with nodifference between grilled and boiled samples. The two treatments with deveined shrimp led toa 75% decrease in 210Po concentration compared to all other treatments. Cooked deveined
shrimp contained an 84% lower 210Po concentration than whole uncooked shrimp. Thissignificant loss of 210Po due to cooking highlights the issue that since 210Po is known to be themajor contributor to radiation dose in humans consuming seafood, there is a need to re-examine
the calculation of the committed effective doses (CEDs) for cooked seafood-consuming
populations. This might be a more realistic and reliable dose estimate for human seafood
consumers.

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24 PARALLEL SESSION 9B
Radioanalytics II

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Weather-dependent detection limits for gamma-ray
spectrometry in environmental radioactivity monitoring
Ignasi Reichardt , Agustín Cerezo, Elena Prieto, and Marçal Salvadó Unitat deFísica Mèdica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, C/Sant Llorenç, 21. 43201 Reus.
�ignasi.reichardt@urv.cat

Keywords: environmental radioactivity, gamma-ray spectrometry, analysis methods.

In environmental radioactivity detection networks, it is common practice to quote a
fixed value for the Minimum Detectable Activity Concentration (MDAC) of theisotopes under monitoring. In principle, this value only depends on the devices
used for the detection and the analysis method. However, it is well known thatnatural radon emanations depend on weather conditions. As a consequence,
gamma-ray emitting radon descendants (mainly 214Bi, 214Pb, and 212Pb) have avariable contribution to gamma-ray spectra, both in terms of the peak height and of
the resulting Compton scattering. This variability alters the ability of gamma-ray
spectrometers to measure other photopeaks, most notably those from artificial
origin. Here, we present a method to compute a variable MDAC taking into
account the current state of the natural emitters, thus resulting in increased
statistical robustness for the detection or non-detection of artificial isotopes.
Moreover, we extend the method to the case were repetitive short-duration
measurements are performed. This allows to set strict limits on an artificial
radioactivity source highly diluted in the environment. Using a 2”x2” SrI2(Eu)direct-observation spectrometer, we achieve MDAC values in a range as low as
0.4/0.4/0.18 Bq/m³ in 24h for 131I/137Cs/60Co, respectively.

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Questioning the increase of population around the Laguna
Verde Nuclear Power Plant- Mexico
B. Salas 1

1

Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences. National Autonomous University of
Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico. E mail: salasmarb@ciencias.unam.mx
Keywords: External Radiological Emergency Plan, nuclear plant

A site to install a nuclear power plant must meet several basic criteria, including: a)
Low potential for use in agriculture and livestock, b) Low potential for housing andindustrial use, c) Geological stability. These conditions must prevail during theoperation of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant (LVNPP), however, thefollowing two projects that oppose these criteria are being proposed:
1. Authorization of the mining industry of the "Caballo Blanco Exploration Project"on the side of the LVNPP, which, due to detonations with explosives, may induce
tremors that could affect the operation of the LVNPP. The aforementioned
authorization was issued by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources(SEMARNAT), according to Official Letter No. SGPARN.02.IRA.0395/17 dated
January 23, 2017.
2. Installation of a real estate project that will concentrate a considerable population,
located in the vicinity of the LVNPP, specifically at the Diada La Mancha, called"REAL ESTATE PROJECT OF THE URBAN HOUSING ROOM TYPE" andwhich is also being proposed to SEMARNAT. The authorizations have been signedby an official who does not have any type of training in Radiological Protection or
Nuclear Safety.
The previous projects will complicate the good performance of the "ExternalRadiological Emergency Plan", whose purpose is to guarantee the safety of the
population in case of a nuclear contingency, as it would be necessary to evacuate alarger number of people and a greater amount of resources would be needed: meansof transportation, shelters, etc. This paper was written at the Department of Physics
at the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico..

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Novel approaches for measuring low radon levels in the environment bypassive detectors
D. Pressyanov1, D. Dimitrov 2
1

Faculty of Physics, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, 5 James Bourchier Blvd., Sofia 1164, Bulgaria. E-mail:pressyan@phys.uni-sofia.bg
2

University of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, Bulgaria

Keywords: Radon, Thoron, Climatic changes, Radon priority areas

In the last years the interest in measuring low radon levels in the environment raised significantly. In
particular, such measurements are needed for delineating the radon priority areas, as requested by theEuropean Council directive 2013/59/EURATOM, and for research related to climatic changes. As theexisting passive radon detectors lack of sufficient sensitivity to address these challenges, efforts were focusedin new designs. In this report we compare the sensitivity of some novel designs to that of existing passiveradon monitors. The novel designs include monitors in which the detector (alpha track detector) is coupledwith an efficient radon adsorber/absorber, and such in which large area and low background track detectors
are used. Recent innovative solutions to compensate the influence of the temperature and to reduce theinfluence of humidity on detectors that use ad/absorber are discussed. The background signal of the detectors
scheduled for use in novel designs is discussed. It is demonstrated, that novel approaches have the potential
to improve the sensitivity of long-term radon measurements by more than one order of magnitude comparedto the existing, widely used nowadays detectors.

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25 PLENARY SESSION VII

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Natural reactor in Oklo – 50 years from discovery
Jerzy W. Mietelski ,21

Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Rdzikowskiego 152, 31-342Krakow, Poland, e-mail:jerzy.mietelski@ifj.edu.pl
Keywords: Nuclear reactor, Oklo, Nuclear wastes, Uranium

In summer of 1972 the routine sample of uranium hexafluoride analyzed in mass spectrometry laboratory in
Pierrelatte (France) revealed small depletion of U-235. Undertaken investigation soon lead to discovery ofnatural nuclear reactor which operated in uranium deposit in Oklo (Gabon) about 2 billion years ago. Further
wide scale studies resulted in finding remains of extinguished next 16 reactors in two locations in Gabon
within a 30 km distance. The isotopic ratios preserved in minerals on site in combination with nuclear reactor
modelling allowed to reconstruct the operational mode of natural reactors. The cores were basically acting
as homogenous reactors with water moderator, however some energy was also released in fast neutron
breeder mode. The process was self-controlled and cyclic was discovered. It was characterized by about half
an hour criticality state followed by more than two hour dormant period. The cycle was governed by changes
of water content in uranium core. Besides finding many details of reactors operation, those studies wereunique opportunity for getting knowledge of the nuclear wastes behavior in course of extreme long time scaleof storing. This studies brought also a verification of some models regarding a possible changes in time offundamental physical constants, namely their combination known as fine structure constant alpha. A general
overview of above mentioned three main aspects of conducted studies will be presented during theConference.

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POSTER SESSIONS

181

9

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Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

POSTER SESSION I
02 Radiometrics
07 Radioanalytics
08 NORM
10 Radionuclides in biota
14 Radioecology

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184

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POSTER SESSION I
02 Radiometrics

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186

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Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

1-02-01

Background radiation measurements in Kuwait
Darwish Al-Azmi
Department of Applied Sciences, College of Technological Studies, Public
Authority for Applied Education and Training, Shuwaikh, P.O. Box: 42325,
Code 70654, Kuwait.
Email: ds.alazmi@paaet.edu.kw / dalazmi@yahoo.co.uk
Keywords: Background Radiation, Dosimeter, Dose rates, Kuwait

Background radiation parameters, e.g. ambient absorbed dose rate, activity
concentration of radionuclides in environmental matrices, etc., are important inputs
for radiological environmental impact assessment of human activities, such as
mining and accidental or planned releases of radioactive materials into theenvironment. In many countries, these parameters are measured and monitoredcontinuously to update the baseline database and as part of safety preparedness andimpact assessment.
During the last two decades, outdoor background radiation measurements have been
carried out in Kuwait through various projects and studies covering many locations
within the country. Giger-Muller (GM) and scintillation dosimeters have been used
for in-situ measurements of the gamma dose rates and soil/sand samples werecollected for laboratory analysis to determine the radionuclide concentrations. Someof these studies were parts of scientific projects to establish the database for thecountry while others represent efforts to address public concerns about possible
contaminations of the environment by depleted uranium following the Gulf War.
The results from 112 locations using a NaI dosimeter show that the dose rates varyin the range of 31-59 nSv/h with a mean value of 47 nSv/h, whereas the GM results
for another set of 20 locations are with values in the range of 61-93 nSv/h and a meanvalue of 76 nSv/h. The GM dosimeter recorded slightly higher values than the
scintillation dosimeter due to the contribution of the cosmic-rays component withsuch types of dosimeters. In another study, the results obtained with a car borne GM
dosimeter along the asphalt roads of Kuwait (total 3117 data points) show that thedose rates are between 40 and 180 nSv/h with an average value of 103 nSv/h.
In general, all the results of the gamma dose rates obtained in the different studies
reveal no anomalous levels throughout the country. All the values are within therange reported from different regions of the world with normal background radiation.
In addition, the results of the laboratory analysis of soil samples showed that theprimordial radionuclide concentrations are below the global averages.

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ENVIRA 2023

1-02-02

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

High sensitivity measurement of 238Pu with uranium tracer for interference
correction by thermal ionization mass spectrometry
D. Gurganus1, K. Hinrichs1, A. Price1, S. Goldstein1, S. LaMont1
1

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Chemistry Division, Nuclear & Radiochemistry Group, P.O. Box 1663, MS J514,
Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA. e-mail: dgurganus@lanl.gov

Keywords: Plutonium-238, mass spectrometry, isotope dilution, total evaporation TIMS

Routine measurement of low-level 239,240,241,242,244Pu and 236,237Np using static collection on a multi-collector
thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) is undertaken at Los Alamos National Laboratory in supportof treaty monitoring, environmental monitoring, safeguards, and nuclear forensics. One instrument method
used includes a Daly detector and eight Sjuts ion counters to simultaneously measure all the isotopes in a
total evaporation routine from a single resin bead source. We have recently added the measurement of 238Pu
to the measurement routine, which is challenging due to the isobaric interference of 238U. To accurately
measure the minor isotopes of Pu the routine requires ramping the filament to high temperatures to ensure
ionization of small quantities of those isotopes to detectable levels. This high temperature encourages the
ingrowth of 238U interference on the 238Pu measurement. To characterize this interference, we have created amethod of simultaneously measuring 235U (instead of 236,237Np) along with the 6 plutonium isotopes.
Measuring 235U allows us to discriminate between the ionization profile of U vs Pu, as the filament undergoes
temperature ramping. After the Pu has completely ionized from a filament leaving behind only U, an accurate
U/235U ratio can be determined for the sample, which can then be used to correct the Pu cycles offline for238

the 238U interference on 238Pu. We provide data for measurements of a solution of NBL CRM U970 “tracer,”
calibrated for concentration in our laboratory, which provides for accurate characterization of the 238U
background in purified Pu sample fractions. Additionally, we provide results for the measurement accuracy
and precision of added NIST 4323B 238Pu standard via the new routine, and preliminary measurements onmatrix-containing standards. The ability to characterize 238Pu simultaneously with the other Pu isotopes will
provide valuable signature information that has so far been missing from many low-level (picogram andbelow) sample measurements.

188

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

1-02-03

A consideration of the measurement of 241Am in theenvironmental samples using gamma spectrometry
Minju Lee1, Sang-Han Lee1, Yoonhee Jung1
1

Environmental radioactivity safe team, Korea Research Institute ofStandards and Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Keywords: Environmetal radioactivity measurement, 241Am, Gamma spectrometry, Selfabsorption effect, Chemical composition

The measurement of 241Am released into the environment through atmosphericnuclear weapons testing, reprocessing operations, aircraft accident, and nuclear
power plant accident is important for environmental monitoring and radiological risk
assessment. In gamma spectrometry, the measurement of 241Am emitting low energy
photon is significant affected by the self-absorption effect. It is common to consider
only the apparent density of the environmental samples to correct this effect. The
chemical composition that cause this effect should also be considered strictly,
however this is not well studied in the scientific literature. In this work, the selfabsorption correction factors of 241Am related to the chemical composition of
concrete and soil samples were evaluated using Monte Carlo N-Particle code. High
Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector with 30% efficiency was modeled for thesimulation study. In the element analysis using ICP-OES, the concrete sample wascomposed of SiO2 (75.1%), CaO (14.7%), and Al2O3 (3.0%). The chemical elementsof the soil sample were analysed as SiO2 (66.9%), CaO (19.9%), and Fe2O3 (1.5%).
As a result, the relative bias of the self-absorption correction factors of 241Am in theconcrete sample when only the density was considered and both the density and thechemical elements were considered was 20.0%. Similarly, in the case of the soil, therelative bias was about 17%. The self-absorption correction factors evaluated in thesimulation will be verify through alpha spectrometry. In conclusion, in order tocorrect the self-absorption effect in the

Am measurement using gamma

241

spectrometry, the chemical composition should be considered important with thedensity.

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ENVIRA 2023

1-02-04

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Recent research on the real-time detection system forenvironmental radiation at Daedeok nuclear facility in Korea
W.N. Lee1, J.M Lim1, M. Jang1, M.S. Lee1, S.D. Choi1, S.H. Kim1
1
Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy
Research Institute, 111, Deadeok-daero 989, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34057,
KOREA e-mail: petor@kaeri.re.kr
Keywords: Environmental radiation monitoring, underwater radiation monitors, GM
counters, high-resolution dose rate

Environmental radiation monitoring at the Daedeok nuclear facility, which includes
research reactors, fuel production facilities, radioactive waste storage facilities, andrelated research facilities, is critical for the safety and preservation of the surrounding
population and environment. In addition to the existing methods of environmental
radiation monitoring, this study introduces a new system using GM counters thathave been recently developed and operated.
This is a new approach for radiation monitoring with a GM counter, which isrelatively cheaper than an ion-chamber. It provides real-time radiation data; inparticular, it does not need a power supply. The main feature of the GM counter is
its low power consumption. The solar panel is enough for the operation of this small
dose rate measurement tool. This high-resolution dose rate measurement provides
more comprehensive information about the dose rate, and we can easily detect
anomalies of dose rate and detect the source of the contamination as soon as possible.
Based on the high-resolution modeling and dose rate measurement with the GM
counter, we can track radio-contaminants more easily and precisely. And we aretrying to apply an AI technique based on very high-resolution numerical weather
prediction data to track the source using a dense radiation network in high resolution.

190

ENVIRA 2023

1-02-05

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Method validation of 14C in the environmental samples with
LSC and AMS
J.M Lim1, C.Y. Lee1, H.H. Kim1, H.W. Kim1, S.D. Choi1, S.H. Kim1
1Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy
Research Institute, 111, Deadeok-daero 989, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34057,
KOREA e-mail: jmlim@kaeri.re.kr
Keywords: 14C, LSC, AMS, Method validation

Atmospheric 14C activity has remained at its natural level of 0.2 Bq/g-C (100 pMC)
since the 1960s bomb-pulse. However, the level of 14C, the primary gaseous phaseemission from nuclear facilities, are relatively higher than natural levels aroundnuclear facilities. Fouther, 14C is a radionuclide with a relatively large dose impact.
Therefore, tracking fluctuations in 14C activity in environmental samples is one of
the main tools for assessing the impact of gaseous emissions from nuclear facilities.
In general, for 14C determination, CO2 collected in a molecular sieve is crystallized
into calcium carbonate, and CO2 is regenerated using hydrochloric acid to prepare asample for LSC measurement.
In this study, NIST SRM 4990C (OXALIC ACID) was used to validate the analyticalmethod for 14C in the environmental samples, and the accuracy and precision of theanalytical results were evaluated. Finally, the method was validated by comparative
analysis by LSC and AMS.

191

ENVIRA 2023

1-02-06

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Development of procedures to be applied by the laboratories belonging to the
Spanish Environmental Radiological Surveillance Network in “special”
situations
R. García-Tenorio1,2, J.A. Trinidad3, G.Manjón1,2, C. Rey3
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain. e-mail:manjon@us.es
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN), c/Pedro Justo Dorado, 11. 28049-Madrid. Spain
Keywords: Environmental radiological surveillances, radionuclides in the environment,

The laboratories belonging to the Spanish environmental radiological surveillance network, called REVIRA,
and coordinated by the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN), have quite well defined their role and theiractuation plan in situations that we can qualify as normal, i.e., in situations no affected by any punctual
radiological incident or accident. For these normal situations the laboratories developed normalized
procedures, published by CSN, that should be applied by all the members of the network following a welldefined protocol..
The actuation of the laboratories belonging to the Spanish network should be also extended to situations that
we can qualify as “special” situations. These situations will be the ones characterized for provoking an
increment of radioactivity in the environment, and in the doses received by the public, but no reaching thevalues that can be associated to the lowest level (Level 1) in the International Nuclear Event scale (INES).
Or in other words, will be no normal situations provoking doses in the public lower than the annual limits. of
1 mSv for the public. A typical case of “special” situation in Spain was the arrival of a quite diluted plumeof volatile radionuclides generated by the accident of Fukushima,
The University of Seville, with the collaboration, supervision and financial support of CSN is developing a
2-year project with a central objective: to elaborate and develop a defined protocol to be applied by thelaboratories of the environmental Radiological Surveillance Network in the case of “special situations”. With
this end an extensive study about the distribution in the country of the technical facilities and the working
force available was carried out and the possible different scenarios that could generate “special” situations
were identified. For each one of these scenarios the possible radionuclides involved have been identified aswell as the different environmental matrixes that can be used as monitors, and radionuclide&matrix specificprocedures for the determination of the levels of the radionuclides of interest are proposed.
The main results of the project, which will be practically finished at the time of the conference, will bepresented in this work.

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ENVIRA 2023

1-02-07

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Pushing the sensitivity limit of quadrupole mass
spectrometry ICP MS/MS for plutonium isotopes
A. Cwanek1, E. Łokas1
1

Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish
Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland. email:anna.cwanek@ifj.edu.pl

Keywords:
plutonium, ICP MS/MS, desolvating nebulizer, sensitivity

As an important fingerprint, the 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratio is often used to identify thesource of the plutonium and estimate the effect of nuclear activities on theenvironment. For this point, it is critical to accurately determine 239Pu and 240Pu bymass spectrometry. However, extremely low 239, 240Pu concentrations as well as highcontent of matrix and interference elements (Pb, Hg, Tl, U, etc) in environmental
samples entail serious difficulties and challenges in plutonium measurements. In ourstudy combined radiochemical procedure and ICP MS/MS 8900 instrument (Agilent
Technologies) supported by APEX IR technology (Elemental Scientific) were
implemented for 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratio determination. Effectively removing matrix
elements

wasachievedbymulti-chromatography

separations,

includingAmberChrom + TEVA resins, which resulted in decontamination factors of uranium
up to 107. Further reduction of the interfering 238UH+ and 238UH2+ ions on 239Pu+ and
240

Pu+ was assured by the use of a collision/reaction cell (CRC). It is well known that

O2 would readily react with plutonium converting it to PuO2+, but decreasing the
portion of UHO2+ and UH2O2+ ions. Unfortunately, the sensitivity not exceeding 700
cps/ppt at m/z = 271, 272 in O2 mode when using the default sample introduction
system. A nice alternative ensuring a significant increase of sensitivity for 240Pu/239Pu
determination could be the APEX IR desolating nebulizer, which cooperates wellwith the ICP MS/MS 8900 instrument. Using a specific setup we were able to reachsensitivity as high as 5000 cps/ppt at m/z = 271, 272 in O2 mode, which proved to be
sufficient enough for 240Pu/239Pu analysis in examined samples.

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ENVIRA 2023

1-02-08

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Detecting heavy metal pollution events recorded by a sediment core from KerYa River in NW Taiwan: Scanning XRF and ICP-OES methods
H.-C. Li1, T.-T. Shen1, L. Löwemark1, K.-Y. Wei1
1

Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. e-mail: hcli1960@ntu.edu.tw

Keywords: Heavy metal pollution, sediment core, Ker-Ya River, Scanning XRF, ICP-OES

Localed in the upper stream of Ker-Ya River, Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (HSIP) was established in 1980.
From 1985 to 2022, registered manufactories in the Park increased from 50 to more than 552. The productsales of the Park reached 1.7 trillion NTD in 2022. As the industrial activity strongly increased, theeniveronmental concern has been paid tremendous attention. In order to survey heavy metal pollution during
the past, a 24-cm sediment core was retrieved from the Ker-Ya River bed in July 2020, which contained thesediment sequence after 1996. Since the core coverd only about 20-year deposition and had large change inthe sedimentation rate, no radiomatric dating method can be applied except using AMS 14C dating on nuclear
bomd 14C signal. The sediments of the core are black fine clay mud with higtly enriched in organic carbon.
Using an iTRAX core scanner, we have obtained elemental contents (semi-quantitative variation) of Fe, K,
Ti, Si, Mn, Ca, Sr, Zn, Cu and Ni with sampling resolution of 0.2 mm. Strongly positive correlations appear
among Fe, K, Ti, Si and Ca variations, indicating that these elements are mainly from clay minerals. Theseelements show clearly sesonal variations, which account for 20-year deposition. Higher Fe, K, Ti, Si and Ca
contents reflect more detrital concents from natural sediments during warm/rainy season, whereas lower
contents perhaps indicate higher organic contents in the sediments. In addition, these elements reduced
abundance since 2007 when the river drainadge system started to be remedied which caused less sediment
input from upper stream. A very outstanding peak of Ca and Sr contents is displayed at 19-cm depth whichmarked a recorded pollution event (pH>11.5) on September 8th, 2018. The scanning XRF results help us todetermine the chronology of the core. Although the scanning XRF results show several Zn and Cu spikes, theabsolute concentrations of those peaks are not confirmed by the results of ICP-OES measurements. A total of
120 subsamples have been taken from the 24-cm core. Currently, we are in process of the elemental analyses
by ICP-OES measurements on 0.5N HCl acid-leach (AL) and Aqua Regia total dissolution (ARTD). The
results of the ICP-OES analyzed elements will provide us the heavy metal pollution history since 1999.

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ENVIRA 2023

1-02-09

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

RaPCUBES: An open (free and friendly) software (interface)
for solving radioactive series
M. Martínez-Rojas1, J. Mantero2*, M. García-León1
1Department of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics, Facultad de Física,

Avenida Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
2
Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina
Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
e-mail: manter@us.es
Keywords: Natural series, Bateman equations, Free software.

RaPCUBES (Radioactivity and Population Calculator Using Bateman Equation’s
Solutions) is an activities and populations calculator able to solve the Bateman
equations for the radioactive series, considering closed systems and a one-isotope
initial presence in the sample. It was developed to provide the scientific community
an open and simple tool to perform such complex mathematical operations.
Via MATLAB software (v. 2021b), RaPCUBES strikes as a very agile and versatile
program. It not only obtains results and its uncertainties at a given date, but it also
includes a graphic interface to depict magnitudes (number of nuclei or activities) andratios evolutions with time as well as the possibility to save the resulting data to an
external text file. As a matter of fact, there is no need of a MATLAB subscription to
execute RaPCUBES since only the corresponding version of the free Runtime
program must be installed to properly run it.
Main radionuclides from natural (238U, 235U, 232Th) and 237Np series have been
implemented in this application. In addition, RaPCUBES’ academic purposes standout due to its intuitive and visual interface.
In short term, this software will be expanded with dating tools for 210Pb and U/Th
methods.

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1-02-10Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

From NaI to CeBr3 detectors for internal contamination
dosimetry research
Ileana Radulescu1, Constantin Mihai1, Andrei Emanuel Turturica1
1
Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Magurele,
Romania

Keywords: CeBr3; dose; internal contamination; minimum detection limit.

The in vivo methods to measure the amount of radioactive material deposited in organs,tissues, or the whole body using externally-placed detectors are preferable, as they facilitate
the rapid screening for workers in the radiation environment. Thus, the estimation of theabsorbed dose must be as accurate as possible. The accuracy depends on many factors
among which the activity quantification methods and the available instrumentations arevery important.
Among instruments used in internal dosimetry laboratory, the HPGe detectors arecommonly used as these have high energy resolution. Other types, such as LaBr3(Ce) andCeBr3 are also useful. LaBr3(Ce) has superior energy resolution (approximately 3% at 662
keV) among scintillators as well as a short decay time (16–30 ns), however, it has a large
amount of intrinsic radioactivity. CeBr3 has good energy resolution (4% at 662 keV) and ashort decay time (<20 ns). The intrinsic radioactivity of CeBr3 is much smaller than that of
LaBr3(Ce). Therefore, despite the energy resolution of LaBr3(Ce) is superior to that of
CeBr3, the minimum detection limit of LaBr3(Ce) is inferior to that of CeBr3 in the spectral
range of 50–3000 keV. However, all detectors have several advantages and disadvantages
with respect to their applications.
This paper presents tests performed for the last two detectors, for an initial assessment as
whole-body counters, in different sizes and geometrical configurations. The parameters
evaluated were efficiency and minimum detection limit, in order to find the most proper
configuration.

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Seville, September 17 -22,2023

POSTER SESSION I
07 Radioanalytics

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Seville, September 17 -22,2023

1-07-01

Rapid measurement of cesium-137 (137Cs) in seawater using an ionexchange resin (AMP-PAN resin, KNiFC-PAN resin)
Jaeeun Lee1,2, Hyunmi Lee2*, Suk Hyun Kim2*, Junhyeong Seo2, Intae Kim1,2
1

Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113,
South Korea.

2MarinEnvironment Research Deparment, Korea Institute of Ocean Science andTechnology, Busan 49111, South Korea *Correspondence should be addressed to Hyunmi
Lee and Suk Hyun Kim (email: hmlee@kiost.ac.kr, shkim@kiost.ac.kr)

Keywords: Cesium, Radioactive, AMP-PAN resin, KNiFC-PAN resin

In this study, we attempted to optimize a rapid preconcentration method by cesium- 137 (137Cs) inseawater (100L) based on a commercial ion-exchange resins (AMP- PAN resin (Ammonium
MolybdoPhosphate- polyacrylonitrile) and KNiFC-PAN resin (Potassium-Nickel Hexacyanoferrate(II)- polyacrylonitrile)). The concentrated 137Cs sample were measured using the High Purity
Germanium (HPGe) Gamma-ray Spectroscopy System (Ortec Inc., USA) with relative detection
efficiency of 100% (energy calibration error within ±1% range and within±5% range). In this study, 137Cs preconcentration was conducted under various conditions. i) Time
(1hour, 3hours, 4hours), ii) Amount of resin (5g, 19g, 25g) andiii) Stirring type (stir, cross-stir, air bubble). First, the sample was reacted with resin for at least 3 hours,
the best recovery rate was 74.6 ± 1.6% for AMP-PAN resin and 94.5 ± 2.6% for KNiFC-PAN resin.
Therefore, all preconcentration experiments were performed for 3 hours. Second, the amount of ionexchange resin (5g, 19g, 25g), when 25g used, AMP-PAN resin was 81.6 ± 2.4% and KNiFC- PAN
resin was 93.8 ± 2.1%, which was 1- 4 times higher than that of 5 g and 19 g. Third, in the case of stirring
type, AMP-PAN resin was 74.60 ± 1.6% and KNiFC-PAN resin was 93.8 ± 2.1% when cross-stirring,
the recovery was more than twice as higher than other stirring-types. Regardless of the reaction
experiment condition, when using KNiFC-PAN resin, it was consistently higher than (about
1.2 times) AMP-PAN resin. In comparison with AMP co-precipitation; it takes about >7 days after
samples were moved to laboratory from the sea; our method 137Cs was able to reduce the to 6 hours for
per-treatment and 8 hours for detection. Our results suggest that this optimized rapid 137Cs analysis inseawater can be used in the event of a radioactive accident requiring urgent monitoring in the ocean.

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Seville, September 17 -22,2023

1-07-02

Radiochemical analysis and evaluation in radioactive samples fordecommissioning of nuclear power plant

Myung Ho Lee, Kyung Sik Kim, Mi Joung Lim, Choon Sung Yoo, Byoung Chul Kim
Korea Reactor Integrity Surveillance Technology
myholee@krist.co.kr
This study presents optimum classification of decommissioning radioactive samples in KORI
Reactor-1. Also, rapid and quantitative sequential radiochemical separation method for Pu, Am, Tc, Sr,
Nb, Fe and Ni isotopes in radioactive samples from the nuclear power plant with extraction
chromatographic resins. After radionuclides were leached from the radioactive samples withconcentrated HCl and HNO3, the radionuclides such as Pu, Am, Nb and Fe isotopes were coprecipitatedwith Fe after filtering the leaching solution with 0.45 micron HA filter, while the Sr, Tc and Ni isotopes
were in the solution. Pu and Am isotopes coprecipitated with Fe were sequentially purified with anion
exchange resin and TRU resin, respectively, on the other hand Tc and Sr isotopes in the solution were
purified with the TEVA resin and the Sr resin, respectively. Also, Nb and Fe isotopes were separated
through anion exchange resin column from Fe coprecipitation step, while Ni isotopes were purified withdimethylglyoxime (DMG) precipitation in the solution. After α source preparation for the purified Pu
and Am isotopes with micro-coprecipitation method, Pu and Am isotopes were measured using alpha
spectrometry. Also, Tc, Sr, Nb, Fe and Ni isotopes were measured using a low level liquid scintillation
counter. The radiochemical procedure for Pu, Am, Tc, Sr, Nb, Fe and Ni isotopes investigated in thisstudy has been applied to the samples for decommissioning main structure of nuclear power plant after
method validation.
Keywords: Sequential Radiochemical Separation, Radioactive Samples, Pu, Am, Tc, Sr, Nb, Fe and
Ni Isotopes, Decommissioning

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Seville, September 17 -22,2023

1-07-03

Sequential extraction of actinides from sediment samples for the analytical
determination of 237Np by AMS
V. Lérida- Toro1, I. Levy2, M. López-Lora1,3, E. Chamizo1, JM. López- Gutiérrez1,41Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Sevilla, Spain.
International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, Monaco. 3Department of
Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
4
Dpto. de Física Aplicada I, E.P.S, Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)
2

Keywords: 237-Np, actinides, Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, sediment

Np (T1/2=2.14 My) studies from environmental samples suppose an analytical challenge due to the237lack of an appropriate long-lived isotopic tracer to control both laboratory procedures and Accelerator
Mass Spectrometry (AMS) analysis. Additionally, the very scarce list of reference materials certified forNp limits the development of new sample preparation methods. 237Np analysis in environmental

237

samples are usually performed using 242Pu as a non-isotopic tracer. To this aim, robust chemical methods
are necessary. The 1 MV AMS system at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) has demonstrated
its potential to analyse actinides radionuclides at ultra-trace levels. A radiochemical method to separate
sequentially U and Np+Pu from seawater samples, and their subsequent isotopic analysis by AMS(236,238U,239,240Pu, 237Np), has been recently setup. In this context, the aim of this work is the adaptationof this method to sediment samples. The challenge lies in the fact that sediments are much more complex
matrixes than seawater samples, since the sample pre-treatment stage plays a key role in the wholeprocess. Moreover, the method is also aimed at the extremely rare radionuclides 244Pu and 233U, forwhich the removal of 232Th is critical. The radiochemical procedure consists of a leaching step followed
by a Fe(OH)2 co- precipitation of actinides and a sequential extraction of U and Pu+Np (including Th
elimination) using TEVA® and UTEVA® extraction chromatography resins in tandem. Finally, themethod is going to be applied systematically to measure 237Np for the first time in sediment samples
provided by the IAEA as reference materials.

200

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22,2023

1-07-04

Simultaneous determination of 210Pb and 90Sr and 210Po isolation in sludge
samples using a plastic scintillation resin and measuring by liquid
scintillation counting
J. Martínez1, M. de los Cobos1, A. Peñalver1, A. Tarancón2,3, I. Giménez3,
H. Bagán3, C. Aguilar1,2, F. Borrull1
1

Department of Analytical and Organic Chemistry, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Unitat deRadioquímica Ambiental i Sanitaria, Consorci d’Aigües de Tarragona (CAT), Ctra. Nacional
340, Km. 1094, 43895 L’Ampolla, Tarragona, Spain
2
Serra-Húnter Professor, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
3
Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, Universitat de Barcelona,
Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Keywords: Secuential separation, plastic scintillation resin, lead, strontium, polonium

The drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) located in L’Ampolla (Tarragona) collects water from theEbro River. This river, besides the influence of the terrain’s lithology is influenced by the presence of a
nuclear power plan. The sludge generated as a by-product of the different water treatment processes inthe DWTP could be useful for assessing the presence of some radionuclides that would otherwise bevery difficult to measure directly in water samples due to their low levels. Among all the radionuclides
we determined in previous studies in sludge samples from the DWTP in L’Ampolla (Tarragona, Spain),
the present study focuses on determining 210Pb, 210Po and 90Sr due to their radiotoxicity.
This study describes a new and fast method for separating 210Po from 210Pb and 90Sr, before
simultaneously measuring the individual activities of the latter two radionuclides using a plastic
scintillation resin (PSresin) in sludge samples taken from a drinking water treatment plant. This approach
speeds up the analysis process significantly by combining separation and measurement in a single step
thus reducing the amount of reagent used. The method is reproducible and has a relative standard
deviation of less than 25% for 210Pb, 210Po and 90Sr. Moreover, the method was satisfactorily validatedwith an intercomparison sample and applied to sludge samples from a DWTP.

201

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22,2023.1-07-05

Improving the measurement of 210Po in seawater samplesÁlvaro López-Rodríguez1,2, José Luis Más-Balbuena3,4, Sarah Lou Giering4,
Cristina García-Prieto1, Juan Mantero Cabrera5, Maria Villa-Alfageme1.
1Dpto. Física Aplicada II, ETSIE, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
2 Facultad de Física, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.

3 Dpto. Física Aplicada I, ETSII, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
4National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK

5Dpto. Física Aplicada II, ETSA, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.

Keywords: Radioactive, disequilibrium, carbon export, seawater, radiochemistry,polonium.

Disequilibrium between the radioactive pair 210Pb-210Po in the ocean provides POC
flux estimations in seawater, which is a key parameter to evaluate local and global
carbon inventories.
The most popular method to extract 210Po from the sea water matrix is based on the
co-precipitation of polonium using Fe(OH)3. Previous studies suggest that thismethod is not robust for the extraction of 210Po in seawater. Because, unlike the addedinternal tracer 209Po, 210Po is tightly associated to the sea water ions and in occasions
it is only partially scavenged by the iron (III) hydroxide, in relation to 209Po. This
results in a systematic underestimation of the 210Po activity measured in seawater
samples. Other methods, such us that one based on Co-APDC, successfully works to
extract equal concentration of 210Po and 209Po. However, Co- APDC is a long,difficult to apply method in cruises in open sea waters.
In this work, a new method based on coprecipitation using Fe2+, instead of Fe3+,
based on the coprecipitation of Fe(OH)2 has been developed and tested in three
seawater profiles. Polonium and lead are pre-concentrated from the bulk sample with
Fe(OH)2. First K2S2O5 is added to the samples, once dissolved, Fe(II) is added asiron sulphate (FeSO4) and the Fe(OH)2 is precipitated by in-creasing the pH to 9
through concentrated ammonia (NH4OH).

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ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

The results obtained in different matrices including mineral, well, ground and seawater, using bothmethods, Fe(II) and Fe(III) validate that i) Fe(II) co- precipitation successfully extracts polonium
and lead isotopes from water matrices;ii) Fe(III) systematically underestimates 210Po concentrations, as reported in previous works; andfinally iii) despite the fact that the extraction yield is usually slightly lower for Fe(II) than for
Fe(III), Fe(II) provides reproducible and higher concentrations of 210Po in relation to Fe(III).
We propose the co-precipitation of Fe(OH)2 as a novel, robust, easy to perform, method to estimate
210Po and 209Po in seawater, in order to accurate evaluate 210Po- derived POC fluxes in seawater.

.

203

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22,2023

1-07-06

Challenges in measuring 22Na in rainfall by gamma spectrometry in thecity of São Paulo, Brazil
S. R. Damatto1, R. M. Domingos1, L. Teixeira1, V. L. Isiki1, M. M. Alencar1, L. Leonardo1,2Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares – IPEN Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 05508-270 - SãoPaulo, Brazil. damatto@ipen.br2
Centro Universitário São Camilo, São Paulo, Brazil.
1

Keywords: Cosmogenic radionuclides, gamma spectometry, 22Na, rainfall

Na-22 is a naturally occurring radionuclide of cosmogenic origin with half live of 2.6 years, being a beta andgamma emitter (541keV and 1274.5keV, respectively). This cosmogenic radionuclide is mainly formed whencosmic rays interact with argon nucleus, occurring a fragmentation of this nucleus. The process of productionof 22Na occur continually in upper atmosphere, lower stratosphere and rainfall is the predominantly process ofdeposition of cosmogenic radionuclides in terrestrial surface. Na-22 together with 7Be (T1/2) = 53.3 d, gamma
ray 476.7keV) can be used as tracers in studies of aerosol transport between layers of the atmosphere. At thesame time 22Na is rarely used in these studies due to its extremely low abundance in rainfall. The objectives ofthis work were to present the first results 22Na activity concentration measured in rainfall collected at the IPEN
campus located in São Paulo, Brazil. Large volumes of rainfall samples were collected from October 2022 toApril 2023, totaling 20 samples, and 22Na activity concentration was measured by non-destructive gamma-ray
spectrometry using a coaxial Be-layer HPGe detector with 46% relative efficiency and associated electronic
devices and live counting time varying from 250,000 s to 500,000 s; the rainfall volumes ranged from 14 L to
164 L. The collection container was previously acidified with 1mol L-1 HNO3 to avoid loss of radionuclide byabsorption on the container walls. The first eight rainfall samples were collected in a catchment area of 1m2,
which was not enough to measure the radionuclide, since all the determined results were smaller than thedetection limit of the methodology. After these results, it was decided to increase the catchment area bycollecting rainfall samples from the roof of the laboratory building, in an area of 78 m2; the container used tocollect samples from this area was also acidified with 1 mol L-1 HNO3. In this new area, 12 rainfall samples
were collected, however, as the volume of rainfall was very large in the rains collected, only one sample wasacidified, a rainfall of 2 mm and a volume of 98 L; in the other samples, the large volume of rain did not allow
the water to become acidic because the collection container overflowed with water. In the acidified rainfall
sample, the result of 0.725 ± 0.252 Bq L-1 was determined for the radionuclide 22Na. With this result, it ispossible to prove the importance of both the catchment area and the acidulation of the sample in thedetermination of trace radionuclides in rainfall samples204

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

POSTER SESSION I
08 NORM

205

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

206

ENVIRA 2023

1-08-01

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Natural radioactivity and radon emanation coefficient ofvarious rocks used in building materials
Kilyong Lee1,2, Sungwon Kim1, Sangyong Kim2, Minyong Park2, Seongjae
Jeong2, Jaeseung Heo2, Jungki Shin2, Yoonyeol Yoon1
1

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. 124 Gwahak-ro,
Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34132, Korea, kylee@neosiskorea.com
2
Neosiskorea, Expo-ro 339beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34122, Korea
Keywords: NORM, activity concentration, radon emanation, building materials

Most building materials derived from rocks and soil contain some naturally occurring
radionuclides (NORM) in the U and Th series, and 40K-40. External exposure iscaused by radionuclides that emit gamma rays, and internal exposure is caused byinhalation of radon (222Rn) and its short-lived radionuclides. The radioactivity of226
Ra, 232Th, and 40K in 30 rock samples were determined using γ- ray spectrometry.
Radon emanation coefficient of the samples were also determined using γ-ray
spectrometry. The radioactivity of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K ranges from 2.71 to 492
Bq/kg, 1.06 to 275 Bq/kg and 22.1 to 1570 Bq/kg, respectively. The radon emanation
coefficient varied from 0.045 to 0.35. The activity concentration index and radon
exhalation rate could be estimated using the radioactivity and radon emanation
coefficient.

207

ENVIRA 2023

1-08-02

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

K, 226Ra, 232Th, 238U, and radiological risks in surface soil
around the Plomin thermal power plant (Istria, Adriatic Sea,
Croatia)40

I. Lovrenčić Mikelić1, G. Ernečić2
1

Laboratory for Low-Level Radioactivities, Division of Experimental
Physics, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb,
Croatia. e-mail: ivanka.lovrencic@irb.hr
2
Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10 000 Zagreb,
Croatia
Keywords: Coal combustion, Doses, Radioactivity, Radionuclides, TENORM, TPP

Plomin thermal power plant (TPP) is the only active coal-fired TPP in Croatia. Coal
combustion produces bottom- and fly ash that are enriched with natural radionuclides
and may represent TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring
Radioactive Material). Fly ash and coal piles stored in the open space may influence
the surrounding area. Plomin TPP influence on the surface soil (0– 10 cm depth) has
been studied depending on the distance from the plant and on the prevailing winddirection. Samples were taken radially around the plant at 1, 5, and 10 km distances.
A profile in the prevailing wind direction was sampled each 100 m from the plant to
1 km distance. 40K, 226Ra, 232Th, and 238U distributions around the plant and theirdependence on the distance from the plant were studied. Radiological risks were
calculated: outdoor absorbed dose rate in air (D, in nGy/h), annual outdoor effective
dose rate (Def, in mSv/yr), and external hazard index (Hex). Their distribution anddependence on distance from the plant were studied as well. Relative contributionsof 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K to D and Hex were determined. Radionuclides’ massic
activities and radiological risks were compared to control samples fromuncontaminated areas. 226Ra and 238U distributions point to TPP’s impact on the soilin the prevailing wind direction, the effect being the strongest at 1 km distance or
less. The same pattern was observed for radiological risks. Hex was higher than therecommended value at one station at 1 km distance from the TPP close to theprevailing wind direction.

208

ENVIRA 2023

1-08-03

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Assessment of radioactivity content in raw and manufacturedbuilding materials in Morocco analysed by high resolution
gamma-ray spectrometry
M. Messouli1, A. Laissaoui2, N. Mejjad2, N. Ziad3, A. Benkdad2, H. Ait
Bouh2, O. ElHammoumi1, A. Fekri1
1Faculty of Sciences Ben M’Sik, University Hassan II, Casablanca,
Morocco. e-mail: mounia22.messouli@gmail.com
2
Centre National de l’Energie, des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires.
BP 1382, RP 10001, Rabat, Morocco
3
Ecole Nationale des Sciences Appliquées, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra,
MoroccoKeywords: Building Materials, Morocco, HPGe gamma spectrometry, gamma index.

In addition to terrestrial and cosmic radiation, building construction materials are
considered as the main source of natural radioactivity responsible for indoor gamma
radiation. Building materials, such as cements, bricks, gypsums, gravels of different
type and origin in Morocco, were analysed by HPGe spectrometry to determine
naturally occurring radionuclide concentrations. Substantial variabilities inconcentrations were found from one matrix to another and from site to site within
the same material. 226Ra, 238U and 40K specific activities were used in Gamma Index
calculation, as indicator of gamma-ray external exposure. The obtained values foreach analysed sample were all below the reference level suggested in the European
Directive 59/2013.
The present work presents, to our knowledge, the first set of data regarding
radiological contents in the most commonly used materials in building construction
in Morocco.

209

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

1-08-04

Distribution of natural radionuclides in horticultural systems
due to phosphate fertilization in Uruguay
A. Noguera1, C. Bañobre1, R. Reboulaz1, G. Azcune1, H. Bentos
Pereira1, L. Fornaro1,
1

Departamento de Desarrollo Tecnológico, Centro Universitario Regionaldel Este, Universidad de la República, Ruta 9 y Ruta 15, Rocha, Uruguay,anoguera@cure.edu.uy
Keywords: Phosphate fertilizers, Naturally occurring radioactive material, Distribution
coefficients

Uruguay is an agricultural country, where thousands of tons of fertilizers are applied
every year. Although the international literature on this subject is vast, to the best of
our knowledge, the radioecological impact of the use of phosphate fertilizers in
Uruguay had not been studied prior to this work. We reported here the first resultson natural radionuclides distribution in an horticultural system due to phosphate
fertilizers marketed in the country. Fertilizer samples from different brands wereacquired in the retail market. The activity concentrations of 238U, 234U and 210Po, were
determined by alpha spectrometry and the activity concentrations of 226Ra232Th, andK by gamma spectrometry. The most representative fertilizers (phosphate rock,40

superphosphates, ammonium phosphate, and NPK) were used for spinach (Spinacia
Oleracea) pots essays. Two representative soils of Uruguay (Canelones´s soil: mudand muddy sand, and Rocha´s soil: sandy mud) were used for the spinach cultivation
with controlled irrigation during three months. The activity concentrations of naturalradionuclides in soil, gravitational water with leachate and spinach crop were
evaluated. The distribution coefficients of the mentioned radionuclides were also
determined in the different matrices. In general, results obtained in the present study
indicated that mobility of radionuclides was low but not negligible in both soils
studied. Future work will be focused on the radiological and radioecological impactof phosphate fertilization in the most representative crop fields (rice, soy, wheat) in
Uruguay and fertilized pastures for livestock.

210

ENVIRA 2023

1-08-05

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

In-situ measurement of radon and thoron exhalation rates
from interior walls in a Japanese building
A. Sakoda1, Y. Ishimori2, Md.M. Hasan3, Q. Jin3, N. Kanzaki1, T. Iimoto3
1
Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency. 1550 Kamisaibara, Kagamino-cho,Tomata-gun, Okayama, Japan. e-mail: sakoda.akihiro@jaea.go.jp
2
Head Office of Tsuruga Decommissioning Demonstration, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 65-20 Kizaki, Tsuruga-shi,
Fukui, Japan.
3
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa campus, Chiba, Japan.

Keywords: Radon, Thoron, In-situ exhalation measurement, Solid wall, Cavity wall

Building materials such as brick and concrete are known to be one of indoor radon (222Rn) and thoron(220Rn) sources. Most radon and thoron exhalation studies have been based on laboratory tests using pieces
and blocks of such materials. To elucidate how laboratory findings can be used in a real-world environment,
we conducted intensive in-situ radon and thoron exhalation tests on interior walls with different structure
types (i.e., solid wall and cavity wall) for over a year.
In this work, exhalation rates were determined based on an accumulation method that employed achamber for covering a wall and a monitor for continuously measuring radon or thoron. Better data analysis
approaches were considered and validated to accurately quantify exhalation rates from readings of radon or
thoron concentration. It was found that: for radon exhalation the interference of and variation in indoor radon
should be considered due to air leakage and resulting air exchange between inside and outside themeasurement system; and for thoron exhalation, the formulation has to be made considering the disintegrationin the measurement system due to its short half- life (55.6 s).
For solid walls, our in-situ tests revealed insignificant influences of environmental parameters, i.e.,
temperature and absolute humidity, on radon and thoron exhalation rates from the walls. This finding was
not contradictory to previous works tested in laboratories, where concrete block samples were subjected tovarious temperature and water content conditions. Meanwhile, a significant linear correlation between theexhalation rates of radon and thoron was obtained for only one of the two walls tested, suggesting a differencein wall characteristics associated with their generation, emanation, or migration processes. For cavity walls,
some distinct characteristics were observed, which will be presented and argued. This study provides aninsight into parameterizing radon and thoron source inputs in modeling the spatial and temporal
dynamics of indoor radon and thoron air concentrations.

211

ENVIRA 2023

1-08-06

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Analysis of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials NORM (Uranium (U-238 & U-235),
Thorium (Th-232) And Potassium (K-40)) In Soil Sample Using Gamma Ray Spectroscopy
Omar Saleh

King Fahd University for Petroleum and minerals, Saudi Arabia

Industrial materials that absorb or emit radionuclides of natural origin would threaten
the environment, the community at large, or workers. These naturally occurring
radioactive materials, which can be found in minerals and ores that were first discoveredin the environment, are frequently referred to as NORM. Radiation management and regulation
are necessary for several NORM materials. In general, radionuclide activity concentrations
in soil and rocks found in the natural environment are minimal Many minerals containsignificant concentrations of uranium, thorium, or potassium, including several that are
exploited economically. The radionuclides may be unevenly distributed among thenumerous components produced by the mining of minerals from the crust of the Earth andtheir physical or chemical processing. The amount of NORM radionuclides in our environment
may considerably rise as a result of these human activities. These industrial activities can
produce NORM in a variety of forms, including ore, process feedstock, intermediate
products, end products, byproducts, and process residue. It can exist in the form of asolid, liquid, or gas. The variety and quantity of radioactive elements varies greatly fromindustrial process to industrial process. For the influencing factors mentioned above,
potential radiation hazards must be located and controlled. Gamma radiation has a high penetration and reacts with matter by ionization it using
three processes: pair creation, Compton scatters, and the photoelectric effect. Because gamma
radiation penetrates the body deeply, its effects can be felt throughout. All nuclear
radiation contains energy that can remove electrons from the atoms and molecules withwhich it interacts (ionizing radiation). This electron ionizing property is causes harm tohuman. As a result, detecting gamma rays in areas where we spend the majority ofour time is critical. In this experiment we have used the NaI(TI) detector in gamma ray
spectroscopy in order to detect and analysis NORM radiations in a soil sample thatcollected from ARAMCO company of oil production wells area in Saudi Arabia. In thisresearch, a thallium activated sodium iodide NaI (TI) scintillation detector has beencalibrated as well. The detector energy and voltage calibrations were performed using
two standard sources of Cs-137 and Co-60.

212

ENVIRA 2023

1-08-07

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Studies on procedure for thorium determination in NPK and micronutrient
fertilizers
G. Szaciłowski1
1

Radiation Protection Measurements Laboratory, Contamination Survey Division, National Centre for Nuclear
Research, ul. A. Soltana 7., 05-400 Otwock, Poland. e-mail: grzegorz.szacilowski@ncbj.gov.pl

Keywords: Phosphate fertilizers, Thorium, NORM, Alpha spectrometry

Observed increase in fertilizer use can be attributed to a combination of factors, including population growth,changes in farming practises (increase in intensive farming), decline in soil fertility and economic pressure
to increase crop yield. Mineral fertilizers are typically classified into three groups based on their primarynutrient content: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). These are commonly referred as NPK
fertilizers. In addition there are also micronutrient fertilizers that contain trace elements such as iron, zinc,copper and manganese, which are essential for plant growth but required in smaller amounts. The NPK
fertilizers are commonly used in large quantities for both agricultural and domestic applications, while
micronutrient fertilizers are more often used in a smaller scale like flower cultivation. Fertilizers can be asource of an external and internal exposure to radiation through the presence of naturally occurring
radioactive elements namely uranium, thorium and their decay products in some types of raw materials used
for their production.
The goal of this research was to the elaborate analytical procedure for thorium determination in small samplesof fertilizers by means of alpha spectrometry. The proposed methodology encompassed microwave digestion
for sample decomposition, ion exchange chromatography for thorium separation. Thin and clear alphasources of thorium were obtained by electrodeposition on stainless steel discs.
The obtained results were characterised by good counting parameters (FWHM below 18 keV for Th-232 and16 keV for Th-230) and satisfactory chemical recovery (the lowest observed value was 35%). The preliminary
studies of several commercially available fertilizers revealed strong connection between fertilizer type andTh-232 concentration.

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Relationship between indoor radon concentration and soilradon concentration and soil uranium and radium content in
Urumqi City
N. Wang1, J. Yang2, B. Jia1, H. Wan2, A. Peng1, C. Yu1, T. Li1
1

School of Geophysics and Information Technology, China University ofGeosciences, 100083, Beijing, China. e-mail: npwang@cugb.edu.cn
2Geological Party No. 216, CNNC, Urumqi, China
Keywords: Indoor radon, Soil radon, Uranium, Urumqi City

Urumqi City is located in the northwesten China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region of China. The climate is cold and dry. Every year, the temperature is lower
than minus 10 degrees Celsius for more than 150 days in winter. In order to find out
the cause of the high indoor radon concentration in the city, a survey of indoor radon
concentration, soil radon concentration and distribution characteristics ofradionuclides in soil was carried out in the district with typical geologicalcharacteristics in the city from 2020 to 2021. The results showed that the distributionof uranium, radium, thorium and potassium-40 in surface soil layer was basicallyuniform, and it is consistent with to the data of 1:200000 geochemical databases. The
specific activity of uranium and radium in surface soils of Yamarik Mountains andthe Black Hill is a little higher. The sites, about 38.1% sites of a total of 63 soil radonmeasuring points, are with concentration of radon in soil higher than 24 kBq/m3.
There was no significant correlation between soil radon concentration and soil
radium specific activity. The indoor radon anomaly sites were located near Yamarik
Mountain in Urumqi City, and the observed instantaneous radon concentration was
higher than 800Bq/m3, and the rooms with indoor radon concentration higher than
100Bq/m3 is about 31.2% of the whole rooms. Most radon concentrations inbasements are higher than 100Bq/m3, and the maximum measured radon
concentration in basements is 2138 Bq/m3. In addition to the high indoor radon
concentration in the residential houses near Yamarik Mountain and the Black Hill,
indoor radon concentration anomalies were also214

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found in other areas. Therefore, the influencing factors of high indoor radon in
Urumqi City should be further studied.
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 41974167).

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Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Definition and assessment of the pollution indexes forradionuclides in the Biosphere Reserves of the Odiel
Saltmarshes (Southwestern Iberian Peninsula)
B. García-González1, A. Barba-Lobo1, J. P. Bolívar1
1

Department of Integrated Sciences, Center for Natural Resources, Healthand Environment (RENSMA), University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain. email: alejandro.barba@dci.uhu.es
Keywords: Phosphogypsum, Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), Natural Radionuclides
Pollution, Radioactive Background, Huelva Estuary

The Huelva estuary is formed by the common mouths of the Odiel and Tinto Rivers,
and inside of this ecosystem is the Biosphere Reserves of the Odiel Saltmarshes
which cover an extension of about 7800 ha. This ecosystem has been historicallyaffected by acid mine drainage which is present in the Odiel River, and the releases
coming from a big chemical industrial complex located at its surroundings, whichstarted in 1965, and especially by for those from phosphoric acid industrial plants
and the phosphogypsum waste stacks (PG). The waters of the Odiel River present
U concentrations that are one order of magnitude higher than unperturbed surface

238

waters, while the liquid releases from PG piles have 238U and 210Pb concentrations
that are 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than natural waters. Until 1998 the 20% of
the PG generated (about 5·105 t/year) was discharged directly into the channels ofOdiel Natural Reserves.
The estuary of the Piedras River was chosen as reference of a non-impacted system
to assess the background values, and the environmental impact in Huelva estuary
was accomplished by using mainly the enrichment factor as pollution index. It has
been demonstrated that the deepest samples of the sediment core taken at Huelva
estuary had similar radionuclide concentrations (depths > 40 cm) than the
background, but surface samples (depths from 0 to 40 cm), were very affected by
U-series radionuclides present in releases that come from the phosphoric acid238

production.

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Activity concentration of natural radionuclides (238U, 226Ra, 232Th,
228
Ra, 210Pb and 40K) in soil amended with niobium tailings
R. M. Ayllon1, J. K. Torrecilla1, C.R. Saueia1, M.B. Nisti1, T. M. El Hajj2,
Furlan3 M. R., P. S. C. Silva1
1
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN – CNEN/SP). Av.
Professor Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 - São Paulo, Brasil. E-mail: rafaellayllon@gmail.br
2
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL-MG), Rodovia José Aurélio
Vilela, 11999, Poços de Caldas, Brazil
3
Universidade de Taubaté (UNITAU – SP), Rua Quatro de Março, 432,
12020-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Keywords: Environmental radionuclides, NORM, gamma spectrometry, soil analysis

The storage of tailing from anthropic activities like mining, which may containradionuclide traces, is a problematic situation consequent from NORM industries
activities and for which they seek alternatives. The study presented in this paper isrelated to carbonate deriving from niobium extraction. This carbonate is stored indams, which can cause an increase in radionuclides and metals concentration,
imposing restrictions on its use. To ensure the safe usage of the residue, it is assessed
the activity concentration of 238U, 226Ra, 232Th, 228Ra, 210Pb and 40K in soil samples aswell as mixture soil + carbonate, soil + carbonate + lime, soil + lime and soil. The
techniques used were gamma spectrometry and instrumental neutron activation
analysis. Activity concentration evaluation was performed before and after thetillage of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), and the soil-planttransfer factor was determined for lettuce. The study of radionuclides and metals
availability in the soil solution is important for a better understanding of the mobilityof contaminants in water/soil systems, in order to estimate the real environmental
impact. Preliminary results show samples with niobium traces presented values
within the recommended world values.

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Assessment of environmental radiological impact of naturally
occurring radionuclides in former metallic mining sites in
Extremadura (Spain)
J. Guillén1, A. Salas1, J.L. Figueredo1, J.J. Tejado2
1LARUEX, Dpt. Applied Physics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universityof Extremadura, Avda. Universidad, s/n, 10003, Cáceres, Spain. e-mail:fguillen@unex.es
2INTROMAC, Avda. Universidad, s/n, 10003, Cáceres

Keywords: radiological impact, mining, naturally occurring radionuclides

Metallic mining had a considerable boom in Extremadura until the middle of the 20th
century, with a large number of mines dedicated to the extraction of Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb,
Ag, Fe, Sn, W, etc. However, due among other reasons to the impoverishment of themineral veins or fluctuations in the price of metals, they have caused the vast
majority of these metal mines to be abandoned, leaving as a legacy tailings with alarge collection of waste. Even though they are not exactly facilities in whichradioactive material is extracted, the waste generated can cause a significant increasein the content of natural radionuclides on the surroundings, becoming considered
NORM (Naturally Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). This paper assess theenvironmental radiological impact of different former metal mining sites in
Extremadura, evaluating the radiological impact both on the population and on theenvironment, estimating the exposure of the different RAPs (Reference Animal and
Plants) contemplated for terrestrial ecosystems.
Acknowledgments: This work has been financed by the Junta de Extremadurathrough the project " Evaluación del impacto radiológico ambiental de la minería
metálica en Extremadura " (IB20060).

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POSTER SESSION I
13 Radionuclides in biota

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Distribution of tritium within different tissues of freshwater
carps from a cooling reservoir of a Nuclear Power Plant in a
Mediterrranean ecosystem
J. Guilléna, P. Rodríguez-Olivera, A. Salasa, A. Reabl, A. Escribanob, D.
Pérezb, J.A. Suárezb
a

LARUEX, Dpt. Applied Physics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universityof Extremadura, Avda. Universidad, s/n, 10003, Cáceres, Spain. e-mail:fguillen@unex.esb
CIEMAT, Protección Radiológica del Público y Medio Ambiente. Avda.
Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain

Keywords: Tritium, OBT, fish, tissue

In the routine operation of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), tritium is released into theenvironment, and it may associate to water molecules or organic molecules, which
later may be incorporated by non-human biota. In order to assess the tritium
distribution in freshwater biota, carps (a representant of freshwater Reference
Animal and Plants) from a cooling reservoir used by a NPP were sampled monthly,and different tissues were separated (muscle, skin and head and bones). Organic
Bound Tritium (OBT) and free tritium were evaluated separately by free-drying thetissues and collecting their extracted water. OBT was determined by a combustion
method and later collection of the water vapour formed in the process. Thus, thedistribution of OBT and free tritium can be assessed within the selected tissues, andthe whole organism.
Acknowledgements
This work was carried out within the project “Regulación de la Evaluación delImpacto Radiológico Ambiental” funded by CSN (Spanish Nuclear Safety Board) inthe call I+D+I 2021.

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1-13-02

Recent trends on bioaccumulation of artificial radionuclides(137Cs, 239+240Pu and 90Sr) in marine organisms from Korea
seas: A comprehensie review
Huisu Lee1, Hyunmi Lee2, Jaeeun Lee1,2, Suk Hyun Kim2, Intae Kim1,2*
1Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology (UST),

Daejeon 34113, South Korea
2Division of Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science andTechnology (KIOST), Busan 49111, South Korea

Keywords: Artificial radionuclides, Marine organism, Bioaccumulation

Radionuclides are known to accumulate in marine organisms of various types, which
can potentially affect humans according to food chain. In South Korea andsurrounding East Asian countries (Japan, China, and Russia), large numbers of
nuclear facilities are currently operating, and new facilities are continuously being
constructed. Especially, nuclear power plants(NPPs) are currently one of thesignificant sources of electricity production in South Korea. After the Chernobyland Fukushima NPP accidents, concens about the bioaccumulation of radionuclides
in domestic and foreign marine products have been raised. In addition, the South
Korea and East Asian countries have shown the highest consumption of marine
products in the world. In this study, we investigate the levels of artificial nuclides invarious marine products (>40 species) from Korea seas from 2015 to present (2023).
We also evaluate the potential dose rates, concentration factoer(CF), and annual
effective dose(AED) of artificial radionuclides. Several studies have revealed thefollowing major facts: i) the artificial radionuclide Cs can be bioaccumulated in fish
according to their growth stage ii) anchovies, a coastal migratory fish with arelatively short lifepan, showed a particularly high bioaccumulation rate ofradionuclides compared to other species iii) the internal organs of fish had a higher
level of 239+240Pu activity than the muscle or skin. In this presentation, we will
introduce these results and other summarized discussion based on latest works.

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Anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in moss samples from Sweden 30
years after the Chernobyl accident
A. Lopez-Fuentes1, E. Chamizo2, R. Thomas3, F. Piñero3, E. Forssell-Aronsson3,4, M. Isaksson3
and J. Mantero1*
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain. e-mail:manter@us.es
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University ofGothenburg, Gothenburg, SE-413 45, Sweden
4
Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, SE-413
45, Sweden
Keywords: Moss samples, 137Cs, natural series radionuclides, Chernobyl

The impact of the Chernobyl accident over Sweden has been widely studied in the literature. In this work,
carried out 30 years (one half-life of 137Cs) after the accident, moss samples were used to crosscheck thepresent values of 137Cs (plus natural series radionuclides from 238U and 232Th series) activity concentrationsin the swedish environment.
To that aim, during several sampling campaigns in 2016 throughout Sweden, more than 30 samples of moss
samples were collected covering from Southern to Northern areas of Sweden. Once in the laboratory, samples
were dried and grinded to be later stored in Marinelly beakers that finally were measured via gamma
spectrometry with HpGe detectors.
Quality controls are regularly applied and as a preliminary results, 137Cs activity concentration (dry weight)
were found in the range 9 to 20100 Bq/kg while 210Pb was found in the range 500 to 2000 Bq/kg. Additionally,
while secular equilibrium was found in the vast majority of samples concerning 232Th series radionuclides,
disequilibrium was found for 238U series radionuclides. All these results will be expressed in Bq/m2 tocorrelate with values from the existing literature.

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Are the accumulated 210Po and 210Pb in Polish wild herbs safe
for consumers?
A. Moniakowska1, D. Strumińska-Parulska1
1Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308Gdańsk, Poland.e-mail: aleksandra.moniakowska@ug.edu.pl
Keywords: Polonium 210Po, Lead 210Pb, herbs, radiological safety

Botanic materials accumulate chemical elements to a different extent and reflect thearea in which they grow. Due to the growing pollution of the natural environment,
there is also an increase in the amount of accumulated toxic compounds, mainly
heavy metals, which may expose patients to the dangerous concentration of thesecompounds to their health. Since 70-80% of the world's population uses
unconventional medicine and treats it as primary health care, it is worth determining
whether the consumption of herbal preparations is safe from a radiological point ofview.
Among naturally occurring radioisotopes, highly toxic emitters, namely polonium
Po and its precursor, radiolead 210Pb, are particularly important. Knowledge of the210

content of both radionuclides in the tested herbs allows for assessing radiotoxicity
and the safety associated with the consumption of medicinal plants growing in
Poland. The results of 210Po and 210Pb activities measured in herbal raw material:
flowers, leaves, shoots, fruits, herbs, cones and roots were from 0.12±0.01 Bq·kg-1
dw in the fruit of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) collected in Gdańsk to
19.6±1.46 Bq·kg-1 dw in leaves of common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) from Kętrzyn
for 210Po, while for 210Pb activity concentrations ranged from 0.16±0.08 to 38.5±0.76
Bq·kg-1 dw. The studies indicated that the estimated annual effective radiation dosefrom Polish herbs consumption was low, ranging 0.14-23.5 µSv from 210Po and 0.1126.5 µSv from 210Pb. There is no radiological risk connected to the use of herbal
plants.

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On the occurrence and related dose assessment from 210Po
and 210Pb in Ukrainian wild medicinal plants
A. Moniakowska1, P. Konieczyński2, K. Block1, R. Lysiuk3, N. Shapovalova3,
D. Strumińska-Parulska1
1Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308Gdańsk, Poland.e-mail: dagmara.struminska@ug.edu.pl2
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al.
Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland
3
Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National
Medical University, 69 Pekarska str., 79010 Lviv, Ukraine
Keywords: Polonium 210Po, Lead 210Pb, herbal material, radiation risk assessment

The 13 most popular wild herbaceous and woody plant species included in theEuropean Pharmacopoeia collected across Ukraine were analysed, and 210Po andPb activity concentrations were calculated. The results of 210Po and 210Pb

210

activities measured in herbal raw material: flowers, leaves, and aerial parts were from
2.28±0.17 Bq·kg-1 dry weight in herb of common horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
collected near Lviv to 37.7±2.02 Bq·kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch (Betula
pendula) from Rava Ruska for 210Po, while for 210Pb from 1.19±0.08 Bq·kg-1 dw inherb of common horsetail from Lviv to 28.4±0.76 Bq·kg-1 dw in leaves of common
birch from Mizhhirya. There were statistically significant differences between 210Po
and 210Pb content in flowers, leaves, and aerial portions. The studies indicated thatthe estimated annual effective radiation dose from Ukrainian herbs consumption waslow, ranging 5.00-82.6 µSv from 210Po and 0.5635.8 µSv from 210Pb.

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1-13-06

Measurements of 90Sr, 239+240Pu and 241Am in white-tailed
eagles in Sweden and Poland

Per Törnquist1, J.W. Mietelski2, Sylwia Blazej2, Mats Eriksson1
1

Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Divisionof Radiological Sciences, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
2

The Henryk NiewodniczanÂlski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Acdemyof Sciences, 31-342 Kraków, Radzikowskiego 152 St, Poland
Keywords: White-tailed Sea Eagle, bones, 90Sr, 239+240Pu, Studsvik, Sweden, Poland

White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) are top predators in the ecosystem and can potentiallyaccumulate contaminants, including radionuclides, like 90Sr, 239+240Pu or 241Am, in their bones. In
this work, bone samples from three Swedish eagles that were gathered at various places in Sweden
were examined for 90Sr, 239+240Pu and 241Am, and the results were compared with analogous datafrom Polish eagles examined in 2005. Two of the Swedish eagles were found dead 100 km southof Stockholm, close to the nuclear research facility Studsvik, which has been releasing
anthropogenic nuclides into the environment since 1959. The third Swedish eagle was found deadin 2006 in Gällivare, about 950 km northwest of Stockholm. The bones were collected by The
Swedish Museum of Natural History. Despite Studsvik being the largest source of 90Sr emissions
in the Baltic Sea region, the highest concentrations of 90Sr in bones are not found in eagles from thevicinity of Studsvik, but rather in the eagle from Gällivare. The levels of 239+240Pu, however, are thegreatest in the bones of eagles raised near the nuclear research facility. Regardless, levels of both
Sr and 239+240Pu are the lowest in the Polish eagles. In Poland and Gällivare, the activity ratio of90

Sr to 239,240Pu is the greatest, reaching 1700-1900. Eagles in the Studsvik area have a90

corresponding activity ratio of 170 to 480. The different ratios might be attributed to the different
meals that the eagles in each region consumed and to variations in the mechanisms by which Pu
and Sr were incorporated into bones through nutrition and inhalation. Different fallout rates fromboth worldwide nuclear weapons testing and the disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power facility
are other crucial factors. The levels of 241Am were below MDA (22 mBq/kg) for all of the Swedish
eagles, but not for all of the Polish eagles. Our findings emphasize the importance of monitoring
radionuclide releases into the environment and their potential impacts on top predators.

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URANIUM CLEARANCE KINETICS IN HAIR AFTER THE CESSATION
OF CHRONIC WORKPLACE EXPOSURE
Ibtisam Yusuf1*, Edvin Hansson2,3, Mats Eriksson2 and Håkan B.L. Pettersson1
1Department of Medical Radiation Physics, and Department of Health, Medicine and Caring

Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
2 Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
3Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB, Bränslegatan 1, 72136 Västerås, Sweden*Ibtisam.Yusuf@regionostergotland.se (*Corresponding author’s email)Keywords: uranium, excretion, hair, nuclear fuel cycle
Preferred: Poster

Human hair is seen as a potential biomarker for retrospective assessment of uranium exposure due toadvantages such as robustness, easy handling and the possibility to obtain information of internal dosimetryeven long after exposure. Workers retiring from a nuclear fuel fabrication plant were recruited to this study.
The workers provided hair samples regularly for up to 6 years. The hair samples were analyzed with alpha
spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to quantify the 234U, 235U and
U content in the hair. The excretion in hair was evaluated in relation to urinary data from a connected study

238

of long-term excretion to urine for the same workers. A major advantage in the present study is the possibility
to discern the endogenous uranium component from the exogenous component, a factor that has been difficult
to assess in previous studies of uranium in hair where exogenous hair exposure could not be avoided. The
aim is to determine the long-term excretion of uranium to hair after long-term chronic workplace exposure,evaluate the endogenous component and investigate the relationship between excretion to hair and to urine.

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POSTER SESSION I
14 Radioecology

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Identification and characterization of the radioactive fraction in black sands
C. Bañobre1, I. Vioque2, L. Fornaro1, R. García-Tenorio2,3
1

Departamento de Desarrollo Tecnológico, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República,
Ruta 9 y Ruta 15, Rocha, Uruguay. E-mail: crisbmiguelez@gmail.com
2
Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
3
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
Keywords: Black sand, Uranium, Thorium, Monazite.

Black sands are sedimentary accumulations formed by high concentrations of heavy minerals such as
ilmenite, magnetite, rutile, zircon, and monazite, present in different parts of the world.
These black sand deposits (or placer deposits) are formed because of processes of mechanical erosion,transport and hydrodynamic or wind classification, generating the preferential concentration of minerals ofgreater density in longitudinal sheets. In general, heavy minerals have common characteristics such as highphysical resistance, great chemical stability, and high specific gravity.
Depending on the characteristics of the parent rock (provenance), black sand deposits can be enriched in rareearths and contain significant amounts of radionuclides of the uranium and thorium natural series. Placer
deposits constitute a challenge in radioecology because the behavior of natural radionuclides and theirtransfer to different environmental compartments can be affected by the presence of radionuclides in amineral fraction associated with individual inert particles.
This work focuses on the study of a black sand deposit present on the east coast of Uruguay, where an averagecontent of 5% of heavy minerals was determined. Once the heavy minerals were separated by gravimetricand magnetic procedures, each mineral fraction was characterized to determine the fraction responsible forthe activity.
In a first stage, the radioactive content in the different minerals was screened by autoradiography andcontinued with the determination of their elemental composition by SEM-EDX.
Based on these results, we can affirm that the fraction responsible for the radioactivity of the black sands ismonazite, mainly due to the thorium content and to a lesser extent to the uranium content. The presence ofmonazite inclusions detected with EDX in ilmenite samples can contribute to the total activity, especiallyconsidering that ilmenite is the most abundant mineral in heavy minerals.

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Radioecological investigationof a contaminated site in southern Germany
S. Bister1, F. Dohrmann1, L. Drieling1, C. Walther1
1Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz University
Hanover, Germany
Keywords: contamination, Cs-137, Am-241, Plutonium

In spring 2021, an internet blog reported on elevated local dose rate along theHirschgraben, which runs as a receiving watercourse of the Karlsruhe Institute ofTechnology (KIT) and drains the rainwater network of the campus via six sand traps.
KIT campus north, formerly known as research center Karlsruhe was one of thelargest federal nuclear research laboratories in Germany. For verification purposes,
the KIT Safety and Environment Department carried out measurements andsampling at the Hirschgraben, which revealed increased dose rates of up to 300
nSv/h, especially at Sand Trap V. However, the final result of the KIT report to thesupervisory authority, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment,completely ruled out risk to humans and the environment due to the contamination.
Nevertheless, there was interest in further investigating the causes of contamination.
Therefore, in cooperation with the Institute of Radioecology and Radiation
Protection (IRS) of the Leibniz University Hanover, soil samples were taken at Sand
Trap V, which are analysed using radiometric methods. In particular, the nuclides
Cs-137, Am-241 and the various plutonium isotopes are in the focus of attention.
Based on the isotope signatures and decay equilibria, conclusions were drawn on thepossible origin of the contamination.

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1-14-03

Radiopharmaceutical waste and its impact on the environment
Maria Hanane El Hassane1, Ghania Medkour Ishak-boushaki2
1

Faculty of pharmacy, Algiers, Algeria
SNIRM Laboratory, Faculty of Physics, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediène, LP 32 ElAlia Bab Ezzouar, Algiers Algeria
2

Keywords: radiopharmaceutical waste, environment, radiation protection

Radiopharmaceuticals are radioisotopes produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators.
These radioactive drugs, widely used in fight against cancer and others diseases, have shown a great
success. In nuclear medicine the radionuclides used for diagnosis, produce an image of the organ or
tissues, of interest, in the patient’s body. The use of radiopharmaceutical associated to the recent
advancements in imaging technology are promising in solving a wide range of clinical problems.
On the other hand, the number of patients administered radiopharmaceuticals is increasing
rapidly, leading to an increase in radioactive waste. It should be noted that the treatment of radioactive
waste is expensive and time- consuming.
In this study, we list the radioisotopes commonly used in medicine. We give their radioactive
characteristics and specify the purpose and the medical field of their applications. We focus on theapplied procedures for the treatment and storage of radiopharmaceutical waste, we are mainly interested
in the assessment of the radioactive risk of environment contamination, essentially water contamination,
if the waste treatment is not rigorously applied and this by respecting the radiation protection rules asrecommended by the international organisations as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

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Anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in soil profiles offorest ecosystem in vicinity of the BelNPP
O. Jefanova1, J. Mažeika1, I. Baužienė1
1

State Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, 08412 Vilnius,
Lithuania. e-mail: olga.jefanova@gamtc.lt
Keywords : Vertical distribution, 137Cs, 7Be, 210Pb, 214Pb

To assess the radioecological situation in the area of the Belarusian NPP (BelNPP),
moss and soil material from soil profiles in the forest ecosystem was collected in
the Lithuanian part of the 30-km zone. Terrestrial mosses, forest soil organic andmineral soil samples collected from the pine forest ecosystem in the summer of2022 were studied by gamma spectrometric method. As shown by our previous
work on the analysis of samples collected in 2017, anthropogenic radionuclides(137Cs and 239, 240Pu) in the 30-km zone of the BelNPP were mainly due to global
fallout after nuclear tests. At some sampling points, radionuclides from the
Chernobyl accident were present in a small proportion. Samples taken in 2022, witha more detailed resolution compared to 2017, made it possible to more accurately
assess the vertical distribution of not only the anthropogenic radionuclide (137Cs),
but also some natural radionuclides (7Be, 40K, 210Pb and 214Pb). An analysis of thesedata and relationships between anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in eight soil
profiles is presented in this study.

233

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-05

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Characterization and assessment of 137Cs, 90Sr and 40K radioactivity of fivespecies of herbs collected in two regions of central Poland
M. Kazimierowicz1, M. Kardaś1, S. Neffe2
1

Radiation Hygiene Department, Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection, Konwaliowa 7 Street, 03-194
Warsaw, Poland, m.kazimierowicz@clor.waw.pl
2
Faculty of Advanced Technologies and Chemistry, Military University of Technology, gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2
Street, 00-908 Warsaw

Keywords: radioactivity, herbs, K-40, Sr-90, Cs-137, mint, hypericum perforatum, tansy, horsetail, nettle

As the usage of various plants for health purposes is gaining popularity afresh the need for assessment of
their radionuclide contamination is also growing in importance. Peppermint, hypericum perforatum, tansy,
horsetail, and nettle were selected as research material. Chosen herbs species were obtained from plantations
located in two regions of Poland - Podlasie and Kurpie.
The study describes the measurement of 90Sr radioactivity by radiochemical method and the measurement of
Cs and 40K radionuclides activity by gamma-ray spectrometry. Measurements in the radiochemical method

137

were conducted with the use of a Low-Level Beta GM Multicounter System and in gamma-ray spectrometry– using Canberra spectrometric system with GENIE 2000 software and a Tennelec AL.30 HPGe detector.
The connection between the obtained results of radioactive concentration of said radionuclides in plant
samples and the radioactive concentrations of radionuclides contained in soils from corresponding to themregions were also analyzed, as well as the influence of available in the literature, average concentrations ofchemical analogs of strontium and caesium – calcium and potassium on radioactive concentrationsof

this radionuclides. The highest obtained value for 90Sr was 8,91± 0,94 Bq/kg for nettle while the lowest result
was 1,01 ± 0,18 Bq/kg for tansy. For 137Cs highest and lowest results were: 7,37 ± 0,40 Bq/kg (nettle) and<0,5 Bq/kg (peppermint and tansy) respectively. Radioactive concentrations of 40K were higher in thesamples from Podlasie than from the Kurpie region. In the case of the radioactive concentration of 137Cs, aninverse dependence is visible - higher values were found in samples from the Kurpie region.
The level of radioactivity of the tested herbs, which could pose a threat to people consuming them, was notfound. However, significant gaps in the literature were noted, suggesting the need for more research.

234

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-06

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Presentation of the CERES platform used to evaluate
consequences on population of releases of pollutants
M. Monfort, M. Lambert Wentzler, L. Patryl et P. Armand
1

CEA, DAM, DIF, 91297
marguerite.monfort@cea.fr

ArpajonCedex.

Francee-mail:Keywords: impact evaluation, radionuclides, atmospheric accidental releases, authorized
releasesThis presentation is relative to the CERES® platform developed by CEA and used
to evaluate the impact on population of releases of radionuclides in the environment.
In order to ensure that the part "Dosimetric impact on population" presented in safety
reports submitted to authorities by CEA's installations follows regulations and same
parameters when justified. French energy atomic commission has developed the
CERES platform in the early 2000's. It is used by all CEA sites and other French
nuclear operators for safety cases and for emergency assessment.
However, as this application is quite old, it has been decided to develop a new version,
enlarging the capacities of calculations and incorporating new features new demands such asexternal dose coefficients function of age. In addition, for emergency situations,recommendations from CODIRPA has been implemented, helping users to determine
counter-measures zones such as "evacuation perimeter".
The Graphical User Interface of this new tool is user friendly and the edition of results is very
rapid. The RN database contains more than 900 radionuclides, in order to consider all RN
used in CEA installations, reactors and laboratories. This database is regularly upgraded when
new data are available, such as dose coefficients or transfer in food chain.

CERES: Code d'évaluations rapides environnementales et sanitaires (Environmental
and Sanitary rapid assessment code)235

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

1-14-07

Vertical distribution of Cs-137 in uncultivated soil at selected sites in the Czech Republic
M. Nováková, L. Gryc, I. Češpírová
National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO, v.v.i.), Prague, Czech Republic
Keywords: Vertical distribution of Cs-137, in-situ gamaspectrometry, soil

Radioisotope Cs-137 released into the air in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident can still be detectedin some places, not only in the Czech Republic, due to the fallout of radioactive air masses. It has a half-lifeof 30 years, so at present, 37 years after the accident, its activity should be about half that at the time of the
fallout. However, this assumption is purely theoretical and not always valid under field conditions. The
mobile group of SÚRO, v.v.i. has been taking soil samples for a long time and monitoring Cs-137
concentrations in soil by in-situ spectrometry at several sites in the Czech Republic. The sampling sites wereselected on the basis of the assumption of higher Cs-137 occurrence according to data obtained fromextensive ground monitoring in the period after the Chernobyl accident and other additional measurements.
The physicochemical properties and processes of the soil, the composition or the purpose of human use of
these soils also have a significant influence on the distribution of Cs-137.

236

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-08

Seville, September 17 -22,2023

Radio-caesium and Pu isotopes in the sediment cores in
Yunnan plateau lakes, Southwest China: Distribution andsource identification
Shaoming Pan1, Haiting Guo1, Mengmeng Wu1
1

The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of
Education, School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University,
Nanjing, 210023, China. e-mail: span@nju.edu.cn
Keywords: Chernobyl accident, transport pathways, 137Cs sedimentation model, 1986 timemarker

Anthropogenic radionuclides of 137Cs and plutonium in lake deposition systems havebeen applied for tracing the environmental impact of nuclear events as well as formodern sediment dating. The source and transport pathways of these fallout
radionuclides in the Yunnan Plateau are not clarified. In this work, 137Cs and 239,240Pu
in undisturbed sediment cores from three lakes were investigated in order to elucidate
their distribution and source terms in the Yunnan Plateau. All 137Cs activity profiles
generally show a maximum peak in the deep layer along with a small sub-peak in theupper layer. A 137Cs sedimentation model was applied to validate that the maximum
peak and sub-peak correspond to the global fallout maximum year in 1963 and theChernobyl accident in 1986, respectively. Hysplit forward trajectory analyses
suggest that the radionuclides released from Chernobyl accident were transported to
the Yunnan Plateau by the southern branch of westerly. Unlike 137Cs, only amaximum peak could be observed in 239+240Pu activity profiles but no sub- peak inthe corresponding upper layers. This is due to the differential deposition ofChernobyl-derived Pu and Cs in sediments, which is determined by their hostparticles and atmospheric transport mechanisms. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in thecore sediment samples were much lower than the values for Chernobyl accident,
suggesting that no obviously Chernobyl accident Pu signature was recorded in thestudied lakes. Our work suggest that the undisturbed sediments can provide afavourable record for monitoring atmospheric fallout and identifying the source
terms of radioactive pollutants in the Yunnan Plateau region.

237

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023
1-14-09

Cs and Isotopic Pu “Zero Point” Screening for
Potential Anthropogenic Radionuclide Fall-out in Eastern
Lithuania
137

Andrius Puzas (andrius.puzas@ftmc.lt)1, Christian Bernhardsson (christian.bernhardsson@med.lu.se)2,
Guillaume
Pédehontaa-Hiaa(guillaume.pedehontaa-hiaa@med.lu.se)2,
MattiasJönsson2
2(mattias.jonsson@med.lu.se) , Sören Mattsson (soren.mattsson@med.lu.se) , Nikolaj Tarasiuk(nikolaj.tarasiuk@ftmc.lt)1, Marina Konstantinova (marina.konstantinova@ftmc.lt)1, Rasa Gvozdaitė
(rasa.gvozdaite@ftmc.lt)1,
Rūta
Druteikienė
(ruta.druteikiene@ftmc.lt)1,
Vida
Juzikienė
1
1(vida.juzikiene@ftmc.lt) , Vidmantas Remeikis (vidmantas.remeikis@ftmc.lt)
1– Center for Physical Sciences and Technology,
LITHUANIA
2– Lund University, SWEDEN

Anthropogenic radionuclides can travel tens and hundreds of kilometres away from its emission source andunder favourable meteorological conditions still be detected. In order to determine and assess newcontributions to the anthropogenic radionuclide balance in the current environment and to firmly distinguishnew contributions from previous global nuclear tests or earlier emissions from nuclear facilities, it is importantto screen the “zero point” anthropogenic radionuclide isotopic composition and activity values, e.g. aroundnew operating nuclear facilities. In this work the radiochemical separation, gamma-, alpha- and massspectrometry measurement techniques were combined to determine concentrations and compositions ofanthropogenic radionuclide isotopic composition in soil samples collected in Lithuania within 70 km radiusaround the Belarussian nuclear power plant in Astravec. Spectrometric measurements were performed with thestate-of-the-art alpha spectrometer and gamma spectra were recorded by gamma spectrometer with HPGe
coaxial detector. Radionuclide isotopic ratios were measured by a sector field mass spectrometer combinedwith a high sensitivity APEX IR sample introduction system. In this work 137Cs/239,240Pu,
238Pu/239,240Pu, 240Pu/239Pu isotopic “finger print” values revealed that previous nuclear weapon tests in
the Northern hemisphere are prevailing in the most of the sampling sites.

238

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

1-14-10

Questioning to disposal of spent fuel at the Laguna Verde
Nuclear Power Plant- Mexico
B. Salas 1
1

Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences. National Autonomous University of
Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico. E mail: salasmarb@ciencias.unam.mx
Keywords: Radioactive waste, nuclear plant, plutonium

The spent fuel from the two nuclear reactors of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant(LVNPP) in Mexico, which contains radionuclides such as Plutonium-239, Cesium-137,
Krypton-85, Uranium-238 and Uranium-235, has remained for many years at highly securesites such as the spent fuel pools of the Reactor's buildings, which are located within the
double perimetral fence that has television cameras and intruder detectors, and is guarded byarmed security personnel. These conditions have been modified due to the authorization to
construct a "Spent Fuel Warehouse" located outside the double fence, without having
previously made the "Environmental Impact Statement" necessary for this type of high risk
facilities; the authorization was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources(MENR) to the LVNPP, according to Official Letter No. SGPARN.02.IRA.3134/ 14 dated July 4, 2014. The projected site involves risks; the container will present problems
due to the aging of the materials and the saline corrosion of the natural cooling system; theincidence of hurricanes might affect their integrity. We point out that Plutonium 239 is amaterial for the construction of nuclear weapons. The present paper analyzes the permit andinstallation questioned, and proposes an alternative solution to solve the problems cited,
minimizing the risks to the population and the Environment. The authorizations have beensigned by an official who does not have any type of training in Radiological Protection or
Nuclear Safety. This paper was written at the Department of Physics at the Faculty of
Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico239

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-11

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Determination of biobased carbon content in Argentine
industry products by AMS
L. Paredes Gramegna1, M. Fuhr2, J.A. Galván Moreno3, F.J. Santos
Arévalo3
1Centro de Espectrometría de Masas con Acelerador, Comisión Nacional deEnergía Atómica, Ezeiza, Argentina.
2Dirección Nacional de Bioeconomía, Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganaderíay Pesca, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
3 Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (Universidad de Sevilla, CSIC, Junta deAndalucía), Avd. Thomas Alva Edison 7, 41092-Seville, Spain
Keywords: Bioeconomy, Biobased products, Biobased carbon content, Carbon isotopes,
AMS

Made from renewable raw materials, biobased products are proposed as an effective
strategy for climate change mitigation and fossil origin products substitution forbioeconomy development. In order to encourage biobased products manufacturing
and demand, Argentine State has released the Argentine Bioproduct label, whichhelps consumers recognize biobased products when shopping. An analytical method
is needed by manufacturers to demonstrate their products to be biobased.
Biobased carbon content is the fraction of carbon in a product that comes fromrenewable sources. By measuring 14C and the other carbon isotopes, AMS(Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) provides an excellent analytical method forbiobased carbon content asessment. Only products showing enough biobased carbon
content may get the label for exportation.
Sixteen samples from products made by Argentine industry were collected, turned
to graphite, and assessed by AMS at CNA. Results of biobased carbon content arepresented.

240

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-12Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Effects of NH4+ Origin on 137Cs desorption from Lake
Sediments
Hideki Tsuji1, Hironori Funaki2, Mirai Watanabe1, Seiji Hayashi11National Institute for Environmental Studies, Fukushima Regional
Collaborative Research Center, 10-2, Fukasaku, Miharu, Tamura,
Fukushima, Japan. e-mail: tsuji.hideki@nies.go.jp
2
Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 45-169, Kaihama-sukakeba, Minamisoma,
Fukushima, Japan.
Keywords: Cesium-137, Sediment, Desorption, Ammonium

Many studies have found that 137Cs is desorbed from lake sediments by exchangewith NH4+. NH4+ in the lake bottom environment can be attributed to organic matterdecomposition under anaerobic conditions (internally generated) or to loads fromlake catchment due to such as farming activities (externally supplied), but thedifference of the NH4+ origin on 137Cs desorption from sediment has not been
unveiled. In this study, we collected sediments from a dam lake contaminated with
Cs to evaluate how the concentration of desorbed 137Cs differs due to the137

internal/external increase of NH4+ by static incubation tests and shaking tests.
Sediment incubation tests under constant temperature conditions revealed that the
distribution coefficient of 137Cs in the sediment was inversely proportional to theNH4+ concentration in the pore water (extracted by centrifugation), indicating that
ion exchange between 137Cs and NH4+ was in equilibrium. On the other hand, whenwater adjusted to several levels of NH4+ concentrations (10-2-101 mg L-1) was added
to the sediment, shaken in 150 rpm for 48 hours and the pore water was extracted bycentrifugation, the decrease in the distribution coefficient of 137Cs in response toincreasing NH4+ concentration was slower than in the incubation test. This result
suggests that the externally added NH4+ did not reach the adsorption site of 137Cs on
the mineral particles and did not reach the expected equilibrium with internally
increased NH4+. Therefore, when modeling the 137Cs behavior in lakes where NH4+
concentrations easily fluctuate, it is necessary to apply different calculations
depending on whether the origin of NH4+ is internal or external.

241

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-13

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Transuranic signals in rabbit feces collected at the contaminated terrestrial siteof Palomares (Spain)
I. Vioque1, R. García-Tenorio1,2, G. Manjón1
1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012Sevilla, Spain. e-mail: ivioque@us.es
2
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
Keywords: Radioactive particles, Palomares, actinides, rabbit feces.

On January 17, 1966, a B-52 bomber and a KC-135 tanker aircraft, both belonging to the United States Air
Force, collided during mid-air refueling over Palomares (Spain). Both aircraft were destroyed, and the four
thermonuclear bombs carried by the bomber fell to the ground. Two of the bombs remained intact due totheir parachutes, while the other two impacted the ground, causing part of their chemical explosive to detonate
and spreading a significant amount of nuclear fuel in the form of plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) oxides.
Despite cleaning efforts, today we continue to detect radioactive particles in the area of the accident.
Our work focuses on studying possible impacts of the accident on biological systems using rabbit feces as amarker. Feces are appropriate indicators of the accident's impact on the biological systems in the area, as they
are the final result of the food chain.
Our goal is to search for radioactive particles formed by elements from the bombs in animal feces. Identifying
these radioactive particles in rabbit feces allows us to determine the main route of contamination: the animals
consumption of material that contains radioactive particles adhered to its surface.
We have used advanced techniques such as autoradiography, gamma spectrometry, computed tomography,
scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray microfluorescence to find radioactive particles in feces and detect
the presence of radioactive elements in numerous samples. The coincidence of the elements found in our
samples with those that composed the bombs demonstrates the existence of contamination in the environment
and its impact on some biological systems in the area.

242

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-14

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Tritium Distribution of Groundwater near Geum River andNakdong River Basin in Korea
Yoon Yeol Yoon1, Dong Chan Ko1, Hanna Choi1
1

Climate Change Response Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience andMineral Resources(KIGAM), 124 Gwahang-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34132,
Korea. e-mail: yyyoon@kigam.re.kr
Keywords: Tritium Distribution, Keum river, Nakdong river, groundwater

Recent climate change caused low precipitation in some area but water demandrapidly increases due to industrialization and population growth, therefore, theavailable water resources are gradually decreasing. As water shortages become more
severe, stable water resources are increasingly necessary and groundwater is being
recognized as a valuable alternative. For the sustainable use and efficient water
management in the midwestern part of South Korea, it is necessary to understand theregional distribution of surface water and groundwater quality. To overcome water
demand, we studied groundwater near the Geum river and Nakdong river basin andlarge amount groundwater possible regions were selected and 3H content distribution
was analysed for knowing groundwater residence time. 3H content distributions of
Nakdong river basin ranged <0.3 ~ 4.15 TU at CN region and <0.3 ~ 3.63 TU at HC
region. And average 3H content of Geum river basin was 2.19 TU at KS region, 2.15
TU at KJ region, 2.38 TU at NS region and2.88 TU at BO region.

243

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-15

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Evaluation of the New Environmental Radiological
Surveillance Network of the Basque Country
N. Alegría1, M.A. Hernández-Ceballos2, I. Peñalva1, J.M. Muñoz3, A. Freire1,
E. Céspedes1, F. Legarda4
1

Energy Engineering Department, University of the Basque Country(UPV/EHU), Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo nº1, 48013 Bilbao, Spain. email: natalia.alegria@ehu.eus
2
Department of Physics, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
3
Department of Industry, Basque Government, 01003 Vitoria, Spain
4
Autonomous, 48012 Bilbao, Spain
Keywords: Dose Rate, Environmental, Surveillance, Network
Countries usually update/improve the performance of the radiation-monitoring networks forestablishing response actions and assessing risk or damage. One of the task carried out isfocused on the optimization of the present set of monitoring stations with the aim of detecting
quite rapidly the release and delineating and tracking the plume. The use of atmosphericdispersion models is needed to address this evaluation. The autonomous community of theBasque Country has its own automated network, similar to that of the CSN (Consejo deSeguridad Nuclear). From 2001 to 2022 the Environmental radiological Surveillance
Network of the Basque Country had 3 station located in the most populated areas of theBasque Country. Nowadays, a new design comprising 11 monitoring stations, has been
implemented, considering the posibility of a radiological incident caused by the nearest
Nuclear Power Plants, both in Spain and France. The present analysis has evaluated the
response of this monitoring network to radioactivity plumes from different NPPs undermeteorological conditions favouring the transport towards the Basque Country. Consideringthat transport, dispersion and ground deposition of radioactivity substances in air vary
according to the change in time and space of meteorological conditions, the present
methodology combines the calculation of air mass trajectories from each NPP by the
HYSPLIT model and the RASCAL code to simulate the dispersion and transport of theplumes and the radiological dose associated. At this moment, there are 11 stations located in
the autonomous community of the Basque Country, see figure, and the number of non-detection situations is decreasing.

244

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

1-14-16

Behaviour of transuranic (Np, Pu, Am) and fission products (99Tc, 129I) in theenvironment in the Northeast Asia
A. Rozhkova1, J.L. Liu2, S.D. Zhu3, S .Xing3, N. Kuzmenkova1, V. Petrov1, E. Tokar4, Qi Liu2,
K. Shi3, S. Kalmykov1, X. Hou2,3
Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1 Bld. 3, Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991, Russia
Xi’an AMS center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, 710069, China
3
School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
4
Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 159, Prosp. 100-letya Vladivostoka,
Vladivostok 690022, Russia
1
2

Keywords: Japan Sea, bottom sediments, actinides, low level radioactivity, fission products, environment
Here, we report for the first time that the level and distribution of anthropogenic radionuclides in bottom
sediments of a lake and sea in the northeast Asia and their radioecological impact.
A sediment sampler has been modernized, produced and tested, for sampling imarine and fresh water
sediment. In total, 7 sediment cores from Lake Khanka (Xingkai) and 10 soil cores around it; 12 sedimentcores from Japan Sea (Ussuri and Amur Bays) were taken. Water samples (200-300 L) were also collected.
The sediment samples were analyzed by XRD (Advance D8 device (Bruker) with CuKα radiation), XRF(Shimadzu EDX-800HS), γ-spectrometry (ORTEC GEM-C5060P4-B). The concentration of 237Np, 239, 240Pu,
241

Am, and 99Tc was determined by chemical separation followed by ICP-MS/MS measurement, 129I

in water was separated by solvent extraction and measured by AMS in the Xi’an AMS center.
The sedimentation process was uniform over the investigated period. The sedimentation rate in the easternpart of Lake Khanka (Xingkai) was estimated to be 1.6 mm/year, and 0.43–0.5 mm/year in Amur Bay. Thiswas confirmed both based on the content of Pbex and Cs, and Pu. The concentrations of 240Pu, 241Am, 99Tc in
sediment samples are below detection limits in Khanka sediment core. Actinides are mainly from the global
fallout of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing during 1950s-1970s. In marine bottom sediments, 241Am wasdetermined in the amount of 0.05-0.55 mBq/g, depending on the depth of the horizon. The 129I/127I atomic
ratios in the fresh water [(0.87–1.13)×10−8] are two orders of magnitude higher than those in the sea water[(0.91–1.15)×10−10]. 129I deposited on the land and flowed into sea from the river was quickly diluted in theseawater, causing a declined 129I concentration, the orders of magnitude higher stable 127I concentration inseawater compared to the fresh water enlarged the difference on the 129I/127I atomic ratios. The actual content
of 237Np in bottom sediments varies from 4.43×10-5 to 1.06×10-6 mBq/g for the bottom sediments of Lake
Khanka and (1.05-25.17)×10-4 for the Amur Bay.
Acknowledgement: The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (21-43-00025), the National
NatureScienceFoundation

of

China

(22061132004)(132B61KYSB20180003).

245

and

ChineseAcademyof

Sciences

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-17

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Gross alpha and gross beta radionuclides contamination of surface waters inheavily industrialized areas near Warsaw (central Poland)
M. Kazimierowicz1, A. Fulara1, S. Neffe2
1
Radiation Hygiene Department, Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection, Konwaliowa 7, 03-194 Warsaw,
Poland, m.kazimierowicz@clor.waw.pl
2
Faculty of Advanced Technologies and Chemistry, Military University of Technology, gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2,
00-908 Warsaw

Keywords: surface waters, gross alpha, gross beta

Water is a chemical substance that is necessary for living organisms to function, but its daily intake

isassociated with the possibility of long-term exposure to increased activity of radionuclides in the caseofconsumption of water contaminated with them. Measurements of surface water radiation activity are also an
important element of environmental radiation monitoring [1].
Warsaw, being capital city of Poland, which is placed near numerous transit routes has plenty of heavily
industrialized areas. The aim of the study was to examine the level of gross alpha and beta radioactive
contaminations in water reservoirs located in such places (e.g., near highways).
Eight samples were obtained from ponds in and around the area od Warsaw with reference sample, being
municipal tap water.
Gross alpha and beta radioactivity were measured using an Alpha Beta iSolo Spectrometer with a silicon
PIPS detector and a Low-Level Beta GM Multicounter System respectively.
The highest obtained value for gross alpha radioactivity was 0,016 ± 0,004 Bq/l while most results were
<0,015 Bq/l. For gross beta radioactivity the highest result was 0,91 ± 0,10 Bq/l while the lowest was
0,10 ± 0,01 Bq/l. Arithmetical mean value for this samples was 0,58 Bq/l.
The results obtained were no greater than than values recommended for drinking water given by World HealthOrganization [2]. Increased total beta radioactivity was observed in water from reservoir which is an outflow
from the sewage treatment plant and further radiation monitoring of waters in this reservoir is
recommended.
[1] Sensing Technology: Current Status and Future Trends, Vol. 7, Chapter 17 – Modern Methods of Monitoring
Radiological Contamination of Water Reservoirs, O. Korostynska, A. Mason, S. Ikezawa and A. I. Al-Shamma’a,Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, 2014, 309-310[2] Guidelines for drinking-water quality: fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda, World HealthOrganization, 2022, 225

246

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-18

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Temporal and spatial patterns of fallout radionuclides
accumulation on Gulkana Glacier, Alaska Range
E.Łokas1, N.Takeuchi2, K.Gorzkiewicz1,
J.Popieluch3, P.Wachniew3

K.Kołtonik1,

A.Cwanek1,

1

Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish
Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland. e-mail:
Edyta.Lokas@ifj.edu.pl2
Department of Earth Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
3Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of
Science and Technology, Reymonta 19, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Keywords: Fallout radionuclides, Cryoconite, Glaciers, Spatial patterns

Analysis of fallout radionuclides in cryoconite holes on Gulkana Glacier (Alaska
Range) reveals the presence of five zones at different altitudes (1270, 1385, 1470,
1585 and 1680 m above sea level a.s.l.) that present different radiological features.
The first zone has low radioactivity of fallout radionuclides, but the fourth zone ischaracterized by the highest activity levels of anthropogenic fallout radionuclides(137Cs and Pu isotopes). The highest level of 210Pb is observed in the fifth zone.
Activity concentrations of all fallout radionuclides reach the record levels fornorthern hemisphere cryoconite. This work presents the first results of temporal(from 2000 to 2019 y) and spatial patterns of fallout radionuclides accumulation inhigh mountains in the Northern Hemisphere.
We suggest that a buried layer of contaminated ice that formed during atmosphericnuclear tests serves as a local secondary source of radionuclide contamination. Its
melting is responsible for the formation of such zones.
This study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland under research
project No. 2018/31/B/ST10/03057.

247

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-19

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

On 210Po, 210Pb, 40K, 137Cs, 226Ra and 234Th in algae dietsupplements - the assessed radiation hazard of aquatic
superfoods
A. Moniakowska1, P. K. Block1, G. Olszewski1, D. Strumińska-Parulska1
1Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308Gdańsk, Poland.e-mail: aleksandra.moniakowska@ug.edu.pl
Keywords: Polonium 210Po, Lead 210Pb, supplements, aquatic superfoods

Superfoods, i.e. unprocessed food of natural origin, are rich in various nutrients(vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals). Dietary supplements produced from spirulina(Arthrospira platensis) and chlorella (Chlorella vulgaris) achieved the greatest
market success. However, it should be remembered that algae have a highbioaccumulation capacity, which means that raw materials for producing superfoods
may contain many contaminants, including radioactive elements, which cansignificantly affect the safety of the foodstuffs used.
Activity concentrations of natural 40K, 137Cs, 226Ra and 234Th radioisotopes in algae
dietary supplements were determined using gamma spectrometry. Alpha
spectrometry has investigated the activity of 210Po and 210Pb. Activity concentrations
ranged from 0.23 to 0.65 Bq/kg for 137Cs, from 1.76 to 10.7 Bq/kg for 226Ra, from
11.6 to 24.2 Bq/kg for 234Th, and from 20.1 to 400 Bq/kg for 40K. The highest annual
effective dose for naturally occurring 226Ra was obtained in chlorella from Japan.
The risk of morbidity and mortality ranged from 10-13 to 10-9. Activity concentrationsof 210Po and 210Pb (Bq/kg dw) ranged from 0.07 to 14.5 (210Po) and from 0.06 to 8.48
(210Pb). The highest values of annual effective doses have been estimated for 210Po
in the recommended portion of Spirulina from China (59.7 µSv/year) andDiatomaceous earth (fossil shell flour) from the USA (50.4µSv/year). The cancer morbidity and mortality risk ranged from 10-4 to 10-8. The
studied algae supplements can be considered radiologically safe foods.

248

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-20

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radiocarbon variations in the biosphere with solar activity
P.P. Povinec, I. Kontuľ
Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Biophysics of the Comenius
University, Mlynska dolina F-1, 84248 Bratislava, Slovakia. e-mail: pavel.povinec@us.es
Keywords: Solar activity, Solar proton events, Tree rings, Wines

The radiocarbon variations in the biosphere (tree rings and wines), associated with past solar activity, mostly
represented by 11-year solar activity cycles (Schwabe cycles), and long-lasting minima in the solar activity(Grand solar activity minima) have been of concern as possible impacts of the Sun on the Earth climate. As
the Sun has been modulating the intensity of galactic cosmic rays in the heliosphere, it has been expectedthat it could have an impact on the 14C variations in the atmosphere and biosphere. An inverse correlation
between 14C levels in tree rings and Sun activity (sunspot numbers), a 14C cycle with a period of about 100
yr (presently known as the centennial cycle or the Gleissberg cycle) was also proposed. The well-known
Suess wiggles had a characteristic period of about 200 yr (also called the Suess cycle). In both cases, theamplitude of the 14C variations was 10-20 ‰. The radiocarbon amplitude during the most prominent solar
cycle with the 11-year period could be around 10-20‰, however, such short-term variations are difficult toobserve because the atmospheric 14CO2 is in equilibrium with a large oceanic reservoir of CO2, which acts asa buffer, and therefore the expected 14C amplitudes in biospheric samples would be around 2‰, only.
However, high-precision 14C data obtained during 1970s showed amplitude variations of ~3‰ in annual treerings and wines (1900-1950), which were later confirmed in several other investigations, including themillennium record. Recently, another interesting phenomenon was investigated, when except of regular 14C
variations during the 11-year solar cycles, rapid 14C increases up to 12‰ were found in tree rings, which
could be associated with emission of solar. We shall review the present status of radiocarbon investigations
which proved that cosmogenic radiocarbon has been an important tracer for studying solar activity impacts
on the biosphere via solar activity cycles, especially the occurrence of Grand solar activity minima on a timescale of 50 ky. The solar phenomena (solar activity cycles and solar proton events) are an important part of
the radiocarbon research for a better understanding of the Sun behaviour and its impact on the Earthenvironment, including climate change.

249

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-21

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Environmental applications of radiocarbon measurement by
AMS at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (Spain)
F.J. Santos Arévalo1, J.A. Galván Moreno1, I. Gómez Martínez1, G. Manjón2
1Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) (Universidad de Sevilla, CSIC,

Junta de Andalucía), Avd. Thomas Alva Edison 7, 41092-Seville, Spain
2
Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Universidad de
Sevilla. Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
Keywords: Radiological Surveillance, Diet, Ivory, Radiocarbon, AMS

Environmental applications constitute an important part of the global research
involving radiocarbon. We present two different projects carried out at Spanish
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), one related to radiological surveillance andthe other one related to forensic applications to control illegal ivory trading andpoaching.
Our laboratory belongs to the Spanish Radiological Surveillance Web, supervised by
Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear), whereradionuclides in a typical human diet are observed. This is the case of C 14, which iscontrolled since 2006. The presence of C14 in the environment can be the origin of
detectable levels of this radionuclide in the human foods. Consequently, C14 would
be transferred to cooked food and could reach the human body. In this work we
present the results of levels of C14 in a human diet corresponding to a week (fromMonday to Friday), four times in a year, since 2006.
The second application is related to the control of trading of elephant ivory. This isregulated by The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES). The legal situation of ivory depends on the time when theivory originated and the moment when the animal was killed. C14 bomb peak datingoffers a scientific tool to certificate the moment when the ivory was formed, in
contrast to the stylistic analysis. In this work we present a compilation of results fromthe ivory samples analysed at CNA.

250

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-22

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Tritium Distribution of Various Groundwater in Korea
Yoon Yeol Yoon1, Kyung Seok Ko1, Jae Min Lee1
1

Climate Change Response Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience andMineral Resources(KIGAM), 124 Gwahang-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34132,
Korea. e-mail: yyyoon@kigam.re.kr
Keywords: Tritium Distribution, spring water, Mineral water, hot spring water

Water is important for the human life and proper drinking of the good water is helpful
for healthy. Recent study of the bottled drinking water showed high concentration of
HCO3, Ca and low concentration of SO4 was an optimum drinking water for bonehealth. The mineral content in groundwater was influenced by water-rock interaction
and this interaction was correlated with groundwater residence time. To understandgroundwater residence time, 3H concentration of more than 100 three types ofgroundwaters (spring, mineral and hot spring) in Korea were analysed. The analyticalresults showed mean 3H concentration was spring (3.19 TU)>mineral (2.84 TU)> hotspring(1.62 TU) order.

251

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

1-14-23

Fifty-five years of radiocarbon variations studies in Bratislava
P.P. Povinec, I. Kontuľ, A. Šivo, M. Ješkovský, J. Kaizer, J. Kvasniak, M. Richtáriková, J. Zeman
Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Biophysics of the Comenius
University, Mlynska dolina F-1, 84248 Bratislava, Slovakia. e-mail: pavel.povinec@uniba.sk
Keywords: Global fallout, Nuclear power plants, Fossil fuel CO2, Atmosphere, Tree rings

Radiocarbon variation studies are reviewed with an emphasis on a better understanding of the impacts of the
Bohunice nuclear power plant and fossil fuel CO2 on the atmosphere and biosphere of Slovakia. The
maximum Δ14C levels in the air up to about 1200‰ were observed during the 1970s at the Žlkovce monitoring
station, which after 2005 decreased to <30‰. A relative decrease in the atmospheric Δ14C levels due toincreasing levels of fossil CO2 in the atmosphere has also been significant, for example, in Bratislava down
to about -330‰, but after 2005 they were <50‰ below the Jungfraujoch European clean air level. The treering data, averaging the annual Δ14C levels for several stations in Slovakia, have been in agreement with theatmospheric data, as well as with the newly established clean-air station at Jasná in central Slovakia. Future
14

C levels will depend strongly on fossil CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which will change the bomb 14C era

to the fossil CO2 era. However, if fossil CO2 levels in the future decrease, ocean warming could bring more
14

CO2 from oceans back to the atmosphere, which would develop a new steady- state distribution of carbon

isotopes in the environment. A new 14C record in the atmosphere-biosphere- hydrosphere during the
Anthropocene is a great challenge for radiocarbon science, important for better understanding ofenvironmental processes, climate change, and impacts of human activities on the total environment. This new
era of radiocarbon research will also need new developments in radiocarbon analytical technologies, as
further progress in accuracy and precision (<1‰) of results will be needed to meet the new radiocarbon
challenges.

252

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

1-14-24Chronological records in animal tissues
K. Pachnerová Brabcová1, J. Kufnerová1, M. Petrová1,2, D. John1,2, I. Světlík1
Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Řež, Czech Republic. e-mail: svetlik@ujf.cas.cz
Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physics Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic

1
2

Keywords: Radiocarbon dating, Animal tissues

Radiocarbon dating of recent and near-future biota samples faces an inability to distinguish these from thepre-bomb peak ones. If the samples in question are of animal tissues, such as protected species that are dated
for legal purposes, a possible mitigation of this unfavourable trend is to exploit the chronological record of
the tissue. The known chronology can anchor the sequence on radiocarbon calibration curve and thus reduce
the ambiguity of the dating results. The samples were cleaned and dried. The combusted samples weregraphitized with Zn as the sole reduction agent. The AMS measurement was performed on MILEA at the
Nuclear Physics Institute. Several types of samples were investigated in this study. Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)
is a medium-sized wild cat, critically endangered. We sampled the eye of a female lynx that died in the Czech
zoo during 2020. Several layers were separated, including retina (identified as the youngest part), sclera,cornea and lens (inner parts identified as the oldest). Testudo hermanni is threatened medium-sized longlived terrestrial species. Its shell grows throughout its life, creating separate lines resembling tree rings. The
shell of recently deceased Testudo hermanni was sampled along the incremental lines from the center (theoldest part) to the edge of the scute (the youngest part). The multiple sampling can exclude the older intervals.
Pangolin is likely most poached mammal in the world, at the edge of extinction. Its scale is a horny derivativeof the epidermis mainly of keratin, considered as homologous with primate nails. We performed two sets ofsampling on the scales of Smutsia gigantea with ambiguous results. Obviously, the chronology of the scales
is either even more complex, or there is no one. Five scales from five pangolins were sampled at the freeedge and from the edge of the inner part attached to the epidermis. Two scales from two pangolins were
sampled at five different positions on the upper and bottom side of the scales as well. We shall discuss indetail radiocarbon results obtained for each set of samples.
The work was supported by the Ministry of the Interior of CR, under the programme Strategic Support of theDevelopment of the Security Research in the CR 2019 – 2025, project „Effective use of forensic evidence
methods to combat wildlife crime“, No. VJ01010026.

253

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-25

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

30 years of National Network for Environmental Radiological Surveillance in
the Atmosphere and Terrestrial Environment
C. Rey del Castillo1, J.A. Trinidad1, S. Luque1, P. Martínez1, A. Ortiz1, F.J. Castillo1, P. Ozores1,
I. Simón1
1

Nuclear Safety Council (CSN, Environmental Radiological Surveillance Department). Calle Pedro Justo Dorado
Dellmans, 11, 28040-Madrid, Spain. e-mail: crc@csn.es

Keywords: Environmental radiological surveillance, radioactivity measurement

The year 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the Spanish national network for environmental
radiological surveillance in the atmosphere and terrestrial environment. This surveillance is the responsibilityof the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), the only Spanish body competent in matters of nuclear safety andradiological protection, and it is currently carried out through agreements between this body and 20 different
entities, including 19 universities throughout the national territory.
During these 30 years, several changes have taken place in the different programmes that develop
environmental radiological surveillance in Spain, as well as several national and international events. This
study presents the evolution of these programmes from different points of view, including scope changes,
time evolution of radionuclides, taking into account national and international events, data management,
European Commission verifications under article 35 of the Euratom Treaty, quality assurance andcommunication to the public.
Particularly noteworthy is the development of an application, available on the CSN website (Keeper Gis
Web), where the public can consult the data from this network, as well as from other environmental
radiological monitoring programmes including those developed in the surroundings of nuclear power plants
and radioactive facilities of the nuclear fuel cycle.
The values of certain radionuclides of interest, such as the downward trend observed in the "fallout"
radionuclides or the evolution of the radioactivity background on certain matrices, temporarily interrupted
by accidents such as Fukushima, are analysed in detail.

254

ENVIRA 2023

1-14-26

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Bringing Innovation to Autonomous Exploration of Marine Radioactivity:
The RAMONES Project
Theo J. Mertzimekis1
Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou
Campus, GR-15784, Athens, Greece
Natural radioactivity in the marine environment has been present since the Earth’s formation, while artificial
radionuclides were introduced into the oceans in 1944. More recent direct sources, such as low-level liquid
discharges from reprocessing plants, large-scale releases due to disasters (e.g. Fukushima hit by the tsunami
in 2011), and smaller-scale radiological events feed the oceans. Exploration of submarine environments should
consider the existence of radioactivity in terms of its short- and long-term impact on marine and coastal
ecosystems, also in correlation to natural hazards, such as seismic activity over submarine faults. Significantly
undersampled in oceans, radioactivity poses real risks to marine ecosystems and human population, urging for
detailed, data-driven modelling.
The EU-funded RAMONES project aims to offer new and efficient solutions for in situ, continuous, longterm monitoring of radioactivity in harsh submarine environments. A new generation of submarine radiationsensing instruments, assisted by state-of-the-art robotic vehicles and artificial intelligence is underdevelopment to offer the means towards understanding radiation-related risks near and far from coastal areas,
while providing data to shape new policies and guidelines for environmental sustainability, economic growthand human health.
The main ambition behind RAMONES is to lay a radical new path to close the existing marine radioactivity
under-sampling gap at large scales and foster new interdisciplinary research in threatened natural deep-sea
ecosystems. RAMONES invest significant effort to provide tools for long-term, rapid deployments, propose
new AI-driven and supported methodologies, and offer scaled-up solutions to researchers, policy makers andcommunities. RAMONES combine state-of-the-art equipment from various disciplines and advanced
modelling in fine synergy, and design new and effective approaches for the marine environment to provide
efficient response to natural and man-made hazards, shaping future policies for the global population.

RAMONES receives funding from European Union under Horizon 2020 FET Proactive Programme via grant
agreement No. 101017808

1 email: tmertzi@phys.uoa.gr

255

256

POSTER SESSION II
03 Radionuclide transport in theenvironment
04 Quality assurance and quality
control
05 Natural radionuclides
06 Fukushima, Chernobyl and Test
Ground09 Modelling
10 Atmosphere
11 Marine environment
12 Marine sediments

257

258

POSTER SESSION II
03 Radionuclide transport in theenvironment

259

260

ENVIRA 2023

2-03-01

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) and sediment distribution coefficients (Kds)for 137Cs in a sheltered Norwegian fjord system
H.E. Heldal1, H. Haanes2, H-C. Teien3, M. N. Pettersen3, M. Simonsen4, A. Volynkin1, O.C. Lind3,
Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway
Norwegian radiation and nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), P.O. Box 329 Skøyen, NO-0213 Oslo, Norway
3
CERAD Center of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural
Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway.
4
Norwegian Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 43 Blindern, NO-0313 Oslo, Norway
1
2

Keywords: Bioconcentration Factors, Sediment distribution coefficients, 137Cs, Norwegian fjord system, Vefsnfjord

Areas in central Norway experienced significant radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl accident in1986. Long-term monitoring conducted in the Vefsnfjord, located in Nordland County, has confirmed
consistently elevated 137Cs levels compared to open Norwegian sea areas. Although there has been a slightdecrease in the temporal trends of 137Cs in the Vefsnfjord, the levels have remained relatively stable over the
past decade. As a result, the fjord serves as a suitable location for investigating the distribution of 137Cs in themarine environment. The objective of this study is to evaluate the bioconcentration factors (BCFs) andsediment distribution coefficients (Kds) for 137Cs in samples collected in July 2022. The BCFs increased in
the following order: A. silus (benthopelagic fish) (6⋅101) < B. glaciale (mesopelagic fish) (1⋅102) = P. tarda(shrimp) (1⋅102) < P. borealis (shrimp) (2⋅102) < G. cynoglossus (flatfish) (3⋅102) = F. vesiculosus (brownseaweed) (3⋅102) < C. crispatus (seastar) (2⋅103). The corresponding BCFs recommended by IAEA (2004) is1⋅102 for pelagic fish (BCFs are not derived for benthopelagic and mesopelagic fish) and 5⋅101 for both
crustaceans (including shrimps) and macroalgae (including brown seaweed). Thus, the BCFs observed in thepresent study are similar to or higher than IAEA’s recommended values. Notably, the highest BCF wasobserved in a seastar belonging to the phylum echinoderms, for which IAEA has not provided a
recommended value. The Kd in the Vefsnfjord is determined to be 8⋅104, which is one order of magnitude
higher than the value recommended for ocean margins by IAEA (4⋅103). The geometric mean is given for
brown seaweed (n=11) and sediments (n=4). Other samples are pooled and n=1. The findings of this study
are discussed within a broader context. Specifically, the study addresses factors affecting the BCFs and Kds
in a sheltered fjord system, such as temporal and spatial variations in fresh water supply, salinity and pH, aswell as potential disequilibrium in the 137Cs partition between the dissolved and particular phases.

261

ENVIRA 2023

2-03-02

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radioactivity in agricultural crops and soils from the family farms in Croatia
T. Ilievski1, I. Tucaković1, B. Skoko1, I. Coha1, G. Karanović1, Ž. Grahek1, I. Smičiklas3, K.
Magdić Košiček1, D. Barišić1, D. Pavičić-Hamer2Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, Zagreb, CroatiaRuđer Bošković Institute, G. Paliaga 5, Rovinj, Croatia
3“Vinča” Institute of Nuclear Sciences, P.O. Box 552, Belgrade, Serbia
e-mail: itucakov@irb.hr, tilievsk@irb.hr
1
2

Keywords: radioactivity, alpha, beta and gamma emmiters in agricultural crops, HPGe, LCS

This work presents the results of the radioactivity measurements in selected agricultural crops and soils fromfamily farms in Croatia, mostly following ecological production standards, as a part of Croatian Science
Foundation project RiChFALL (Radioactivity in children food and novel methods for low level activity
determination, 2020. – 2024.). Quantitative analysis of radionuclides which can be determined by gammaspectrometry directly or through their progenies was done using high purity germanium detectors (HPGe),
upgraded with active shielding (cosmic veto) to reach lower detection limits. Beta emitter Sr-90 was
determined, after radiochemical separation, by Cherenkov counting using liquid scintillation counter (LSC).
Alpha emitter Po-210 was determined by alpha-spectrometry after radiochemical preparation. In addition toactivity concentrations of mentioned radionuclides in crops, to determine the transfer factors of nuclides,
soils of different depths, on which the analysed agricultural products were grown, were also analysed. The
comparison of activities based on type of crop and soil, will be shown. In order to determine if transfer ofstable isotopes differs from transfer of radioisotopes, elemental analyses using XRF and ICP- OS techniques
were performed for a selected part of samples. Preliminary measurements of crops showed activities ofnaturally occurring nuclides to be in range from 0.5 to few Bq kg-1 in dry mass, predominantly Ra-226 andprogeny, Th-232 and progeny and rarely U-238,235 and their progenies. Cs-137 and Sr-90 were measured inmost of crops with activity concentrations ranging from 0.5 to few Bq kg-1 for Cs-137 and from 0.1 to few
Bq kg-1 for Sr-90, in dry mass. Po-210 was found to be below 1 Bq kg-1 of dry mass, expectedly exceptions
are leafy vegetables. Preliminary measurements of soil samples showed activities of Cs-137 up to 20 Bq kg1, while for Sr-90 it ranged from 1 to 2 Bq kg-1 in dry mass. Determined Pb-210 (gamma-spectrometry) andPo-210 (alpha-spectrometry) activities were compared along soil vertical profile, with an expected gradualdecrease from top to bottom layer. Po-210 was not in equilibrium with Pb-210 in all samples.

262

ENVIRA 2023

2-03-03

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

On the influence of soil organic matter on the downward migration of 137Cs and239,240Pu
M. Konstantinova, N. Tarasiuk, L. Kazakevičiūtė-Jakučiūnienė, Z. Žukauskaitė, Š. Buivydas
Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania. e-mail:marina.konstantinova@ftmc.lt
Keywords: 137Cs; 239,240Pu, vertical migration; soil organic matter; secondary peaks

The influence of the content of soil organic matter (SOM) on the occurrence and quantitative
characteristics of secondary peaks in the vertical distribution of 137Cs and 239,240Pu in the soil cores taken in
the southern and north-western regions of Lithuania has been studied. An analysis of the vertical profiles ofradionuclides in the soil in some cases evinces secondary maxima on the deep slope of their depth distribution.
Particularly pronounced secondary maxima of 137Cs and 239,240Pu are observed in cases of anaerobic
decomposition of organic matter in the soil. A positive correlation was found between the reserves of 137Cs
and 239,240Pu in the secondary peaks of their distribution and the SOM in the upper layers of soil cores.
Moreover, the positive correlation is higher in those cores where the decomposition of organic matter in thesoil occurs under anaerobic conditions. This suggests that when modelling the migration behaviour ofradionuclides in the soils of contaminated areas, SOM and anaerobic conditions should be considered asimportant physical factors. This once again proves out that places with a high level of groundwater and alarge amount of organic matter tendentious to radioactive contamination can be responsible for the longrange transport of radionuclides from the source of contamination. Although our investigation should be
regarded as a pilot one, it opens up the possibility of creating more objective models of the radionuclide
downward migration into the soil and their spread beyond the contaminated zone.

263

ENVIRA 2023

2-03-04

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Influence of soil microbiology on radionuclide transport anduptake into plants
R. E. Linares-Jiménez, K. Flemming, N. Matschiavelli, A. Cherkouk, J. Raff,
T. Stumpf, S. Sachs
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology,
Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Keywords: Soil, Radionuclides, Microbial diversity, Root exudates, Plants

Deep geological repositories (DGR) will be used for the final disposal of highly
radioactive waste. For the safety assessment of the DGR, it is important to consider
accident scenarios such as the ingress of water, which might lead to a release ofradionuclides (RNs) from the repository into the groundwater. RNs in groundwater
can migrate to the surface soil where they can interact with indigenous
microorganisms and plants, entering the food chain and posing a health risk tohumans. The reliable modelling of the RN uptake into plants requires more than justtransfer factors. A more detailed process understanding of the RN uptake into plants,
including the effects of soil microorganisms, is necessary. RNs may affect the soil
microbial community altering the natural community composition and interactions.
Root exudates from plants and microorganisms can alter the speciation of RNs,
affecting their bioavailability and mobility.
We study the impact of soil microorganisms on the RN transport and uptake intoplants at the molecular level. The experiments discussed focus on studying themodulation of soil microbial diversity in the presence of RNs and selected root
exudates. In addition, radiation-resistant soil microorganisms will be isolated to
study their interaction with RNs and their effect on the degradation of root exudates.
This will include characterization of the degradation products and their interactions
with RNs. These findings will be used to elaborate radioecological models for theassessment of the RN transport and uptake into the food chain.

264

ENVIRA 2023

2-03-05

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Transfer of sedimentary carbon into benthic organisms: Implications for
disposal of radioactive waste
S. Majlesi1,2, T. Pham1, J. Akkanen3, V. Carrasco-Navarro1, Z. Shirani1, A. T. K. Ikonen1,4, C.
Biasi1,5

Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211,
Kuopio, Finland, email: soroush.majlesi@uef.fi
2
Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, PO Box 55, 00014 (A. I. Virtasen aukio 1), Helsinki, Finland,
email: soroush.majlesi@helsinki.fi
3
Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, FI-80101
Joensuu, Finland
4
EnviroCase, Käppärätie 9 A 18, FI-28120 Pori, Finland5
Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck (Sternwartestrasse 15), Innsbruck, Austria
1

Keywords: Radiocarbon, 14C, Chironomus riparius, Lumbriculus variegatus, Radioecology, Microcosm study

Radiocarbon (14C) is known as one of the important radionuclides that can be released into thebiosphere from nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste repositories and thus can be readily taken
up by organisms. It has long half-life (5730 years) and can distribute in forms of dissolved andgaseous species at global scale. In the present work, we investigated the proportion of sedimentary
C (from field-collected peat and sediment) in benthic animals, chironomid larvae (Chironomus
riparius) and blackworms (Lumbriculus variegatus), in a microcosm study. There was a large
difference in 14C/total C ratio between the atmosphere and up to 8000-year leftover peat after peat
extraction. Two-pool isotope mixing model was used to estimate the contribution of sedimentary C
in the selected animals. The isotopic abundance of 15N was also used to further investigate theincorporation of the substrates (peat and sediment) in the selected animals. The findings revealed
insignificant contribution of sedimentary C in the organisms, despite positive incorporation of thesubstrate into the animals suggested by the 15N values. Such a minimum/zero contribution of C
could be attributed to availability and preference of the fish food and other microorganisms withmore enriched C, over the recalcitrant peat or the sediment with lower nutritional value. Other
parameters such as assimilation efficiency, elimination rate, gut passage time and C turnover rate
are important in the rate of uptake. These findings indicated that transfer of sedimentary C in the
animals is relative to availability of old vs. modern sources of C as it was observed by the selective
diets of the organisms. Further studies with a greater number of samples as well as sediment types
are recommended for the future work.

265

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023
2-03-06

Assessment of the influence of edaphic factors on the transfer
of artificial radionuclides (cesium-137 and strontium-90) in
the soil-agricultural plant system
Ye.N. Polivkina1, T.S. Ponomaryova2, R.A. Kenzhebayev1, L.A. Nemytova1,
A.R. Ivanova1, Ye.S. Syssoyeva1
1

Department “Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology” NNC RK,
Kurchatov, Abay Region, 071100, Kazakhstan
2
LLP "Biosphere Kazakhstan Research Center", Karaganda, Karaganda
region, 100008, Kazakhstan
Keywords: artificial radionuclide, soil, edaphic factors, pepper plant.

To assess the influence of edaphic factors on the cesium-137 and strontium-90
transfer in the soil-agricultural plant system in arid territories, a model vegetation
experiment had been conducted in controlled greenhouse conditions on soil samples
with different types of radioactive contamination and contrasting physicochemical
properties on the example of pepper culture (Capsicum annuum). Based on the
results of correlation and factor analysis of experimental data, the most significant
factors affecting the intensity of radionuclide transfer in the soil- agricultural plantsystem have been established: for cesium-137 – the content of available isotope
forms and the gross K content; for strontium-90 – the content of available isotope
forms, gross Ca content, and salt content. Regression models describing thedependence of the accumulation of cesium-137 and strontium-90 on thephysicochemical properties of soils in the example of pepper culture have beendeveloped. Determination coefficients describing the quality of regression models
have high values: 0.80 – for Cs-137; 0.86 – for Sr-90, which makes it possible toapply them in practice.
The results obtained are compared to data about the influence of these factors on thetransition of cesium-137 and strontium-90 in the soil-plant system reported in theliterature.

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Investigation of the transport and transfer behaviour of I-125
using a laboratory lysimeter with reference soil
N. Sassenberg1, T. Schmalz1, B. Riebe1, C. Walther1
1Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection; Leibniz University
Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany. e-mail:nils.sassenberg@stud.uni-hannover.de
Keywords: I-125, final disposal leakage, migration, surface soil.

In many countries the storage of radioactive waste in deep geological formations is
a planned option for final disposal. In case of unintentional release, radionuclides
with very long half-lives, for example I-129, can lead to potential radiation exposure. For the assessment of long-term safety, processes such as the migration andaccumulation of radionuclides in the far field around the repository, and thus in thesurface soil layers of the geosphere, must be considered.
To get more detailed knowledge on the migration of I-129, long term lysimeter
experiments with in-situ measurement of pH and Eh have been performed over a
period of more than two years. The reference soil chosen is a dystric cambisol(RefeSol 01-A), mainly consisting of sand (approx. 73 %) with a low content of Corg
(approx. 0.9 %), representing one typical soil type in Germany. After an equilibration period of one year, I-125 as a substitute tracer for the longlived I-129, hasbeen added to the system, and its upward migration driven by evaporation wasstudied performing γ-measurements of both pore water and soil layers. Additionally, column experiments with the same reference soil and tracer were set up to get
more information about the migration through the water-saturated zone.
The lysimeter experiment showed a considerable migration from the saturated zone
to upper soil layers, with a maximum at a depth of 6-10 cm below surface. These
results were supported by the column experiments.
In addition, experiments with fluctuating water levels are envisaged in order to obtain
more detailed information on remobilization and sorption processes. Fur- thermore,
the influence of microorganisms on these processes will also be investi- gated.

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Migration of Technetium in German Reference Soils
T. Schmalz1, N. Sassenberg1, B. Riebe1, C. Walther1
1Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz University
Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany
e-mail: tim.schmalz@stud.uni-hannover.de
Keywords: Tc-99, final disposal, leakage, migration, top soil

When considering the long-term safety of a repository for radioactive waste,
unintentional release followed by migration and accumulation of long-lived
radionuclides in the far field, and thus in the surface soil layers must be taken into
account. Risk assessments for public exposure over long periods of time require a
deeper understanding of the complex mechanisms of radionuclide transport from thegroundwater through the vadose zone into the biosphere.
Batch, column and lysimeter experiments were performed to examine the influenceof soil characteristics on the transport and transfer behavior of the long-lived fission
product 99Tc. For these experiments, top soil material from four different German
reference soils (dystric cambisol, stagnic luvisol, eutric cambisol, gleyic podzol) wasused. Individual synthetic soil solutions were developed for the reference soils andthe influence of the composition of these solutions in comparison to a 'standard'
synthetic soil water on the migration of 99Tc was investigated in detail.
As expected, technetium showed a low sorption tendency, but immobilization was
also observed to a lesser extent. The clay and organic matter content of the soils aswell as the ionic strength and nitrate concentration of the soil solutions appeared to
be decisive factors for this. Together with the respective soils, the individual soil
solutions represent realistic model systems for laboratory-scale soil experiments,
which will be used in future research. Furthermore, the influence of microflora andthe role of root exudates on the speciation and mobility of technetium will be
investigated.

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Liquid phase dependence of field distribution coefficients ofstable elements between river water and bottom sediments
M. Terashima1, Y. Watanabe1 M. Matsueda1, K. Koarai1, J. Aoki1, J. Inoue2
1

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science(CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharumachi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan. e-mail:terashima.motoki@jaea.go.jp
2
Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center, JAEA,1550 Kamisaibara,
Kagamino-cho, Tomata-gun, Okayama, 708-0601, Japan.
Keywords: Distribution coefficients, River water, Sediment, Satble elements

Distribution coefficient (Kd) of radionuclides (RNs) between river water and bottom
sediment is a key parameter for modelling migration of RNs in terrestrial
environments. A field Kd, which is obtained by measurements of elemental
concentrations in river water and sediment, is sometimes used for the modelling.
Because, however, a field Kd can vary with a variety of environmental factors,
understanding of the variation is necessary for a prediction of filed Kd. Especially,
contributions of liquid and solid phases to the variation should be elucidated in first.
In this study, we evaluated the relationships between filed Kd values and stableelement concentrations in river water (Caq) or sandy sediment (Q) collected fromdifferent four rivers in Japan. As the result, it was found that the logKd values arelinearly correlated with logCaq with a slope of around −1 for all the elements examined(e.g., Cs, Sr, Sm etc.). This means that the variation of logQ is negligible small
compared with those of logCaq. Thus, the field Kd for sandy sediments could be
expressed as a function of dissolved element concentration in river water.
Acknowledgments
This study was partly performed under the subsidy program “Project ofDecommissioning, Contaminated Water and Treated Water Management (Researchand Development of Processing and Disposal of Solid Waste)” conducted by the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

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Chemical implication of partition coefficient of 137Cs between
aqueous and suspended and phases in natural water
K. Hirose1, Y. Onda2, H. Tsukada3, Y. Hirayama4, Y. Okada5, Y. Kikawada4
1

Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Japan. email: hirose45037@mail2.accsnet.ne.jp
2
Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, Universityof Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. 3Institute of Environmental Radioactivity,
Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan. 4Department of Materials and Life
Sciences, Sophia University, Japan. 5Atomic Energy Laboratory, Tokyo City
University, Kawasaki, Japan
Keywords: Partition coefficients, irrigation water, 137Cs, sediment, chemical model

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, terrestrial environmenthas been seriously contaminated by radiocesium. As a result, higher radiocesium
levels in river/lake water have continued in the Fukushima area, although they exhibit
gradual decline trends. To have better understanding of movement of radio- cesiumin terrestrial environments, partition coefficient of 137Cs between solid (suspended
matter, sediments) and aqueous phases, Kd, has been introduced.
Although Kd is a tool to have better understanding of dynamic behavior of 137Cs innatural water system, the Kd values in river waters, ranged from 2×104 to 7×106 L
kg-1, showed larger spatiotemporal variability. In this study, furthermore, very low
Kd (20 L kg-1) of 137Cs was determined between Yugama crater water and sediment,
Kusatsu-Shirane Volcano. It is important to elucidate factors controlling the partition coefficient of 137Cs in natural water system. Previous study revealed that thelogarithmic Kd of 137Cs in river negatively correlated with logarithmic electroconductivity and logarithmic suspended sediment (SS) concentrations, respectively.
We, here, introduce a chemical model to explain variability of Kd of 137Cs in natural
water system. The chemical model contains complexation of stable cesium (133Cs)
with mineral and organic binding sites in SS, metal exchange reactions, and presence of colloidal species. The chemical model reveals that plots of the logarithmic
Kd values versus logarithmic concentrations of 133Cs+ are within a band of a slope of-1, which means that Cs is strongly associated with binding site in SS and a major
chemical interaction between 137Cs and binding site in SS is isotope exchange
reaction between 133Cs and 137Cs rather than metal exchange reactions with othermetal ions. The effect of the SS concentrations to Kd, may be explained by presenceof colloidal 137Cs, passing through filter, which is a potential dissolved species of
137Cs in river water. The result suggests that better understanding of geochemical
behaviors of stable Cs in natural water is important to know movement of 137Cs innatural water systems.
.

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The use of Beryllium-7 as a tracer in-depth penetration study
J. Sharib@Sarip1, D. Nor Fardzila Ahmad Tugi1, M. Tarmizi Ishak1, C.
Anthonius1, M. Izwan Abdul Adziz1
1

Radiochemistry and Environment Group, Waste and Environmental
Technology Divison, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia), 43000
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia, e-mail: jalal@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my
Keywords : Aims, Depth penetration, Beryllium-7, Gamma spectrometry, Results

This paper aims to study the depth penetration into the soil surface by Fallout
Radionuclides (FRNs) as tracers. This approach is still not widely used in soil
penetration studies until now and Beryllium-7 is used entirely as a short-term tracer
in this study. Thus, in order to confirm the use of this tracer, a study was conductedin the catchment area of Timah Tasoh, Perlis and Bangi, Selangor which wereselected as two study sites for both the rainy and dry seasons. This study involves
taking soil samples by using a metal corer and taken to the Radiochemistry andEnvironment Laboratory (RAS), Nuclear Malaysia to carry out further procedures
such as the preparation and finally the analysis data obtained from the analysis using
Gamma Spectrometry counting system, consists of Hyper-Germanium detector(HPGe). Based on the analysis results shown in table 1 and table 2, the depth
penetration values in the study site area of Timah Tasoh and Bangi have given
different results as a whole. Nevertheless, the trend does not show the results of theanalysis so significant to each other. Where, the shared values are between
2.98 kgm-2 to 4.98 kgm-2 and 3.43 kgm-2 to 5.06 kgm-2 , respectively. This study isalso not much different in the value of depth penetration distribution with some study
results that has been carried out by scientists from all over the world made as acomparative data. In conclusion, Beryllium-7 which acts as a short term tracer in thisstudy has been successfully used to determine the value of depth penetration into thesoil surface in different places and seasons.

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POSTER SESSION II
04 Quality assurance andquality control

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2-04-01

Development of reference material for the determination ofalpha, beta and gamma emitting radionuclides in concrete
waste generated from decommissioning of nuclear facility
Y. Jung, S.H. Lee, M.J. Lee
Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon Rep. of Korea.
e-mail: yhjung20@kriss.re.kr
Keywords: Reference material, Radioactive waste, Concrete, QA/QC

Decommissioning of aging nuclear facilities is a part of the cycle process for thesustainable nuclear industry, and it is expected that the number of nuclear facilities
to be dismantled domestically and abroad will increase. In the decommissioning
process of nuclear power plants (NPPs), the largest amount of radioactive concrete
waste contaminated with various alpha, beta, and gamma nuclides is generated.
In order to reduce the disposal cost of radioactive waste and meet regulatory
standards for free release, it is essential to accurately evaluate the radioactivity
remaining in radioactive waste. Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of
radioactivity measurement and validation of analysis can be evaluated throughinterlaboratory comparisions (ILCs) and proficiency test (PT) etc. using referencematerials (RMs). Ideally, RM should have the same matrix and compenet content
with sample, but it is difficult to secure RM uncer the same conditions.
Therefore, In the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), a
total of 7 nuclides (60Co, 90Sr, 134Cs, 137Cs, 152Eu, 154Eu, and Pu) were selected todevelop a new concrete RMs. These nuclides should be given priority when
disposing of radioactive waste. The radioacitivity concetrations of 60Co, 90Sr, 134Cs,
Cs, 152Eu, 154Eu, and Pu in the RM were in the range of 65-180 Bq/kg-dry and the137

expanded uncertainty was within 10% (k = 2).

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2-04-02

A new Certified Reference Material IAEA-465 for radionuclides in
Baltic Sea sediment
M.K. Pham1, M.- O. Aust 2, J. Bartocci1 , O. Blinova1, F.P. Carvalho3, E. Chamizo 4, M.
Cook 5, 1, D. Degering6, M. Fujak1, &, C. Gascó7, R. Gurriaran8, V. Jobbágy9, J. Herrmann10,
M. Hult9, C. Ilchmann11, J. La Rosa12, M. Laubenstein13, S.-H. Lee14, I. Levy1, J.L. Mas15,
P. Mc-Ginnity1, J.W. Mietelski16, T. Morimoto17, M. Nakano18, S.P. Nielsen19, S. Nour12, I.
Osvath1, P.P. Povinec20, U. Rieth21, J. Schikowski22, P. Smedley23, M. Suplinska24, I.
Sýkora20, P. Van Beek25, V.-P. Vartti26, T. Zalewska27
1
IAEA –Environment Laboratories, 4, Quai Antoine 1er, 98000 Monaco, Principality ofMonaco. Email:m.pham@iaea.org
2
Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Institut für Fischereiökologie, Marckmannstraße
129b, Haus 4, 20539 Hamburg, Germany.
3
Laboratório de Protecção e Segurança Radiológica, Instituto Superior
Técnico/Campus,Tecnológico Nuclear Estrada Nacional 10, km 139,7, 2695-066 Bobadela
LRS, Portugal.
4
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
5
Radiation and Nuclear Sciences, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Department
of Health, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia.
6
VKTA – Strahlenschutz, Analytik & Entsorgung Rossendorf e. V., Postfach 510119,
01314 Dresden, Germany.
7
CIEMAT (RAyVR), Edificio 70 Planta 2, Despacho 11 Avda de la Complutense 40, 28040
Madrid, Spain
8
IRNS/PRP-EVN/STEME/LMRE, LMRE Bat 501 – Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay, France.
9
European Commission, JRC – Geel, Retieseweg 111, 2440 Geel, Belgium.
10
Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (FMHA), Radioactivity of the Sea,
Wuestland 2, 22589 Hamburg, Germany.
11
Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Verkehr und Klimaschutz, Abteilung II (Integrativer,
Umweltschutz), Strahlenmessstelle Berlin, Rubensstraße 111-113, 12157 Berlin, Germany.
12
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Radiation Protection,
Bldg. 245, room B131, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, U.S.A.
13
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, S.S. 17/bis km 18+910, 67100 Assergi (AQ), Italy.
14
Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, 1 Doryong-Dong, Yuseoung-Gu,
Daejeon 305-340, Korea, Republic of
15
Servicio de Radioisotopos, CITIUS, Avda. Reina Mercedes 4B, 41012 Sevilla LRS,
Spain.
16
Nuclear Physical Chemistry Department, The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of
Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31-342 Krakow, Radzikowskiego 152,
Poland17
Japan Chemical Analysis Center, 295-3 Sanno-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 263-0002,
Japan.
18
Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4-33, Muramatsu, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki, 3191194, Japan.
19
DTU Nutech Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, Risø Campus,
4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
20
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, SK-84248
Bratislava, Slovaki
21
Landesmessstelle für Radioaktivität, Behörde für Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz,
Institut für Hygiene und Umwelt, Marckmannstraße 129b, Haus 6, 20539 Hamburg,
Germany.

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22
Georg-August-Universität, Physikalische Chemie, Tammannstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen,Germany.
23
Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0HT, U.K.
24
Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection, Konwaliowa 7, 03-194 Warsaw, Poland.
25
LEGOS/LAFARA, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400
Toulouse, France.
26
STUK – Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, 00881 Helsinki, Finland.
27
Institute of Meteorology and Water, Management, Maritime Branch, Waszyngtona 42,
81-342 Gdynia, Poland.
&
Left IAEA-EL Monaco

Keywords: Radionucléides, Certifified Reference Materials, Baltic Sea sediments

The accurate and precise determination of radionuclide concentrations inmarine samples is an important aspect of marine radioactivity assessment andapplications of radionuclides in studies of oceanographic processes. To
support and improve data quality, the IAEA Environment Laboratories(IAEA-EL) in Monaco regularly conduct characterization studies aimed toassign values to reference materials for radionuclides and other components
in different matrices of marine samples as an integral part of the Subprogramme IAEA Reference Products for Science and Trade [1, 2].
The presentation shows all details on the production of IAEA-465, complying
the relevant standard ISO 17034 and ISO Guide 35 [3,4] and for the first time
the property values of some radionuclides with gamma emitters (40K, 137Cs,
210
Pb, 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th, 232Th, 235U, 238U) are scoped with Austria
Accreditation Body Query Company (akkreditierung- austria.gv.at)
REFERENCES[1]

POVINEC, P.P., PHAM, M.K., 2001. IAEA Reference Materials for Quality
Assurance of Marine Radioactivity Measurements. Journal of Radioanalytical andNuclear Chemistry, 248(1), 211–216. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:101063162[2]

SANCHEZ-CABEZA, J.-A., PHAM, M.K, POVINEC, P.P., 2008. IAEA Program on
the Quality of Marine Radioactivity Data. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99,
1680–1686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2008.04.007[3]

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDISATION, 2016. ISO
17034:2016, General Requirements for the Competence of Reference Material
Producers. ISO, Geneva.

[4]

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDISATION, 2017. ISO
Guide 35, Reference materials – Guidance for Characterization and Assessment of
Homogeneity and Stability. ISO, Geneva.

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2-04-03

Gross alpha and beta activity in non-saline waters using NM
ISO 11704: method validation and application to bottled
mineral and tap waters from Morocco
M. Laassiri1, A. Laissaoui2, N. Ziad3, J. Naouli2, H. Ait Bouh2
1

Faculty of Sciences, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco.
Centre National de l’Energie,des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires.
BP 1382, RP 10001, Rabat, Morocco e-mail: laissaoui@cnesten.org.ma
3
Ecole Nationale des Sciences Appliquées, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra,
Morocco2

Keywords: Gross alpha/beta activity, drinking water, method validation, ISO 11704,
bottled and tap waters.

In this study, gross alpha and gross beta activities in 15 bottled mineral waters in
Morocco were measured by Liquid Scintillation Counting following the standard
method ISO 11704:2018. Method validation was carried out using standard
approaches to confirm the performance parameters of the method, being usedroutinely in our laboratory. Gross alpha and gross beta activities were between
minimum <DL (below detection limit) and maximum 0.211±0.015 and 0.151±0.008
Bq L-1 respectively. No significant correlation was found between activities and total
dissolved salts (TDS) contents, ranging from 141 to 2078 mg L1. Tap waters collected from different regions within the country were also analyzed
following the same procedure. Almost all the samples presented gross alpha and beta
activities below the Moroccan admissible values (0.1 Bq L-1 for gtross alpha and 1
Bq L-1 for gross beta).

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POSTER SESSION II
05 Natural radionuclides

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2-05-01

Natural radioactivity concentrations and radiological risk
assessment of pyroclastic products from Tajogaite volcano(La Palma, Canary Islands)
M. López-Pérez1, P.A. Salazar-Carballo1,2, X. Duarte-Rodriguez1, J.L.
Rodríguez-Marrero1,3, M.C. Martín-Luis4, J.M. Lorenzo-Salazar5, A.
Catalán-Acosta2
1

Lab. de Física Médica y Radioactividad Ambiental. SEGAI. Universidad de La
Laguna (ULL). 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. e-mail: mlopezpe@ull.edu.es
2
Dpto. de Medicina Física y Farmacología (ULL). 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife,
Spain.
3
Dpto. de Química (ULL). 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
4
Dpto. de Biología Animal, Edafología y Geología (ULL).38200 La Laguna,Tenerife, Spain.
5
Genomics Division. Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables. 38600 Santa
Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
Keywords: Gamma spectometry, Radiological risk, Pyroclastic rocks.

On 19 September 2021, Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge (La Palma, Canary Islands,
Spain) faced a flank eruption, naming the new Tagojaite volcano, which remained
active for 85 days. This eruption has been considered the most devastating eruptionof the last 100 years in Europe, according to the Copernicus European Union’s Earthobservation program. In this study, the levels of natural radioactivity of pyroclasts
from this volcano were evaluated. A total of 45 samples, ranging in size from lapilli
to ash, were collected from different locations on La Palma Island.
High-resolution gamma spectrometry was performed on pyroclastic samples todetermine the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K. The average activity
concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were 60 ± 10 Bq/kg (range 31 - 81 Bq/kg), 19± 3 Bq/kg (range 10 to 26 Bq/kg) and 535 ± 79 Bq/kg (range 279 - 707 Bq/kg),
respectively. These values were similar to those previously published for soils in
Cumbre Vieja ridge [1].
The absorbed gamma dose rate (AGDR), radium equivalent activity (Raeq), internaland external hazard indexes (Hin and Hex), outdoor annual effective dose
(AEDRout) and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were all determined to assess theradiation hazard derived from the pyroclastic products. The obtained mean values
were 61 ± 10 nGy/h, 128 ± 21 Bq/kg, 0.4 ± 0.1, 0.12 ± 0.02, 75 ± 12 µSv/year and0.26 ± 0.04, respectively. The average absorbed gamma dose rate (61 nGy/h)obtained in this study was higher than previously reported values for La Palma Island(44.7 nGy/h) and close to the worldwide average (59 nGy/h) [1,2].
The overall findings indicated no radiological threat to the population's health in the
study area.
Acknowledgements. This study was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science andInnovation (BOE-A-2021-20262).
References:[1] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2021.106840[2] UNSCEAR, 2000. Report to the General Assembly, with Scientific Annexes.
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2-05-02Natural Radioactivity of Selected Mineral Deposits in Camarines Norte andNorthern Palawan, Philippines
R.N.M. Quierrez1, C.R.L. Gibaga1, J.O. Samaniego1, A.M. Tanciongco1
1

Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman,
Quezon City 1101, Philippines. e-mail: rmquierrez@pnri.dost.gov.ph
Keywords: natural radioactivity, mineral deposits, Philippines

Philippines is recognized as one of the world's most mineral-rich countries, but its limited baseline data on
natural radioactivity levels in its mineral deposits hinder the ability to monitor the environmental impact ofmining activities. This study aimed to assess the natural radioactivity levels of selected mineral deposits inNorthern Palawan and Camarines Norte, which are both previously identified with radioactive materials
deposits. Concentrations of natural radionuclides (40K, 238U, and 232Th) in granodiorite plutons (Darocotan
and Bay Peak), olistostrome unit (Bacuit Formation), and beach deposits (El Nido, Erawan, Ombo, and New
Canipo) in Northern Palawan, and granodioritic pluton (Paracale Granodiorite), ophiolitic suite (Cadig), ironskarn deposits (Larap, Nakalaya, and Pinagbirayan), and beach deposit (Mambulao) in Camarines Norte were
measured, and radiological risk parameters were used to assess the potential impact of these deposits on theenvironment and human health. Results show that the Darocotan and Bay Peak granodiorites in Northern
Palawan have higher average natural radionuclide concentrations compared to Paracale granodiorite andaverage upper continental crust (UCC). Erawan, Ombo, and New Canipo beach deposits also exhibited
elevated 238U and 232Th than El Nido and Mambulao beach deposits and average UCC. The Bacuit Formationand Larap, Nakalaya, and Pinagbirayan iron skarn deposits had a higher average 238U concentrations than
average UCC. Meanwhile, El Nido and Mambulao beach deposits, Paracale granodiorite, and Cadig ophiolite
had natural radioactivity levels below average UCC. Darocotan and Bay Peak Granodiorites, Bacuit
Formation, Erawan, Ombo and New Canipo beach deposits, and Larap and Nakalaya iron skarns have beenfound to have radiological health risk parameter values that exceed recommended levels. These findings
highlight the importance of baselining and continuous monitoring of areas with elevated natural radioactivity
as these risks can be further exacerbated by future mining and human activities posing impacts on humanhealth and the environment.

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2-05-03

Preliminary Baselining of Natural Radioactivity in Selected
Active Volcanoes in the Philippines
A. M. Tanciongco1, R. N. M. Quierrez1, A. dC. Perez1, A. T. Bautista, VII1,
M. C. L. Barairo2, C. C. Lit2, J. P. T. Traviña2, E. L. P. Arconado2, M. A. V.
Bornas, T. C. Bacolcol2
1

Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear ResearchInstitute, Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. e- mail:amtanciongco@pnri.dost.gov.ph
2Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology
and Seismology, C. P. Garcia Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
Keywords: active volcano, baselining, radioactivity, gamma-ray, radon

Measurement of natural radioactivity from volcanoes, specifically, of 238U, 40K, 232Th
and 222Rn radionuclides has been shown to provide tools to detect variation in
volcanic activity and to indicate potential anomalous tectonic events. In order toestablish background radioactivity from active volcanoes in the Philippines, thisstudy conducted preliminary baselining of in-situ gamma-ray emissions and spotradon-222 gas measurements from both soil and spring waters using portable gammaray spectrometer and radon detector, respectively. Three active volcanoes in Luzon
Island, Philippines – Taal, Bulusan and Mayon volcanoes – were measured for 238U,
K, 232Th and 222Rn emissions during a low-level of unrest period from February to

40

March 2023. All volcanic regions display constant background values for 238U, 40K,
232Th

activities, except for one hot spring discharge found in Bulusan volcano(Buhang hot spring). Hot spring waters and crater lakes display the relatively highradon measurements ranging from 1.257 – 2.979 Bq/L for Mt. Taal, 0.3044 – 1.550
Bq/L for Mt. Bulusan and 0.3533 – 0.5489 Bq/L for Mt. Mayon, in comparison withthe surrounding vicinities. Elevated radon measurements up to 6528 Bq/m3 are also
recorded in areas near fissures and cracks with emissions of volcanic gases ascompared to other areas. Future direction of this study is to further visit and assess
the ambient conditions of other active volcanoes in the Philippines.

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2-05-04

Application of 210Pb as an environmental tracer for hydrologicalcharacterization of two shallow coastal lagoons in Uruguay
C. Bañobre1, L. Fornaro1, R. García-Tenorio2,3
1

Departamento de Desarrollo Tecnológico, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República,
Ruta 9 y Ruta 15, Rocha, Uruguay. E-mail: crisbmiguelez@gmail.com
2
Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
3
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
Keywords: Lead-210, Polonium-210, Sedimentation rate, Environmental tracer, Coastal lagoon

The use of the radionuclide 210Pb for dating sediments and estimating sedimentation rates has been widely
employed in many environmental systems. This technique yields satisfactory results when used to study
sediments that have incorporated this radionuclide in an ordered manner from the atmosphere.
Uruguay presents on its Atlantic coast a system of coastal lagoons and wetlands that stand out for their highbiodiversity and are part of the Ramsar site "Bañados del Este" (Ramsar 290). This paper presents theapplication of 210Pb as an environmental tracer to study the hydrological characteristics of two shallow coastallagoons in eastern Uruguay in a semi-pristine state.
For this study, two sediment cores of 50 cm depth were obtained from areas with greater sedimentation in
the Briozzo and Castillos lagoons. The activity concentration of 210Pb total and 210Pb excess was determinedin each section of the sedimentary core by determining its daughter 210Po through alpha spectrometry. The
geochronology was confirmed by measuring the activity of 137Cs using gamma spectrometry. The study also
determined the variation of organic matter content with depth for each core. Furthermore, physical-chemicalparameters such as pH, temperature, depth, turbidity, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were examined at eachpoint in the lagoon.
The results obtained from the physical-chemical parameters, the organic matter content, and the radiometriccharacterization (210Pb total, 210Pb excess) confirm that both lagoons have significant hydrologicaldifferences. The Briozzo lagoon presents a high sedimentation capacity, which allowed for the calculation of
sedimentation rates, radionuclide fluxes, and the estimation of the age of each section of the sedimentarycore. In the Castillos lagoon, the total activity of 210Pb with depth exhibits an abrupt exponential decay,
preventing the estimation of dates or the calculation of accumulation rates. These results demonstrate that theCastillos lagoon is dominated by sediment resuspension processes.

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ENVIRA 2023 Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-05-05

Possibility of 210Po and 210Pb concentration prediction inmineral waters based on their total mineralization
G. Olszewski1, A. Moniakowska1, K. Block1, , D. Strumińska-Parulska1
1

Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Laboratory of
Toxicology and Radiation Protection, Faculty of Chemistry, University ofGdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
Keywords: mineral water, 210Po, 210Pb

Mineral water is water from a spring that contains various minerals, such as salts andsulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling according to thepresence or absence of added gases. The content of different minerals and heavy
metals in water is controlled by the chemical properties of the specific metal andchemical conditions (i.e. pH, Eh, the occurrence of possible complexing agents).
Our study aimed to analyze 210Po and 210Pb concentrations in 40 mineral water
samples from Poland, selected based on varied mineral content. Using data given by
the mineral water producer (mineral content, water source, and some chemical
properties), we also aimed to propose a multiple linear regression model that could
help predict the prevalence of both radionuclides in commercially available mineralwaters in Poland.
Both polonium and lead are particle-reactive elements and should be mostly filtered
before water bottling. In this context, concentrations of both radionuclides should not
be correlated with mineral content, creating many opportunities in statisticalmodelling. Additionally, effective doses and lifetime cancer mortality and morbidity
risk coefficients connected with water consumption were calculated to check if
annual mineral water consumption in Poland significantly increases the cancer risk
due to radionuclides incorporation.

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POSTER SESSION II
06 Fukushima, Chernobyl andTest Ground285

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286

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2-06-01

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

Americium and plutonium isotopes in forest ecosystems of
the Chornobyl Exclusion zone
S. Dubchak1
1

Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität
Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany. e-mail:dubchak@irs.uni-hannover.de
Keywords: Americium, Plutonium, Forest biogeocenosis, Speciation, Migration ability

The speciation of americium and plutonium isotopes in components of forest
biogeocenoses in the Chornobyl Exclusion zone and processes of theseradionuclides’ inclusion in biogeochemical cycles of migration were studied. The
sampling site was chosen in a pine forest located 6 km west of the Chornobyl NPP.
The total biomass inventory for the local forest ecosystem was determined and thesampling of pine tree components, mosses, forest litter and soil was carried out.
It was found, that nearly 90 % of 241,243Am and 238,239,240Pu activity in the forest
ecosystem is concentrated in the fermentative and decomposed humus horizons of
the litter and in the upper 2 cm soil layer. The forest litter, which constitutes only 13% of the forest biomass, has demonstrated the ability to retain up to 67 % of 241,243Am
and 70 % of 238,239,240Pu inventory. The fraction of exchangeable 241Am and 243Am in
the upper soil layer constitutes 12 – 35 % from their bulk content that exceeds
significantly the corresponding value for Pu isotopes (1 – 3 %). Most of 241Am
accumulated in the biomass of the pine trees is concentrated in the wood (53 %), bark
(21 %) and branches (18 %). The distribution of 241Am inventory in the forest
biogeocenosis indicates that only 6 % of its total activity is involved into
biogeochemical cycles of migration.
The obtained results demonstrate that vertical migration of americium andplutonium in the soil profiles of the studied forest ecosystem is rather slow. The mainpart of the activity of these radionuclides is concentrated in the humus horizon of theforest litter. The fraction of exchangeable species of 241Am and 243Am exceeds
significantly that of 238,239,240Pu which indicates a much higher migration ability ofamericium and its enhanced potential accessibility for the intake into local trophic
chains. Due to the processes of 241Pu decay and physicochemical transformation offuel particles, the inventory of 241Am and its mobility will increase over time.

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2-06-02

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Transport of 137Cs discharged by the Fukushima accident
based on a Lagrangian particle tracking model
Haejin Kim1, Kyeong Ok Kim1, Hanna Kim1, Kyung Tae Jung2
Marine Environment Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Busan, Republic ofKorea. e-mail: hjkim127@kiost.ac.kr
2
Oceanic Consulting and Trading, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.

1

Keywords: 137Cs, Fukushima accident, Lagrangian particle tracking model

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident caused by the great earthquake in March2011 released a large amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere and ocean. Kumamoto et al. (2014)
conducted observations along the longitude of 149°E in winter 2012 and reported the maximum concentrationof cesium in the sub-surface layer of the subtropical region. The radioactive material released from the
FDNPP is mainly pushed into the Pacific Ocean east of Japan along the Kuroshio current. Still, it can also
enter below the surface through the formation of subtropical mode water and inflow into the East Asian
Marginal Seas within a few years. The origin and mechanisms of the maximum subtropical sub- surface
concentrations of cesium shown in observations are not clearly understood.
In this study, based on a Lagrangian particle tracking model, we simulated the dispersion of cesium (137Cs)
and identified their source (atmospheric deposition or direct oceanic release). The three-dimensional
horizontal and vertical flow fields of the ocean circulation model (Modular Ocean Model version 5: MOM5)
operated by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) were used to represent thetransport of radioactive materials more realistically. Numerical simulations demonstrated that most of theCs found in the subtropical sub-surface layer had resulted from atmospheric deposition.

137

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2-06-03

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Comparison of cesium-bearing microparticles
from marine and terrestrial sources
H. Miura,1* T. Ishimaru,2 J. Kanda,2 Y. Ito,2 A. Kubo,3and D. Tsumune,1
1Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry(*correspondence: hi-miura@criepi.denken.or.jp)
2
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
3
Shizuoka University
Keywords: Fukushima accident, CsMPs, Ocean

Two years after the Fukushima accident, glassy water-resistant cesium-bearing
microparticles (CsMPs) were first reported. CsMPs have been studied because (i)they have information on the condition in the reactor at the time of the accident, and(ii) there is concern about the exposure to the humans and the other organisms.
Several types of CsMPs have been reported, which is assumed to reflect the differencein the accidental progress of each unit. It is also known that CsMPs were transported
in the atmospheric plume at the time of emission and therefore have different
deposition regions. Type-A CsMPs, are presumed to originate from Unit 2, depositedover a wide area including the Kanto region due to their small size (~0.1–10 µm).
Type-B CsMPs, are presumed to originate from Unit 1, deposited in a limited area in
the north direction because of their large size (50–400 µm). Matrix of Types-A and B CsMPs is SiO2 but Type-A CsMPs have higher concentration of volatile elements
including Cs than Type-B CsMPs due to the difference in forming process. The
presence of CsMPs emitted from Unit 3 in the ocean was confirmed by our research.
The plume at the time of the emission of radionuclides from Unit 3 was in the ocean
direction, which suggests that many CsMPs from Unit 3 deposited directly into theocean. We will report the comparison of CsMPs from marine and terrestrial sources.
The presence of CsMPs may be the cause of the overestimation of solid–water
distribution coefficient for marine sediments and particulate matters and apparent
high concentration factor of marine biota of radioactive Cs.

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2-06-04

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Tritium in seawater of the NW Pacific Ocean: possible effects after releases ofcontaminated water from the Fukushima site
P.P. Povinec1, K. Hirose2
1

Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Biophysics of the Comenius
University, Mlynská dolina F-1, 84248 Bratislava, Slovakia. e-mail: pavel.povinec@us.es
2
Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Japan
Keywords: Tritium levels, Coastal seawater, NW Pacific Ocean, Radiation doses

The large amount of decontaminated water has been stored after the ALPS treatment in more than 1000 large
volume tanks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) site. The activity concentrations ofseveral radionuclides (Cs-137, Cs-134, Co-60, Sr-90, Sb-125, Ru-106, Tc-99, and I-129) in treated water
were <6 kBq/m3 (except for C-14 of 60 kBq/m3), i.e., they were below the Japanese regulation limits. In
contrast to other radionuclides, H-3 concentrations in treated water, which cannot be removed by the ALPS
system, were about 750MBq/m3, and the total activity due to increasing volumes of the contaminated water
could reach 1 PBq, which would be comparable to H-3 discharges to coastal waters during the FDNPP
accident in 2011. Although the H-3 regulation limit is high (60 MBq/m3), its total activity in stored water has
been of concern for Japanese population if tritium water would be released to coastal waters. Tritium becauseof low energy of emitted beta-rays during its decay (Emax = 18.6 keV) does not contribute significantly toradiation doses (that is reflected in its high regulation limit), but its long half-life (12.3 years) would require
waiting too long for its decay in contaminated water. As the production rates of contaminated water are very
high, its storage (presently more than 1.3 million tons) and waiting for H-3 decay is not an acceptable
solution. As H-3 is a part of the water molecule (HTO), it is difficult to get rid of H-3 from water by using
common chemical separation methods. There are several methods available for the removal of tritium fromwater, for example, distillation, cryogenic distillation, electrolysis, and catalytic exchange, but theirimplementation for treatment of million cubic meters of water is a difficult task. Therefore, Japanese
authorities were examining several concepts of releases of H-3 either to the atmosphere or into seawater.
Possible impacts of releases of H-3 to the marine environment will be discussed, including its availability as
a potential tracer for future oceanic transport studies.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Current radioactive fallout contamination along a transEuropean gradient assessed using terricolous lichens
M. Saniewski 1*, P. Wietrzyk-Pełka 2, T. Zalewska 1, M.H. Węgrzyn 2
1

Institute of Meteorology and Water Management - National ResearchInstitute, Waszyngtona 42. 81–342, Gdynia, Poland
2
Laboratory of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany,
Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387, Cracow, Poland
Keywords: 137Cs, bioindicators, lichens

Lichens are considered to be good indicators of contamination of the terrestrial
environment. In this study, we investigated the level of 137Cs accumulated by
Cladonia arbuscula and Stereocaulon alpinum along a longitudinal gradient from
northern Norway, across Sweden to southern Poland. Additionally, we comparedisotope contents between the selected lichen species, and investigated the correlationof the 137Cs content accumulated by C. arbuscula with 137Cs fallout after the
Chernobyl disaster. Even though more than 30 years have passed since the event
being the primary source of radioisotopes in Europe, there is still increased activityof 137Cs in Cladonia arbuscula and Stereocaulon alpinum occurring in the area where
surface ground deposition of radioisotopes released after the Chernobyl accident was
the highest. The statistically significant correlation between the activity of 137Cs in
Cladonia arbuscula and reported 137Cs deposition in Scandinavia and Poland was r= 0.66, p < 0.05 and indicates the possibility of using this species for thebiomonitoring of radioisotope contamination. The good agreement between our
spatial maps of 137Cs activity in lichens and maps of post- Chernobyl deposition
confirms the possibility of mapping environmental contamination even if the fallout
took place many years ago.
The field research leading to these results received funding from the European Union’s
Horizon 2020 project INTERACT (grant agreement No. 730938). The work of Paulina
Wietrzyk-Pełka was supported by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP, scholarship

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agreement No. START 92.2020). The laboratory research received funding from the
National Science Centre, Poland project PRELUDIUM, grant No. 2017/27/N/ ST10/02230.

292

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2-06-06

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Bio-availability of radio-caesium in mesoplankton
collected from Fukushima coastal waters of 2018 and 2020
Y. Tateda1, J. Nishikawa2, T. Aono3, Y. Hamajima4, M. Aoyama5, T.
Kobayashi1, D. Tsumune1
1

Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 1646
Abiko, Chiba, Japan 270-1194, e-mail: tateda@criepi.denken.or.jp
2
School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shizuoka,
Japan, 424-8610
3
National Institute of Radiological Science, National Institute for Quantum
Science and Technology (QST), Inage, Chiba, Japan, 263-8555
4
Low level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Nomi,
Ishikawa, Japan, 923-1224
5
Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics (CRIED),
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, 305-8577
Keywords: Food chain transfer, Marine plankton, 137Cs, biota

Accident originated Cs-137 was introduced from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear
Power Station (1FNPS). Marine plankton off Fukushima was contaminated by radiocaesium and was concerned to transfer along food chain in ecosystems. The
concentration factor of caesium for plankton was 13, and comparatively rapid
turnover with relatively short life-span, the radioactivity level was expected to be
decreased early on after 2011. However, the measured 137Cs radioactivity levels inmesoplankton were greater than expected. In this study, the concentrations of 137Cs
radioactivity and stable Cs were determined in plankton collected during 2018 and2020. After measurement of the total radioactivity, the sample was subjected to H2O2
digestion, and the 137Cs and Cs concentrations in the residue were determined toderive labile fraction. During examination, the anomalous radioactivity originatedfrom terrigenous 137Cs-rich particle and caesium bearing micro particle other thanplankton was found. After exclude non-biota and refractory fraction, the 137Cs
transfer along food chain was examined by model simulation by using the labile
fraction as bio-available caesium for filter feeder and planktivorous fish off
Fukushima.

293

ENVIRA 2023

2-06-07

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

The content of tritium in the plant cover of the ‘Balapan’ siteat the Semipalatinsk Test Site
Larionova N.V., Timonova L.V., Turchenko D.V.
Branch ‘Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology’ RSE NNC RK, 071100
Abai region, Kurchatov, 2B Beibit Atom Str., Republic of Kazakhstan.
e-mail: Larionova@nnc.kz
Keywords: Semipalatinsk Test Site, nuclear tests, plant cover, Н-3.

The environment currently contains both naturally occurring and man-made tritium(Н-3). When nuclear and fusion testing started, the amount of H-3 being 60–190
times its natural level was released into the Earth’s atmosphere. Much of Н-3 wasproduced during nuclear tests conducted at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS).
Despite much research undertaken, the STS territory, from the perspective of Н-3, isstill of special interest because its concentrations in individual areas exceed the levelof radioactive waste.
The paper presents the description of the plant cover and the content of Н-3 in thereat the ‘Balapan’ site where underground nuclear tests were conducted in boreholes.
Н-3 activity concentration was determined by carrying out a beta-spectrometricanalysis with a liquid scintillation spectrometer. The content of Н-3 in the plant coverof the study area was found to reach up to n×105 Bq/kg. That said, maxima areassociated with near-mouth sites of warfare boreholes.

294

ENVIRA 2023

2-06-08

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Transport of 137Cs discharged by the Fukushima accident
based on a Lagrangian particle tracking model
Haejin Kim1, Kyeong Ok Kim1, Hanna Kim1, Kyung Tae Jung2
Marine Environment Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Busan, Republic ofKorea. e-mail: hjkim127@kiost.ac.kr
2
Oceanic Consulting and Trading, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.

1

Keywords: 137Cs, Fukushima accident, Lagrangian particle tracking model

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident caused by the great earthquake in March2011 released a large amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere and ocean. Kumamoto et al. (2014)
conducted observations along the longitude of 149°E in winter 2012 and reported the maximum concentrationof cesium in the sub-surface layer of the subtropical region. The radioactive material released from the
FDNPP is mainly pushed into the Pacific Ocean east of Japan along the Kuroshio current. Still, it can also
enter below the surface through the formation of subtropical mode water and inflow into the East Asian
Marginal Seas within a few years. The origin and mechanisms of the maximum subtropical sub- surface
concentrations of cesium shown in observations are not clearly understood.
In this study, based on a Lagrangian particle tracking model, we simulated the dispersion of cesium (137Cs)
and identified their source (atmospheric deposition or direct oceanic release). The three-dimensional
horizontal and vertical flow fields of the ocean circulation model (Modular Ocean Model version 5: MOM5)
operated by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) were used to represent thetransport of radioactive materials more realistically. Numerical simulations demonstrated that most of theCs found in the subtropical sub-surface layer had resulted from atmospheric deposition.

137

295

ENVIRA 2023

2-06-09

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Presence of Fukushima derived radionuclides in the Arctic
Ocean.
Abascal-Ruiz Unai1,2, López-Gutiérrez José María1,3, Yu Wen4, VillaAlfageme María1,2
1

Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
Dpto. Física Aplicada II, ETSIE, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
3
Dpto. Física Aplicada I, EPS, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
4
School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal
University, Zhuhai 519087, China
2

Keywords: Fukushima, 137Cs,129I, Arctic, Pacific

On 11 March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) was
seriously damaged spilling radioactive particles along the North Pacific Ocean(NPO). In the NPO the FDNPP derived radionuclides were transported with the water
masses reaching the Arctic Ocean (AO). Complementary, the 129I signal fromthe Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plants (NFRPs) located in the North Sea,
Atlantic Ocean, travels along the North Atlantic current into the AO.
Therefore, we propose the use of a dual tracer technique for NPO and AO
water masses based on the use of 137Cs and 129I, with two main sources, FDNPP(137Cs) and NFRPs (129I), The combined use of both can be used to differentiate
the origin of the water masses, time scales and ages in the AO. We present
137
Cs and 129I concentrations of water samples of 63 stations from Japan Sea
to AO collected from 23 July to 10 October 2017 on board the R/V Xuelong
icebreaker during the 8th Chinese Arctic Research Expedition. 137Cs results
ranged from 9.68·106 at/kg in Japan Sea to 4.55·106 at/kg in the AO. 129I
concentrations ranged from 9.68·106 at/kg in Japan Sea 1.73·109 at/kg in the
AO. Both radionuclides show concentrations above the background values inthe vicinities of the coast of Japan, 1.4·106 at/kg for 137Cs and for 129I 1.07·107
at/kg.
Our results show a peak of 137Cs in the Bering Strait and AO, confirming
presence of FDNPP derived radionuclides inside the AO. A high peak of 129I
from the Atlantic NFRPs is also detected in the Bearing Sea. Both peaks allow
to discriminate the inflow and outflow of AO water masses into the NPO.
Moreover, this input of the FDNPP discharges in the AO will provide a newopportunity to use those derived radionuclides as tracers in the NPO and the
NPO-AO connection and the AO circulation in the following years.

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POSTER SESSION II
09 Modelling

297

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

298

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2-09-01

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Airborne radionuclide activity concentration forecast using SARIMA andExponential Triple Smoothing algorithms
A. Russo1, A. Borràs1
1

Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory, University of the Balearic Islands, ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma,
Spain. e-mail: toni.borras@uib.es

Keywords: 7Be, Gross Beta, aerosol, SARIMA, ETSRadionuclide activity concentrations associated to aerosols are routinely measured both to monitor theirpresence in the environment, and to exploit their role as radiotracers that provide useful information on
atmospheric circulation.
Several approaches can be used to forecast future activity concentrations, exploiting several time series
analysis algorithms. One of the most common techniques is Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving
Average (SARIMA) where a given value in the time series is obtained as a linear combination of the previous
values, along with a linear combination of previous forecast errors from past points in the time series. Several
studies performed in different locations have shown that this algorithm can successfully predict future activity
concentrations. Exponential Triple Smoothing (ETS) are a family of forecasting algorithms where predictedvalues are obtained as weighted averages of previous observations, the importance of the weights decreases
exponentially for older points. The latter technique has been proven to be quite successful in several fields,
but is not so popular in environmental radioactivity studies.
In this work we obtain several forecasting models for activity concentrations of 7Be and Gross Beta associatedto aerosols in Mallorca (Spain), using both SARIMA and ETS algorithms. A dataset comprising monthly
values measured between 2004 and 2014 is used to construct these models, dividing it in training and test
subsets. The best models are selected using the training datasets according to their corresponding Akaike andBayesian Information Criteria (AIC and BIC), while the goodness of the models is verified computing theAdapted Mean Absolute Percentage Error (AMAPE) for the test subset.
The ETS algorithm shows similar pretictive power to SARIMA, although the former is easier and faster toimplement.

299

ENVIRA 2023

2-09-02

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Evaluation of Response Function for the Beta Detector
System using Monte Carlo Simulation
M. Jang1, H.M. Cha1, Y. H. Kim1, S. J. Hyun1, H.C. Kim1, J. M. Lim1
1

Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy
Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea. e-mail: mjang@kaeri.re.kr
Keywords: Beta Detector System, Semiconductor, beta radionuclide, Monte carlo
simulation

In this research, we evaluated the feasibility of detecting the beta radionuclides suchas 90Sr and 90Y using the semiconductor detector instead of Liquid scintillation
counter. Usually, the analysis of 90Sr and 90Y requires the chemical separation andliquid scintillation counter (LSC). In liquid scintillation counter, the beta
radionuclides can be detected using the sample mixed with scintillation cocktail andphotomultiplier tube. In Korea, the Quantulus 1220 is the best-selling LSC, but its
production was stopped. The 300SL can be used instead of Quantulus 1220, however,
the minimum detectable activity of 300SL is higher than Quantulus 1220. Therefore,
it is necessary to develop the new detector with similar performance compared
Quantulus1220. There are several possible options of semiconductor for beta
radionuclides detection. In this research, we simulated the response function of thesemiconductor detector such as CZT detector using Monte Carlo code and comparedwith experiment. And we designed the system using the results.

300

ENVIRA 2023

2-09-03

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Dispersion of particle-reactive elements caused by the phase transitions inscavenging
K.O. Kim1, V. Maderich2, I. Brovchenko2, K.T. Jung3, S. Kivva2, K. Kovalets2, S. Seo1
1

Marine Environment Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 385 Haeyang-ro,
49111, Busan, Korea. e-mail: kokim@kiost.ac.kr
2
Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Kyiv, Ukraine
3
Oceanic Consulting and Trading, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
Keywords: Dispersion, Multifraction suspended particulate, Scavenging, Ssorption-desorption processes

A generalized model of scavenging of the reactive radionuclide 239,240Pu was developed, in which thesorption-desorption processes of oxidized and reduced forms on multifraction suspended particulate matterare described by first-order kinetics. One-dimensional transport-diffusion-reaction equations were solved
analytically and numerically. In the idealized case of instantaneous release of 239,240Pu on the ocean surface,
the profile of concentrations asymptotically tends to the symmetric spreading bulge in the form of a Gaussian
moving downward with constant velocity. The corresponding diffusion coefficient is the sum of the physicaldiffusivity and the apparent diffusivity caused by the reversible phase transitions between the dissolved andparticulate states. Using the method of moments, we analytically obtained formulas for both the velocity of
the center mass and apparent diffusivity. It was found that in ocean waters that have oxygen present at great
depths, we can consider in the first approximation a simplified problem for a mixture of forms with a single
effective distribution coefficient, as opposed to considering the complete problem. This conclusion was
confirmed by the modeling results for the well-ventilated Eastern Mediterranean. In agreement with themeasurements, the calculations demonstrate the presence of a maximum that is slowly descending for all
forms of concentration. The ratio of the reduced form to the oxidized form was approximately 0.22-0.24. At
the same time, 239,240Pu scavenging calculations for the anoxic Black Sea deep water reproduced the transition
from the oxidized to reduced form of 239,240Pu with depth in accordance with the measurement data.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radiological environmental impact assessment by Ecolego.
Potential reach of accidental discharges from Zaporizhzhia
nuclear power plant
S. Rozas, I. Aldekoa, M. Herranz
Department of Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao, Plaza
Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013-Bilbao, Spain. e-mail:saroa.rozas@ehu.eus
Keywords: Radiological environmental impact assessment (REIA), nuclear emergency,
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP), Ecolego software

Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power plant (NPP) in Europe, with a total grosscapacity of 6000 MWe divided into six pressurised water reactor (PWR) type VVER
V-320 model. It is located in south-eastern Ukraine and controlled by the Russianarmy since 2022, although it is still operated by Ukrainian staff. As a consequenceof the military conflict in the area, the facility suffered minor damages. For thisreason, all of the six reactors have been shot down for several months, four in cold
shutdown and two in hot shutdown. However, despite this shutdown, several aspects
may jeopardize the cooling of the reactors leading to an accident with leakages outof the nuclear facilities.
Since Zaporizhzhia is located near farm fields, eventual leakages may entail a riskfor human health. For this reason, we are carrying out an evaluation of the potential
radiological environmental impact of an accident in Zaporizhzhia NPP using
Ecolego. This software is a tool for creating dynamic models and performing both
deterministic and probabilistic simulations, in order to conduct safety and risk
assessments in nuclear facilities.
To assess the potential radiological impact two possible discharges has been
considered, a release into the atmosphere and a loss of coolant accident (LOCA).
In both cases, both spatial and temporal scopes have been studied along the different
environmental compartments.

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ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-09-05

CHAINING MODELS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ECONOMIC
IMPACT OF A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT ON FORESTRY AND AQUATIC
ACTIVITIESO. Radakovitch1,2, F. Ramirez Goni1, C. Duffa1, A. Vidal Allard1, R Vandromme3, O. Cerdan3,S Cetre1, L. PascucciCahen1, P. Boyer1.
Institut National de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN/PSE/SRTE, Saint Paul les Durance, France.
Olivier.radakovitch@irsn.fr,
2
Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix-en-provence, France.
3
BRGM, F-45060, Orléans, France
1

Keywords: 137Cs, transfer modelling, post-accident ecconomical onsequences

The objective of the AMORAD-II project (ANR-11-RSNR-002) was to reduce the uncertainties related tothe prediction of radiological consequences in the case of a nuclear accident. Numerous data have been used
to calibrate and validate different modelling tools designed to predict the transfer of radionuclides following
releases into the sea or after atmospheric deposition, and how they are redistributed. Numerical models werechained for the first time in order to represent the transfer of 137Cs released by a nuclear accident (nuclear
power plant along the Loire river) over a continuum watershed-ocean, each model providing the outputs forthe next one. Models pX and ldX (IRSN) were used to simulate the short and long term distance deposits of
Cs (for a given meteorological scenario). The WATERSED (BRGM) model combined with a new module137

for radiocesium was used to simulate the redistribution of 137Cs within the soils, and from the soils to therivers. CASTEAURX (IRSN) modelled the transfer from the rivers to the sea, and STERNE (IRSN) thetransfer of dissolved 137Cs in the Atlantic sea and to the fishes. The simulation was done over 20 years after
the accident to evaluate the long-term trend and consequences. Finally, ARPAGON model (IRSN), initiallycreated for simulating the economic costs directly associated to an accident, was specifically developed toevaluate the losses due to the market costs for the sectors of agriculture, wood production and sea fishing,
and the costs due the loss of ecosystem services relating to hunting, gathering and drinking water supply.
Over the 20 years, the losses related to hunting and gathering ecosystem service from the forest areas andstop of drinking water supply are all estimated higher than those related to agricultural products. Those
associated with fisheries are around 1/10 of this last one. This case study shows the importance of considering
non-market costs for aid decision-making in the field of post-accident management of a nuclear accident.

303

ENVIRA 2023

2-09-06

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

RADEKOR: Speciation and transfer of radionuclides in thehuman organism especially taking into accountdecorporation agents – a joint project
A. Barkleit1, D. Butscher1, S. Friedrich1, A. Heller2, S. Ottenburger3, B.
Riebe4, D. Walther5
1Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Institute of Resource
Ecology2
Technische Universität Dresden (TUD), Analytical Chemistry,Radiochemistry/Radioecology
3
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Thermal Energy
Technology and Safety
4
Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), Institute of Radioecology andRadiation Protection
5
VKTA – Radiation Protection, Analytics & Disposal Rossendorf
Keywords: Biokinetics, gastrointestinal tract, speciation, cytotoxicity

In case radionuclides (RN) enter the food chain and are incorporated by humans,
they pose a possible health risk due to their radio- and chemotoxicity. To precisely
assess the health risk after oral incorporation of RN with food and beverages and to
apply effective decontamination methods, it is mandatory to understand themolecular and cellular processes of RN biokinetics. Within the German joint
research project RADEKOR, quantitative excretion analysis of Ra-containing foodand biokinetic modeling of orally incorporated Am(III) are performed, combinedwith molecular speciation studies of RN (Ra(II), Eu/Am/Cm(III), U(VI)) in artificial
fluids of the alimentary tract of humans and cytotoxicity studies with respective
human and rat cell lines both in the absence and presence of decorporation agents
such as DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid). Aim of the project is to expand
the knowledge of processes underlying RN interactions within the human alimentarytract on a cellular and molecular scale to establish a precise biokinetic model as wellas to contribute to the development and improvement of nuclide specificdecontamination methods.
This joint project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education andResearch (grant number 02NUK057A-E).

304

ENVIRA 2023

2-09-07

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Various approaches to calculate radon exhalation rate for estimation of CO2
flux from soil and their verification by experimental measurements
Terézia Eckertová1, Karol Holý1, Monika Müllerová1, Alžbeta Brandýsová1, Mohammad Alem
Sultani1, Martin Bulko1
Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius
University in Bratislava, Slovak Republic

1

E-mail: terezia.eckertova@fmph.uniba.sk
Keywords : Radon, CO2, exhalation rate

The current requirements for the reduction of the fossil CO2 content in the atmosphere require a monitoringof CO2 dynamics to distinguish its anthropogenic emissions from natural emissions from sources such as soil
which is the largest terrestrial reservoir of carbon on Earth. Direct measurements of CO2 flux are associatedwith various limitations due to disruptions of physical processes connected with a CO2 transport in soil ordue to a modification of biochemical processes connected with its production in soil. A promising method of
obtaining a CO2 exhalation rate, also as a solution to the above problems, is the use of a radon gas which isreleased from the soil together with CO2. This method requires to know the 222Rn exhalation rate and its
concentrations in soil together with CO2 concentrations. It is called the radon calibrated method (RCM),
which enables to calculate the CO2 exhalation rate with potential application of its estimation for larger areas
or territorial units.
In this contribution, we deal with a verification of various approaches of calculation of the radon exhalation
rate from soil using the most common theoretical equations. These values are subsequently used in RCM andboth results (i.e. the exhalation rate of 222Rn and CO2) are compared with measured results using an
accumulation chamber in the locality of FMPI CU in Bratislava. Because meteorological parameters areroutinely measured at the measurement site, this allows us to study variations of concentration and exhalationof radon and CO2 depending on soil moisture and temperature. In a short-term perspective the results ofexhalation rate and concentration show strong fluctuations according to the weather. On the other hand, in along-term perspective we found a very good agreement of measured results with the calculated values forsome of tested relations.
This work was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Researchand Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA project No. 1/0019/22 andNo. 1/0086/22) and the Slovak Research and Development Agency (project No. APVV-21-0356).

305

ENVIRA 2023

2-09-08

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Distributions and inventory of 137Cs released from multiple
sources in a general circulation model
D. Tsumune1, F. O. Bryan2, K. Lindsay2, K. Misumi1, T. Tsubono1, M.
Aoyama1

Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Abiko 270-1194
Japan. e-mail: tsumune@criepi.denken.or.jp
2
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80307 USA
3
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8577 Japan.
Keywords: 137Cs, Global fallout, Reprocessing Plant, Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power
Plant accident, Ocean general circulation model

Radioactive cesium (137Cs) is distributed in the world's oceans as a result of global
fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, releases from fuel reprocessing
plants, inputs from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (F1NPS) accident.
In order to detect future radionuclide contamination, it is necessary to establish abaseline global distribution of radionuclides such as 137Cs and to understand theocean transport processes that lead to that distribution. To this end, the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has created the database of observations ofradioactivity in seawater. To aid in the interpretation of these observations, we haveconducted a suite of simulations of the distribution of 137Cs using a global ocean
general circulation model (OGCM). The simulated 137Cs activity concentrations were
found to be in good agreement with available observations, especially in the North
Pacific and the North Atlantic Oceans where the measurement densities are relatively
high. The F1NPS accident increased the inventory by 20% in the North Pacific Ocean
in 2011. In the North Atlantic, inventories reached a maximum in the late 1970s due
to discharge from reprocessing plants. 137Cs activity concentration from atmosphericnuclear weapons tests are expected to be detectable in the global ocean until at least
2030. These results of this simulation will be useful for planning future observations
to fill gaps in the database.

306

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

POSTER SESSION II
10 Atmosphere307

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

308

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-01

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Radioxenon as a potential atmospheric tracer for climate studies
C.G Doll1, J. I. Friese1, T. W. Bowyer1, L. A. Metz1
1

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), 638 Horn Rapids Rd., Richland WA 99354, U.S.

Keywords: Radioxenon, effluents, atmospheric transport

Radioxenon released into the atmosphere from industrial sources has potential for use as a uniqueenvironmental tracer. The International Monitoring System (IMS) for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban
Treaty has stations deployed globally that monitor for radionuclide signatures of nuclear explosions whichhave been operating for many years. While well below levels related to health and safety concerns, these very
sensitive IMS stations routinely detect radioxenon emissions from industrial sources such as medical isotope
production and nuclear reactors. This radioxenon background can be used to understand global environmental
transport. The Source Term Analysis of Xenon (STAX) project has using radioxenon emission data collectedfrom industrial facilities along with atmospheric transport modeling to better understand the environmental
transport and the global background of radioxenon observed at IMS monitoring stations. We will discuss
how radioxenon is currently used for nuclear explosion monitoring and may be applied to other applications,for instance environmental and climate studies.

309

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-02

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Ireland’s Updated National Radiation Monitoring Network
A.K inahan1, F. O’Brien1, L. Foran1, M. Rozmaric2, S.Boylan1, V.Smith1, P. Byrne1
1

Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Protection Agency, Dublin, Ireland
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, Vienna, Austria

2

Keywords: Aerosol, gamma dose rate, monitoring,

Ireland’s National Radiation Monitoring Network (NRMN) was set up in the 1980s for gamma dose rate,
aerosol and precipitation monitoring. An upgrade of the network was required to ensure compliance withinternational regulations.
One of the main focuses was the significant improvement of particulate aerosol monitoring, as it’s the main
tool in characterising and quantifying radionuclides during an event. The following improvements were
made:•

The expansion in the number of sites,•

Increase in the number of high- and low-volume aerosol samplers,•

Deployment of automated aerosol radioactivity measurement systems,•

Revision of procedures for the measurement gamma emitters and total beta activity of air filters,•

New and enhanced collaboration with various organisations,•

Modern and more resilient telemetry systems providing robust data pathways for secure emergency
response and access to real-time data were rolled out. New communication pathways reduce the needfor staff intervention in the field.

Improvements to the NRMN architecture and operational capacity were designed to increase its functionality
and response capabilities in emergency situations.
The objective is to present lessons learned, challenges and outcomes of the project on the renewal of theradiation monitoring structure in Ireland that might be beneficial for countries planning the extension of theirnational networks.

310

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-03

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Two years of continuous monitoring of 7Be and 210Pb in rainfall collected at the
IPEN campus, São Paulo, Brazil
J.O Castro1,2, R.M Domingos1, S.R Damatto1, C.E.C Rodrigues1, V.L.Isiki1, J.O.A Neto1
Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares -IPEN, São Paulo, Brazil.
Instituto Federal de São Paulo (IFSP), São Paulo, Brazil. e-mail: oliveira.castro@aluno.ifsp.edu.br1

2

Keywords: Be-7, Pb-210, Natural Radionuclides, Rainfall.

The naturally occurring radionuclides 7Be and 210Pb are produced in the atmosphere and used as tracers of awide variety of processes that occur in the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The cosmogenic radionuclide 7Be(T1/2 = 53.3 d), is produced in the upper atmosphere by cosmic ray spallation of oxygen and nitrogen; 210Pb(T1/2 = 22.3 y), a natural radionuclide from 238U series can be found in the atmosphere, as a product of 222Rn
decay that emanates from the ground. Both natural radionuclides can be used as tracers for heavy metals andpollutants in the environment, tracer of soil erosion, transport processes in watershed and sedimentation inlakes, among other examples. The activity concentration results of these radionuclides in rainfall, whencombined with meteorological information, help to understand how aerosol particles are transported in the
air and removed from the atmosphere by the action of rainfall. The objectives of this work were to determine
the activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides 7Be and 210Pb in rainfall samples over a period of two
years, from January 2021 to December 2022, in each rainy event that occurred on the IPEN campus, locatedin the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Be-7 activity concentrations were measured by non-destructive gamma-ray
spectrometry using a coaxial Be-layer HPGe detector with 25% relative efficiency and associated electronic
devices and live counting time varying from 80,000 s to 300,000 s; 210Pb activity concentrations were
measured by gross beta counting in a low background gas flow proportional detector, after radiochemistry
procedure. The annual rainfall indices for 2021 and 2022 were 1093 mm and 1391 mm, respectively. Activity
concentrations for 7Be ranged from 0.459 ± 0.038 Bq L-1 to 8.96 ± 0.57 Bq L-1 and for 210Pb from 0.015 ±0.001 to 0.98 ± 0.01 Bq L-1 in the studied period. The results obtained of 7Be and 210Pb in rainfall werecorrelated to seasons, precipitation, temperature, and sunspot number for 7Be. The higher values obtained forthe concentrations were in winter and spring time presenting good correlations with the amount ofprecipitation and sunspot number and a clear seasonal variation.

311

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-04

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Back-tracking of radioactive aerosols in the atmosphere with high temporal
resolution
M. Hýža1, L. Švamberová1
1

National radiation protection institute (SÚRO), Prague, Czech Republic

Keywords: Radioactive aerosols,Online measurement, HPGe detector, Inverse atmospheric modeling, Beryllium

Monitoring of radioactive aerosols is carried out routinely by various monitoring networks aroundthe world. Although atmospheric research was not the primary reason why these networks werebuilt, the data they provide can be very well used to investigate a variety of atmospheric processes.
In recent years, numerous studies have been conducted to link aerosol measurements and theback‑trajectories of associated air parcels to identify the contributing meteorological factors to
observed radionuclide concentrations. Such studies are often limited by the temporal resolution of
the underlying monitoring data caused by rather long sampling intervals (~week), during which thewind direction can change significantly.
To overcome this issue, SURO has developed an online monitoring system that can detect airborne
radioactivity at the mBq/m3 level. The measurement is carried out using the HPGe detector
positioned directly above the aerosol filter during sampling. The high sensitivity of this experimental
setup enabled the reconstruction of the concentration time series of aerosol associated with 7Be on
a time scale of several hours.
Furthermore, the history of each air parcel was thoroughly investigated, and the influence of theaerosol and humidity along a given trajectory on the observed 7Be activity was examined.

312

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-05

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Greenhouse gas Observations at a middle-sized European city, Debrecen,
Hungary: CO2, CH4 mole fraction, stable isotope ratio and radiocarbon
measurements in different seasons
T. Varga,1,2, I. Major1,2, S. Bán1, T. Röckmann2, C. van der Veen2, M. Molnár1,2
1International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research,
Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary,. e-mail: varga.tamas@atomki.hu
2
Isotoptech Ltd., Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
3Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Keywords: radiocarbon, carbon dioxide, methane, isotope ratio, greenhouse gas

The increasing level of atmospheric greenhouse gases and the effect of this trend, the climate change, is oneof the greatest environmental issues of the modern era. The rapid, increasing trend of greenhouse gas levels
after industrialization is related to urban environments, where industrial and traffic, transportation- related
activity and emissions are concentrated. In response to this, the European system, the ICOS (Integrated
Carbon Observation System) was established and started the ICOS cities program, where coordinatedgreenhouse gas observations are carried out besides the regional background measurements and samplings.
Similarly to this program, atmospheric air samples were collected at the Institute for Nuclear Research,
Debrecen. During the sampling campaigns in three different seasons (winter, spring and summer), a minimumof 23 samples were collected in the morning and afternoon during weekdays and weekends. The samples areprocessed within a collaboration between Utrecht University, where the stable isotope composition of CO2
and CH4 were measured, and the Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungary, where the mole fraction of CO2
and CH4 and radiocarbon ratio of CO2 were measured. Based on the isotope composition results and stable
isotope fingerprint of carbon dioxide and methane sources, the possible emission sources of these gases canbe differentiated. We can estimate the fossil CO2 contribution in urban areas using radiocarbon. The
preliminary results show that there is a great fossil contribution to the CO2 fraction, on the other hand, a great
local biological contribution was observed in the CH4 fraction in every season.

313

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-06

Seville, September 17 -22, 2023

An attempt to measure the 237Np/239Pu atom ratios on air
filters collected in the early 1960s in Vienna, Austria
G. Wallner1, P. Rohrbach1, L.J. Krammer1, A. Wiederin2, P. Steier2,
K. Hain2
1

Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of
Vienna, 1090-Vienna, Austria
2
Faculty of Physics, Isotope Physics, University of Vienna, 1090-Vienna,
Austria
Keywords: 237Np/239Pu, air filters, bomb peak, AMS

In the early 1960s air filters were collected at meteorological observatories in
Vienna, Austria, in order to determine the amount of aerosol bound γ-emitting fission
products like 141Ce+144Ce, 103Ru and 95Zr+95Nb present in ambient air (Schönfeld etal. 1960). Some years later 137Cs and 239+240Pu concentrations of selected filters were
measured (Irlweck et al. 1981). In the last years we found it worthwhile to investigate
the left-over filters (mainly from 1964-66) with regard to Pu atom ratios, and themore “exotic” 236U and 233U isotopes by using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)(Wallner et al. 2022).
As there are still filters available, we now turned to the determination of the
Np/239Pu atom ratios preserved in these aerosols. As appropriate Np spikes (236gNp

237

and/or 235Np) are not yet easily accessible, we tried an approach without spikes:
Different chemical separation procedures were checked with regard to a constantratio of the Np and Pu yields by α-spectrometry. So at least a good approximation of
the 237Np/239Pu atom ratio should be possible for these samples representing purenuclear weapons fallout undisturbed by mixing or dilution processes.
Schönfeld T, Liebscher K, Karl F, Friedmann C, 1960, Nature 185, 192-193.
Irlweck K, Friedmann Ch, Schönfeld T, 1981, Mitteilungen der österr.
Sanitätsverwaltung 82, Heft 5, 81-84.
Wallner G, Uguz H, Kern M, Jirsa F, Hain K, 2022, JENVRAD 255,
107030314

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-07

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Analysis of Gross Beta activity concentration associated to aerosols in Mallorca(Spain) based on Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA)
A. Oliver1, E. Palacio1, A. Borràs1
1

Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory, University of the Balearic Islands, ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma,
Spain. e-mail: toni.borras@uib.es

Keywords: Gross Beta, aerosol, MFDFARadioactivity in the atmosphere is measured as a key part of most surveillance programmes, which also
provide useful information that allows to better understand atmospheric transport and the characterization of
air masses. The obtained time series are complex and typically endowed with autocorrelation at different
time scales, their proper analysis is then challenging.
Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA) is a numerical algorithm designed to understand the
dynamical characteristics of complex time series, it deals with the identification of correlations and thescaling properties of time series data. MFDFA has been used to analyse a wide variety of data from different
fields (biomedical, meteorological or economical) providing insights into the spatial and temporal
distribution of the analysed parameters, and helping to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data.
Given its proved ability to properly describe the properties of contaminants and tracers in the atmosphere, it
is to expect that MFDFA can also be useful in environmental radioactivity studies. It is applied in this work
to analyse a series of weekly gross beta activity concentrations measured in Mallorca (Spain) between 2006
and 2019. The fluctuation function, generalised Hurst exponent, multifractal scaling exponent and thesingularity spectrum are obtained for this time series. Results are compared to typical values obtained forother atmospheric tracers in other studies.

315

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-08

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Analysis of Gross Beta activity concentration associated to aerosols in Mallorca(Spain) based on Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA)
A. Oliver1, E. Palacio1, A. Borràs1
1

Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory, University of the Balearic Islands, ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma,
Spain. e-mail: toni.borras@uib.es

Keywords: Gross Beta, aerosol, MFDFARadioactivity in the atmosphere is measured as a key part of most surveillance programmes, which also
provide useful information that allows to better understand atmospheric transport and the characterization of
air masses. The obtained time series are complex and typically endowed with autocorrelation at different
time scales, their proper analysis is then challenging.
Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA) is a numerical algorithm designed to understand the
dynamical characteristics of complex time series, it deals with the identification of correlations and thescaling properties of time series data. MFDFA has been used to analyse a wide variety of data from different
fields (biomedical, meteorological or economical) providing insights into the spatial and temporal
distribution of the analysed parameters, and helping to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data.
Given its proved ability to properly describe the properties of contaminants and tracers in the atmosphere, it
is to expect that MFDFA can also be useful in environmental radioactivity studies. It is applied in this work
to analyse a series of weekly gross beta activity concentrations measured in Mallorca (Spain) between 2006
and 2019. The fluctuation function, generalised Hurst exponent, multifractal scaling exponent and thesingularity spectrum are obtained for this time series. Results are compared to typical values obtained forother atmospheric tracers in other studies.

316

ENVIRA 2023

2-10-09

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

Back-tracking of radioactive aerosols in the atmosphere with high temporal
resolution
M. Hýža1
1

National radiation protection institute (SÚRO), Prague, Czech Republic

Keywords: Radioactive aerosols,Online measurement, HPGe detector, Inverse atmospheric modeling, Beryllium

Monitoring of radioactive aerosols is carried out routinely by various monitoring networks aroundthe world. Although atmospheric research was not the primary reason why these networks werebuilt, the data they provide can be very well used to investigate a variety of atmospheric processes.
In recent years, numerous studies have been conducted to link aerosol measurements and theback‑trajectories of associated air parcels to identify the contributing meteorological factors to
observed radionuclide concentrations. Such studies are often limited by the temporal resolution of
the underlying monitoring data caused by rather long sampling intervals (~week), during which thewind direction can change significantly.
To overcome this issue, SURO has developed an online monitoring system that can detect airborne
radioactivity at the mBq/m3 level. The measurement is carried out using the HPGe detector
positioned directly above the aerosol filter during sampling. The high sensitivity of this experimental
setup enabled the reconstruction of the concentration time series of aerosol associated with 7Be on atime scale of several hours.
Furthermore, the history of each air parcel was thoroughly investigated, and the influence of theaerosol and humidity along a given trajectory on the observed 7Be activity was examined.

317

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

POSTER SESSION II
11 Marine environment

318

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

319

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-11-01

Building a database from radioisotopes measurements:
the case of 234Th in seawater
B. González-González1, E. Ceballos-Romero1,
S. Hurtado-Bermúdez1, M. Villa-Alfageme1

U.

Abascal-Ruiz1,

1

Department of Applied Physics II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avenida Reina Mercedes 2, 41012Sevilla, Spain

Keywords: Radioisotopes, database, Thorium-234.

Radioisotopes serve as tracers to study biological and physical processes, together
with the impact that human activity has on them. Databases are a basic tool for storingdata in a structured form and facilitating their consultation. The fast development ofsampling and analysis techniques has incremented the amount of available measured
data, including radioisotope concentrations. Hence the creation of open-data, wellstructured and user-friendly databases is vital in Environmental Sciences. Moreover,
AI databases are a fast-emerging database approach that should be considered when
designing a new database. In the field of radioecology, databases can be used tocollect information on radioisotopes measurements, doses or related parameters, indifferent environmental compartments. IAEA’s MARIS or GEOTRACERS are
examples of databases that collect open-access radionuclide data measured in marine
environments.
Building a functional database requires great effort and meticulous work. Some of
the main problems present in existing databases are the usability and the managementof large amounts of data. As a case study, we are working on a compilation of ²³⁴Th
measurements in seawater, a radioisotope that traces carbon fluxes and carbon exportin the ocean. Based on our case study, we present a guide of recommendations fordatabase building on environmental radioactivity. The key points detected are thedesigning of a robust structure, that allows to add new inputs if required, the needfor constant updates and the incorporation of AI techniques to improve efficiency orfunctionality. This improves the access of the scientific community to global data for
analysis and for using emerging technologies to process large amounts of data.

320

ENVIRA 2023

Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-11-02

Radiological impact of the submarine volcano Tagoro(Canary Islands) on coastal ecosystem from 2011 to 2020
N. Miquel-Armengol1, A. Tejera1, B. Manzanares-Obispo1, A. C. ArriolaVelásquez,1 H. Alonso1, J.G. Rubiano1, F. Tuya2, J.P. Bolívar3, P. Martel1
1

Department of Physics, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios
Ambientales y Recursos Naturales i-UNAT, Universidad de Las Palmas deGran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ,Spain. e-mail: neus.miquel@ulpgc.es
2
Department of Biology, Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación, IUECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira,35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
3
Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales,
Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21007, Huelva, Spain.
Keywords: Tagoro, Submarine volcano, radiological impact, Canary Islands

Volcanic eruptions are a source of natural radionuclides that are incorporated into
the environment and can be used as tracers of various volcanic processes. Imbalancesin the 238U, 235U and 232Th series can provide relevant information for the analysis oftime scales and dynamics of magmatic processes, for dating volcanic eruption, or asa precursor signal for volcanic eruptions. In addition to this relevant role as tracersof volcanic processes, it is important to assess the radiological impact ofradionuclides released in volcanic eruptions on the environment and the nearby
population. However, there are not many studies on the radiological impact of
volcanic eruptions that assess radiological risk, and even fewer are found on theseradiological impact’s effects on marine environmental ecosystems when the eruption
is submarine. The monitoring of natural radioactivity levels in the environment of
the submarine volcano of the Canary Island of El Hierro during the eruption (October
10, 2011 to March 5, 2012) is analysed. What is more, its subsequent radiologicalimpact later years (2013-2020) on the coastal ecosystem through water, sediments,
and biota (algae) is studied.

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2-11-03

Distributions of 137Cs in the Southern Sea of Korea:
Preliminary results of onboard measurement in 2022
Hyunmi Lee1, Jaeeun Lee1,2, Junhyeong Seo1*, Suk Hyun Kim1, Young Jun
Kim1, Kyoungkyu Park1,2, Intae Kim1,2
1

Marin Environment Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Scienceand Technology (KIOST), Busan 49111, South Korea (*correspondence:
junhyeong@kiost.ac.kr)
2

Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology (UST),
Daejeon 34113, Korea
Keywords: 137Cs, onboard measruement, Southern Sea of Korea

Cesium-137 (137Cs; half-life = 30 years) is one of the artificial gamma-decay nuclides
which has been produced from human activities related to nuclear facilities andreactors. In marine environments, 137Cs have been widely used as a tracer for watermass transport and sedimentation rates. We measured the horizontal and vertical
distributions of 137Cs in seawater and other oceanographic parameters (i.e.,
temperature and salinity) during September 30 to October 5, 2022 in the Southern
Sea of Korea (SSK). In this study, we applied the onboard measurement of 137Cs by
the nickel potassium ferrocyanide (KNiFC) co- precipitation (< 12 hours) and High
Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector (~ 8 hours of counting time) equipped in a shipbased mobile laboratory. 137Cs activities ranged from 1.35 to 2.60 dpm L-1, with achemical recovery of 97% ± 5% (n > 30). These 137Cs activities were similar to thoseobserved in the past from the SSK (2014-2021) which was measured by traditional
methods (i.e., AMP co- precipitation). Our results suggest that the onboard
measurement of 137Cs can be used in the event of an accident requiring urgent
monitoring in the ocean.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-11-04

16 years of actinides studies in marine samples in the frameof the IAEA-CNA collaborating agreement
Elena Chamizo 1, Isabelle Levy2, Mercedes López-Lora1,3, Victoria Lérida1,
Mai K. Pham2, Megan Cook2, Martina Rozmaric4, Mats Eriksson3, J.M
López-Gutiérrez1, Rafael García-Tenorio1, Iolanda Osvath2
1

Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Universidad de Sevilla, Junta deAndalucía, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Sevilla, Spain.

2

International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 98000, MC,
Monaco.

3

Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping
University, Linköping, Sweden.

4Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization – CTBTO, Vienna,
Austria.

Keywords : AMS, CNA, actinides, IAEAThe Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Sevilla, Spain) signed the firstcollaborating agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Environment Laboratories (Monaco) in 2007. Since then, both institutions haveenjoyed a fruitful collaboration. The IAEA expertise on radiochemistry has
motivated and allowed the development of a novel procedure for the AMS analysisof 237Np, 236U and 239,240Pu in low-volume seawater samples, and its application tosolid matrixes is an ongoing project (Lérida et al, these proceedings). A synergy withactive IAEA sampling projects has been fulfilled, and comprehensive datasets on
236

U, 237Np have been produced in different marine regions of the world. Besides,

236

U and 239,240Pu has been determined in a variety of IAEA reference materials. In

this work, we will present an overview of the studies performed in the frame of the
IAEA-CNA collaboration agreement.
V. Lérida, I. Levy, M. López-Lora, E. Chamizo, Sequential extraction of actinides fromsediment samples for the analytical determination of 237Np by AMS, these proceedings.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-11-05

Distributions of radiocesium and plutonium in the Koreanseas and North Pacific after the Fukushima accident, 20112014
Jaeeun Lee1,2, Suk Hyun Kim2, Hyunmi Lee 2 and Intae Kim1,2*
1

Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology (UST),
Daejeon 34113, South Korea.
2MarinEnvironment Research Deparment, Korea Institute of Ocean
Science and Technology, Busan 49111, South Korea *Correspondence
should be addressed to Intae kim (email: ikim@kiost.ac.kr)
Keywords: Radocesium, Plutonium, Fucushima accident, Pacific Ocean

The distributions of artificial radionuclides, radiocesium (137Cs and 134Cs) andplutonium isotopes (239+240Pu and 238Pu), in the surface water around the Korean seas
(East/Japan Sea and Yellow Sea) in 2011–2012 and in three sections in the North
Pacific between 2011and 2014 were examined. The 137Cs activities in the surface
water in the Korean seas in 2011 (immediately after the Fukushima nuclear power
plant (NPP) accident on 17 March 2011) were comparable or not significantly
different relative to those in 2012 and 2010. However, 134Cs, which had been notdetected in the study area before the Fukushima accident (under the detection limitof 0.1 mBq kg-1 level), was detected rapidly in 2011 after the accident (in about 60%of the 72 samples) and gradually disappeared due to its short half-life (t1/2 = 2.06
years) in 2012 (detected in about 16% of the 24 samples). In addition, the highest
activities of radiocesium and Pu isotopes appeared locally in some stations of the
Korean Strait region (located between Korea and Japan), within 1–2 months
immediately after the accident. This suggests that the radioactive nuclides released
immediately after the Fukushima accident were significantly introduced through theatmosphere, based on recent studies conducted in neighbouring areas. We also showthat the spatial distribution of radiocesium in the North Pacific moved east-ward from2012 to 2014, and we attempt to quantify the residence time of radiocesium (137Cs)
in the Korean seas based on the long-term

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(tens of years scale) temporal trends of 137Cs activity data, which have been collected
since the 1960s and 1970s. The estimated retention time of 137Cs in the East/Japan
Sea and Yellow Sea were 25±0.6 and 8.0±0.1 years, respectively. These results are
expected to be used as a preliminary study for a potential future event of a marine
radioactive accident (which, of course, cannot be predicted) and as basic data forpredicting the influences of radionuclide releases in the ocean.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

ENVIRA 2023

2-11-06

First radionuclide survey in marine environment off the Mauritius coast: levels
and distributtion of naturally occurring radionuclides and 137Cs in seawater, sediments and biota
V. Emrith1, M. Rozmaric2,3, O. Blinova2, R. Garcia-Tenorio4, M. Fakoo1, R. Bhantooa1, P. McGinnity2
Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Albion Fisheries Research Centre,
Al- bion, Petite Riviere, Mauritius
2International Atomic Energy Agency, Marine Environment Laboratories, Monaco
3Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, International Data Centre, Vienna, Austria(present) 4 Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Univ.Sevilla-J. Andalucia-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
1

Radionuclide studies in the marine environment for small island developing states, such as Mauritius
Island, are essential as inhabitants depend highly on marine resources as their primary sources ofprotein. This study presents the first records for the distribution of radionuclides (210Po, 234U, 235U,
238

U, 40K, 228Th, 228Ra, 210Pb, 226Ra and 7Be) in different compartments of the marine ecosystem (sea-water, sediment, macro-algae, sea cucumber, oysters and fish) of Mauritius Island and 210Po annual
dose assessment.
The calculated Kds for 210Po and U isotopes were lower than the reported average worldwide and ithemarine sediments were found poor in 40K (10 to 95 Bq/kg) due to their biogenic carbonate composition. With respect to biota samples, biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) values (2.6 - 71.7) of40

K showed that macro-algal samples readily bio-accumulated 40K. Macro-algae also displayed thehighest levels of 210Pb (48.1±42 Bq/kg). High levels of 210Po were observed in oyster Saccostrea sp
samples collected at two sites. The calculated BSAF values suggested that macro-algae and fish could
be considered as good bio-sensors for 40K whereas oysters for 210Po. The annual effective doses from210

Po obtained through consumption of fish and oysters ranged from 0.19 mSv/year to 0.21 mSv/year

and 0.07 mSv/year to 0.12 mSv/year, respectively which were below the annual effective dose due tonatural radiation sources.

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POSTER SESSION II
12 Marine sediments

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2-12-01

Environmental radiological risk assessment of algae from
Algiers coastline
D. Taieb Errahmani1, M. Boulahdid2, A. Hammadi1, S. Aissani2,
S. Chaouadi2 and M. Maache1
1
Environment and Nuclear Safety Department, Algiers Nuclear Research Centre(CRNA). 2 Bd. Frantz Fanon, PO Box 399 Alger-RP, Algiers, 16000, Algeria
2
High National School for Marine Science and Littoral Management (ENSSMAL),BP 19, Campus Universitaire de Dely-Brahim, Bois des Cars, 16320, Algiers,
Algeria
Keywords: Risk assessment, algae, gamma spectrometry, ERICA tool, Algiers coastline
Abstract:

During recent years there has been increased interest for knowledge on theconcentration and the distribution of natural radionuclides in the marine
environment. The latter is required not only to provide useful information toradiological monitoring programmes, but also to assess the radiological risk formarine biota and seafood consumers. In Algeria, there are no studies that surveyed
the quantities of radionuclides in algae and their potential effects on human health.
The main objectives of this preliminary work are the study of radionuclides
distribution in algae species as well as the assessment of the linked environmental
radiological risk.
Brown, red, and green algae were collected from five different parts of Algiers
coastline on May 2022.
Algae species were identified at laboratory and an amount of 100 g dry weight ofeach species were taken for analysis.
The radionuclides that were analyzed by gamma spectrometry were 238U daughters(234Th, 226Ra, 214Pb and 214Bi), 232Th daughters (212Pb, 208Tl and 228Ac), 7Be and 40K.
Activity concentrations (Bq·kg-1 d.w.) were found to be in the range of 138.75±6.411858.95 (40K), 6.36±3.78-35.51±9.54 (7Be), 0.58 ±0.14-5.08±0.76 (226Ra),
0.61±0.21-3.02±1.47 (232Th).
ERICA tool was used for the radiological risk assessment.
The total dose rates for algae species were found lower than 7µGy·h-1 and theannual effective dose was found to be: 2.95·10-3 mSv·y-1.
The results indicate that algae from Algiers coastline do not pose a radiologicalhealth risk.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-12-02

Spatial distribution of radionuclides in marine sedimentsfrom Djibouti seamounts (Alboran Sea, Western
Mediterranean)
E. Liger1,4, N. López-González2, E. Gordo,3,4, D. Palomino2, J.T. Vazquez2, T.
Ramírez2,4
1

Dpto. de Física Aplicada II, Universidad de Málaga (UMA-Spain)
Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO, CSIC), C.O. Málaga, Spain
3
Servicios Centrales de Apoyo a la Investigación, (UMA-Spain)
4
Grupo de Geoquímica y Radiactividad Ambiental, (UMA-Spain)
2

Keywords : Natural radionuclides, 137C, marine sediments, Alboran Sea.

In the present study, sediment grab samples from two seamounts of the Djibouti
Banks area – Avempace and Herradura - located on the Motril Marginal Plateau(northern Alboran Sea) were investigated to determine the radioactivity of natural(226Ra, 232Th, 210Pb, 40K) and artificial (137Cs) radionuclides. Changes in sedimentfeatures on seamounts can be related with both source and oceanographic conditions,but also geochemical interactions can be involved once particles are settled oralong
the water column. The particular interest of this area is that the influence of fluvial
supplies is scarce and almost all the sediments belong to the aeolian dust inputs thatare transported, deposited and reworked by the bottom current. In this setting, theSahara and northern North Africa or Sahel regions are the most likely areas providing
dust particles to the Mediterranean Sea.
The tops of the Avempace and Herradura seamounts are relatively flat, and theyoccupy water depths of 200–500 m. In general, both seamounts presented similar
average radiological load and the results showed that the spatial distribution ofradionuclides was relatively uniform in the surface sediments from these two banks.
For the anthropogenic 137Cs, the radioactivity ranges from 1.8-6.9 Bq/Kg and can bemainly attributed to the significant supply of aeolian dust from North Africa to theAlboran Sea.

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ENVIRA 2023 Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-12-03On the prevalence of 242mAm in sediments collected from thevicinity of a Swedish nuclear facility
G. Olszewski1,2, M. Eriksson1, M. López-Lora1, P. Törnquist1, M. Karlsson1,
D. Strumińska-Parulska2, H. Pettersson1
1

Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Division of
Diagnostics and Specialist Medicine, Linköping University. SE-581 83
Linköping, Sweden
2
Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Laboratory of
Toxicology and Radiation Protection, Faculty of Chemistry, University ofGdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
Keywords: Sediments, nuclear facility, americium

Am (T1/2=16 h) and 242mAm (T1/2=141 y) are a product of the neutron capture of242

Am, and the capture cross sections for the thermal neutrons are 562 and 62 barns,

241

respectively. 242Am disintegrates with beta emission (83%) to 242Cm (T1/2=163 d), is
one of the dominating alpha emitters in nuclear fallout in terms of activity and decays
in a couple of years after the fallout. 242Cm can also exist in a supported state withAm and 242Am and can be used to determine the activity of 242mAm in the242menvironment. 242mAm decays via internal transition to 242Am, which again willproduce 242Cm. This supported fraction of 242Cm to a total 242Cm is usually less than
0.01% of the spent nuclear fuel. When compared to 243,244Cm isotopes, 242mAm(measured via supported 242Cm) gives reliable information on the burn-up history of
the nuclear fuel.
Swedish nuclear facility Studsvik is located on the shore of the Baltic Sea, close to
Tvären. This is a semi-enclosed bay with a max. depth of 80 m and can be effectively
used to study the distribution and mobility of rare actinides. In our study, we collected
multiple sediment cores from Tvären Bay to understand the historical discharges ofStudsvik nuclear facility and actinides distribution in these specific conditions. The
presentation shows spatial distribution, inventories, and activity ratios of 242mAm in
relation to other actinides radionuclides.

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Seville, September 17-22, 2023

2-12-04

Anthropocene dating by radionuclide analysis of estuarine sediments from
northern Spain.
M. Sáez-Muñoz1, J. Gómez‑Arozamena2, A. Cearreta3, J. Ortiz1, S. Martorell1
1

Laboratorio de Radiactividad Ambiental, MEDASEGI Research Group, Universitat Politècnica de València,
Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain, e-mail: masaemuo@etsii.upv.es
2
Departamento de Ciencias Médicas y Quirúrgicas, Universidad de Cantabria, Avd. Herrera Oria s/n, 39011
Santander, Spain
3
Departamento de Geología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
Keywords: Plutonium, Sediments, Dating, Anthropocene, Radiochemistry

The Anthropocene Epoch is the proposal of a new geological time division used to describe the most recent
interval in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate
and ecosystems. In particular, this epoch is considered to begin when thermonuclear weapons tests in theatmosphere caused radioactive signals to be present in the global stratigraphic record beginning in 1952, apeak between 1963 and 1964, and a decline since then due to the partial nuclear test ban treaty. Among theartificial radionuclides, 239+240Pu is considered the primary marker of the Anthropocene due to its global
distribution, ubiquitous presence in all environments, long half-life and its low mobility in sediments and ice.
Moreover, the Pu profiles of cores are compared with the corresponding 137Cs profiles and 210Pb dating.
In this work, several cores of estuarine sediments from northern Spain up to depths of 50 cm were analysed.
A radiochemistry method for plutonium determination based on borate fusion pretreatment, UTEVA
extraction chromatography separation, electrodeposition and alpha spectrometry was applied. The 239+240Pu
profiles were represented and ratios 238Pu/239+240Pu were obtained for samples with activities above the limit
of detection. 239+240Pu activities ranged from 0.1 to 1.5 Bq/kg.

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ENVIRA 2023

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2-12-05

Gamma emitter radionuclides as tracers of sediment
dynamics in beach areas: a comparison between in situ andlab-based gamma spectrometry measurements
A. C. Arriola-Velásquez1, A. Tejera1, H. Alonso1, N. Miquel-Armengol1, J.G.
Rubiano1, S. Alexakis2, D.L. Patiris2, C. Tsabaris2, P. Martel1
1

Department of Physics, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios
Ambientales y Recursos Naturales i-UNAT, Universidad de Las Palmas deGran Canaria, Campus de Tafira, 35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
Spain. e-mail: ana.arriola101@alu.ulpgc.es
2Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, 46.7 Km
Avenue Athens-Sounio, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
Keywords: Gamma spectrometry, In-situ measurements, Sediment dynamics, tracer

Natural radionuclides are a useful tool to study the sediment dynamics in coastal
areas. In this study, the activity concentration values of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K wereanalysed on two beaches with different sedimentary dynamics on the Island of Gran
Canaria (Spain) using gamma spectrometry. Measurements were carried out using
the KATERINA in situ detector from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research and a
Canberra Extended Range (XtRa) Germanium spectrometer belonging to the
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In one of the beaches, Las Canteras
Beach, the sediment dynamics and the use of natural radionuclides 226Ra, 228Ra andK as tracers of erosion and accumulation periods are well documented in the

40

literature. Therefore, the results were useful to improve the calibration of the
KATERINA detector for in situ measurements of the activity concentration of 226Ra,
Ra and 40K. Moreover, both types of measurements were applied to do a first study

228

using the activity concentration of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K to trace the sediment
dynamics of the second beach, La Laja beach. The comparison of the results obtained
for both beaches also helped to further comprehend the weakness and strengths ofeach methodology.

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2-12-06

Determination of sedimentation rates using Pb-210 andCs-137 at a renaturalised salt marsh of the Wadden Sea
S. Bister1, J. Schimanski1, B. Öner1, T. Blenke1, C. Walther1
1Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz University
Hanover, Germany
Keywords: Wadden Sea, Cs-137, supported and unsupported Pb-210

Due to the installation of electric power lines to offshore wind farms, impairments of
the natural balance in the Wadden Sea of the German North Sea coast have to becompensated. To this end, in the Lower Saxony part of the Wadden Sea National
Park in East Frisia near the village of Neßmersiel (ferry port to the island of Baltrum),culturally influenced salt marshes that are in an unfavourable state of conservation
are to be upgraded accordingly. This includes removing material and remodelling theterrain, restoring more frequent flooding and different standing times of the water inorder to preserve biodiversity and protect the population of the highly specialised
flora and fauna. These measures are being scientifically monitored by the Ludwig
Franzius Institute of Hydraulic, Estuarine and Coastal Engineering (LuFI) at Leibniz
University Hanover. The Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS)at Leibniz University Hanover supported this with radiometric investigations. For
this purpose, several drill cores were taken on the salt marsh in December 2022.
These are now being examined for Cs-137 and Pb- 210 by means of gamma
spectrometry within the framework of two bachelor theses in order to be able to draw
conclusions about sedimentation age and rate.

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2-12-07

Sediment Profiles from Anoxic Regions off the Namibian Coast
D, C. Low1, R. García-Tenorio2, N. Rozmaric3, P, McGinnity3, I. Osvath3, M.Fujak3, J.Bartocci3,
O.Blinova3, M.Pham3, A.K. van der Plas1, B.Mudumbi1
1

National Marine Information and Research Centre (NatMIRC), Namibia
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Seville, Spain
3
Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monaco
2

Keywords: Sediment cores, anoxic areas, natural radinuclidea an elementalprofiles

During two scientific surveys organized in 2014 and 2015, in total 21 sediment cores were collected along
the Namibian coast from 18º to 26º latitude and at different distances from the shoreline. The Namibiancoastal region is part of the northern Benguela upwelling system, one of the four major eastern boundaries
coastal upwelling ecosystems of the world. It is characterized by strong wind-driven upwelling conditions,extensive areas of bottom waters containing minimum amounts of oxygen (< 2 mL/L), affected by intensive
sulfuric eruptions and/or dominated by marine phosphate deposits. The radiometric characterization of
sediments from such a dynamic system provided necessary information on areas of net sedimentation that are
ideal for collecting sediment cores for studying temporal evolution of potential anthropogenic contaminants
during the last century by 210Pb dating method. Obtained data suggested that sediment cores can be associatedwith a sedimentary area only by the analysis of the uppermost layer which consequently significantly
simplifies the work, allowing to concentrate efforts on cores from which valuable information can be gained.
Locations affected by anoxic conditions were identified within sedimentary areas and were further
investigated. The detailed study of one sediment core affected by anoxic conditions presented in this study
shows that radionuclides mostly used for 210Pb dating (210Pb and 226Ra) are not affected by variableenhancements or depletions in the sediments due to the redox conditions. The 210Pb dating technique can bethus applied with confidence in coastal sediment cores affected by anoxic conditions. The U profile showsenrichment along the core consistent with a y reduced form of uranium which is present in anoxic conditionsin the areas with high productivity and/or deposition of organic matter. Specific profiles of some heavy metals(manganese, cadmium, zinc and cooper) significantly influenced by anoxic conditions can be used as theideal fingerprint of the conditions of the sediments in the investigated area.

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2-12-08

Am in the bottom sediments of the southern Baltic Sea

241

K. Block1, Agata Zaborska2, D. Strumińska-Parulska1
1Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308Gdańsk, Poland.e-mail: dagmara.struminska@ug.edu.pl2
Marine Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Institute of Oceanology
Polish Academy of Science, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot
Keywords: Baltic Sea, sediments, artificial radionuclides, americium 241Am

Based on obtained results of 241Am in dated sediments, we studied the history of
isotope accumulation in the sediments and evaluated their contamination level anddistribution in the sediment cores. The fieldwork and sampling collection in thepresented project were performed during a cruise on the r/v Oceania that belongs to
the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN). Sediment cores were collected fromvarious locations in the southern Baltic Sea; the Bornholm Deep, the Gdansk Deep,and the Gotland Deep.
An analytical method for determining Am was adapted to analyse 241Am inenvironmental and biological samples, which relies on the sequential use of ion
exchange (Dowex 1x8) and extraction chromatography (UTEVA and TRU) to obtaina pure radioactive source of 241Am. The procedure was developed using the tracer
Am isotope and alpha spectrometry. The accuracy was tested using reference243materials IAEA-300, IAEA-384 and IAEA-385.
The results showed in bottom sediment samples taken in 2010, the activity
concentrations of 241Am in the Gdańsk Deep ranged from 0.009±0.003 (k=2) to
0.938±0.070 Bq∙kg-1 and in the Gotland Deep from 0.024±0.004 to 2.57±0.19 Bq∙kg1. For bottom sediment samples collected in 2019, 241Am activity concentrations insamples from the Bornholm Deep ranged from 0.030±0.012 to 0.85±0.06 Bq∙kg-1, in
the Gdańsk Deep from 0.24±0.017 to 1.59±0.12 Bq∙kg-1 while in the Gotland Deepwas from 0.017±0.002 to 2.25±0.16 Bq∙kg-1.

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