Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “RADIOACTIVE WASTE”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Radionuclides in the Kara sea bottom sediments].

The contents and distribution of natural (214Pb, 214Bi, 228Ac, and 208Tl) and technogenic (90Sr, 137Cs, and 60Co) radionuclides in the Kara Sea bottom sediments was analyzed by using the materials collected by R/V "Pomor" (Murmansk Marine Biological Institute). In 1994, no high (critical) concentrations of technogenic radioisotopes were found in the sea sediments, while the spots (regions) of elevated 137Cs content found in 1984 were not confirmed in 1994. It was proposed that the main sources of entry of technogenic radionuclides in the sea sediments in the last years are the flow of the Ob'-Yenisei waters and container burials of radioactive waste in the sea, which appeared to have been markedly corroded. The latter is confirmed by detection in some places of 60Co, which was not previously found in the sediments.

Arctic Regions↗
PubMed2004

The effect of sulfate-reducing bacteria on adsorption of 137Cs by soils from arid and tropical regions.

Soils from different climatic regions of Australia were studied to determine their adsorption of (137)Cs, and the effect of microbial sulfate reduction on this adsorption. The soils consisted of a surface and regolith samples from the site of a proposed low and intermediate level radioactive waste repository in arid South Australia, and two red earth loam soils from an experimental plot in the tropical Northern Territory. The process of bacterial sulfate reduction substantially decreased the adsorption of (137)Cs to the arid and tropical soils, although extended incubation resulted in greater adsorption to the regolith sample. This could have implications for the mobility of radionuclides entering these soil ecosystems.

Adsorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Simplified method for detecting tritium contamination in plants and soil.

Cost-effective methods are needed to identify the presence and distribution of tritium near radioactive waste disposal and other contaminated sites. The objectives of this study were to (i) develop a simplified sample preparation method for determining tritium contamination in plants and (ii) determine if plant data could be used as an indicator of soil contamination. The method entailed collection and solar distillation of plant water from foliage, followed by filtration and adsorption of scintillation-interfering constituents on a graphite-based solid phase extraction (SPE) column. The method was evaluated using samples of creosote bush [Larrea tridentata (Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) Coville], an evergreen shrub, near a radioactive disposal area in the Mojave Desert. Laboratory tests showed that a 2-g SPE column was necessary and sufficient for accurate determination of known tritium concentrations in plant water. Comparisons of tritium concentrations in plant water determined with the solar distillation-SPE method and the standard (and more laborious) toluene-extraction method showed no significant difference between methods. Tritium concentrations in plant water and in water vapor of root-zone soil also showed no significant difference between methods. Thus, the solar distillation-SPE method provides a simple and cost-effective way to identify plant and soil contamination. The method is of sufficient accuracy to facilitate collection of plume-scale data and optimize placement of more sophisticated (and costly) monitoring equipment at contaminated sites. Although work to date has focused on one desert plant, the approach may be transferable to other species and environments after site-specific experiments.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed2003

Availability of 99Tc in undisturbed soil cores.

Models for safety assessment of radioactive waste repositories need accurate values of the soil-to-plant transfer of radionuclides. In oxidizing environments, (99)Tc is expected to occur as pertechnetate ((99)TcO(4)(-)). Due to its high mobility, leaching of this element in the field might be important, potentially affecting the reliability of estimated transfer parameters of (99)Tc as measured in closed experimental systems such as hydroponics or pot experiments. The aim of this experiment was to measure the leaching of (99)Tc in undisturbed irrigated soil cores under cultivation as well as plant uptake and to study the possible competition between the two transfer pathways. Undisturbed soil cores (50 x 50 cm) were sampled from a Rendzic Leptosol (R), a colluvial Fluvic Cambisol (F) and a Dystric Cambisol (D) using PVC tubes (three cores sampled per soil type). Each core was equipped with a leachate collector at the bottom, allowing the monitoring of (99)Tc leaching through the cores. Cores were placed in a greenhouse and maize (Zea mays L., cv. DEA, Pioneer) was sown. After 135 d, maize was harvested and radioactivity determined in both plant and water samples. Results showed that during the growing period, leaching of (99)Tc was limited, due to the high evapotranspiration rate of maize. After harvest, leaching of (99)Tc went on because of the absence of evapotranspiration. Effective uptake (EU) of (99)Tc in leaves and grains was calculated. EU reached 70% of the input in the leaves and was not significantly different among soils. These results confirmed those obtained from pot experiments, even though leaching was allowed to occur in close-to-reality hydraulical conditions. As a consequence, it was concluded that pot experiments are an adequate surrogate for more complex "close-to-reality" experimental systems for measuring transfer factors.

Biological Availability↗
PubMed1988

Vertical distribution of soil removed by four species of burrowing rodents in disturbed and undisturbed soils.

Burrow volumes were determined in disturbed and undisturbed soils for four species of rodents in southeastern Idaho. Comparisons were made between soil types for the average volume and the proportion of the total volume of soil excavated from 10-cm increments for each species, and the relative number of burrows and proportion of total soil removed from beneath the minimum thickness of soil covers over buried low-level radioactive wastes. Burrows of montane voles (Microtus montanus) and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) rarely extended below 50 cm and neither volumes nor depths were influenced by soil disturbance. Townsend's ground squirrels (Spermophilus townsendii) had the deepest and most voluminous burrows that, along with Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) burrows, were more prevalent beneath 50 cm in disturbed soils.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sorption of radioactive contaminants by sediment from the Kara Sea.

The purpose of this study is to quantify some of the parameters needed to perform near-field modelling of sites in the Kara Sea that were impacted by the disposal of radioactive waste. The parameters of interest are: the distribution coefficients (Kd) for several important radionuclides, the mineralogy of the sediment, and the relationship of Kd to liquid-to-solid ratio. Sediment from the Kara Sea (location: 73 degrees 00'N, 58 degrees 00'E) was sampled from a depth of 287 m on August 23/24, 1992. Analysis of the material included mineralogy, grain size and total organic carbon (TOC). Uptake kinetics were determined for 85Sr, 137Cs, 241Am, 99Tc, 1251, 232U and 210Pb and distribution coefficients (Kd) were determined for these radionuclides using batch type experiments. Sorption isotherms, developed for 137Cs, 85Sr and 99Tc, were linear in each case. Increasing the liquid-to-solid ratio strongly increased uptake of 137Cs and moderately increased uptake of 99Tc. Analysis for anthropogenic radionuclides indicated the presence only of 239/240Pu in the sediment with the highest activity (at the top section of the core) being 0.420 Bq kg(-1). Other anthropogenic radionuclides were below detection limits.

Absorption↗
PubMed2000

Mortality in the offspring of individuals living along the radioactively contaminated Techa River: a descriptive analysis.

From 1949 onwards, radioactive waste was released into the Techa River in the southern Urals and the population living along the river was exposed to ionising radiation. Relocation of these people did not start until several years later, causing many individuals to be exposed to substantial doses from internal and external radiation. The identification and follow-up of the exposed individuals started more than 40 years ago and is still continuing. The Techa River offspring cohort (TROC) that has recently been established, comprises 10,459 children born to at least one parent living along the Techa River during the period 1950-1992. Of these children, 3,897 were born during the period of highest release, i.e. between 1950 and 1956 and might thus have been exposed in utero. A total of 1,103 individuals have since died mainly due to infectious and respiratory diseases, injury and poisoning. Only 25 cases were identified as having died of a malignant condition. The radioactive contamination of the Techa River in the southern Urals gives a unique possibility to study the adverse effects of protracted exposure to ionising radiation in a large well-described cohort. The Techa River offspring cohort will make it possible to study the effects on those exposed in utero or early in life and the follow-up of the cohort in the future is, therefore, of great importance. Comparisons with other cohorts of humans exposed early in life, will increase our knowledge in this field of research.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2004

Geomicrobiology of high-level nuclear waste-contaminated vadose sediments at the hanford site, washington state.

Sediments from a high-level nuclear waste plume were collected as part of investigations to evaluate the potential fate and migration of contaminants in the subsurface. The plume originated from a leak that occurred in 1962 from a waste tank consisting of high concentrations of alkali, nitrate, aluminate, Cr(VI), (137)Cs, and (99)Tc. Investigations were initiated to determine the distribution of viable microorganisms in the vadose sediment samples, probe the phylogeny of cultivated and uncultivated members, and evaluate the ability of the cultivated organisms to survive acute doses of ionizing radiation. The populations of viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were generally low, from below detection to approximately 10(4) CFU g(-1), but viable microorganisms were recovered from 11 of 16 samples, including several of the most radioactive ones (e.g., >10 microCi of (137)Cs/g). The isolates from the contaminated sediments and clone libraries from sediment DNA extracts were dominated by members related to known gram-positive bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria most closely related to Arthrobacter species were the most common isolates among all samples, but other phyla high in G+C content were also represented, including Rhodococcus and Nocardia. Two isolates from the second-most radioactive sample (>20 microCi of (137)Cs g(-1)) were closely related to Deinococcus radiodurans and were able to survive acute doses of ionizing radiation approaching 20 kGy. Many of the gram-positive isolates were resistant to lower levels of gamma radiation. These results demonstrate that gram-positive bacteria, predominantly from phyla high in G+C content, are indigenous to Hanford vadose sediments and that some are effective at surviving the extreme physical and chemical stress associated with radioactive waste.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1999

Isotope studies in the Caspian Sea.

Oceanographic and isotopic investigations in the Caspian Sea and the analyses of the available data on the discharge to the sea and the observed sea level changes suggest that climatically caused changes of river inflow are the major cause of the sea level fluctuations over the last century. Hydrogen-3 and 3H-3He data indicate that the deep basins of the sea are rapidly ventilated, although the hydraulic turnover time of the sea is approximately 200 years. The concentration levels of the anthropogenic radionuclides 90Sr, 137Cs and 239,240Pu in the water column can be explained by global fallout and therefore, at the sampling sites visited, there were no signs of dumping of radioactive wastes. The anthropogenic radionuclide data support the idea of fast exchange of water masses in the Caspian Sea. The isotopic and oceanographic data collected during the cruises have shown potential to allow for a better understanding of the water circulation in the Caspian Sea.

Nuclear Reactors↗
PubMed2006

Policy development from the industry perspective.

The responsibility and burden for implementation of any option for the disposition of low-activity radioactive waste will primarily reside with the industries that generate the waste and those that provide the necessary waste management and disposal services. Unfortunately, there is no general consensus among these industries on the multiple policy issues that are critical to the application of an effective management and disposal program. This paper discusses the various policy issues that affect these industries and the problems that will likely occur during the course of their activities. These policy issues include public and political concern, opposition, and reaction; multiple and sometimes conflicting government agency jurisdiction, regulation, and policy; issues relating to the transition to a new comprehensive system; conflicts between the interests of the various industry groups; and operational, radiation safety, and regulatory implementation issues. For these reasons, the acceptable options may be limited. Case studies of various waste streams are included to show the specific impact and problems that these issues can create.

Decision Making↗
PubMed2004

Radioactive contamination in the upper part of the Techa river: stirring-up of bottom sediments and precipitation of suspended particles. Analysis of the data obtained in 1949-1951.

A hydrodynamic model of the upper part of the Techa river was developed on the basis of the river valley geometry as well as data of hydrological conditions and of the granulometric composition of bottom sediments. The model describes the transport of radioactivity by suspended sediments with different granulometric compositions (clay, silt) in the early 1950s. It includes the stirring-up of bottom sediments and the precipitation of suspended sediments as a function of water discharge rate and water level in the investigated part of the river. The results allow to specify the development of the river system contamination as a result of inflow of suspended sediments contaminated with radionuclides. In the period of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) discharges, the water of the Techa river contained a large fraction of finely dispersed particles of less than 5 micro m diameter. At the site of LRW discharge 80% of the discharged activity was adsorbed to these particles. Depending on the water flow, 40-80% of the suspensions precipitated at the bottom of subsequent sedimentation reservoirs. A total of about 1.6 MCi adsorbed to the suspended particles entered the open hydrographic system of the Techa river. The conclusion that the largest part of the activity was adsorbed on the suspended particles contradicts the assumption in the Techa river dosimetry system, TRDS-2000, that most of the released activity entered the Techa river in soluble form. For a correct reconstruction of the doses received by the Techa river population it is, therefore, essential to consider hydrodynamic models that take into account the transport of radionuclides adsorbed on the suspended particles.

Geologic Sediments↗
PubMed2001

Effect of pH and temperature on the sorption of Np and Pa to mixed anaerobic bacteria.

While considering the geological disposal of radioactive wastes, the behaviour of the radionuclide Np and its daughter element Pa was investigated in the presence of a mixture of anaerobic bacteria (MAB). Originally, MAB were used for the treatment of pulp and paper wastewater. The interaction between radionuclides and bacteria was evaluated by determining distribution coefficients (Kd) over 10 days and at 5 degrees C and 35 degrees C. Kd for Np at 35 degrees C after 5 days had a low value around 10(-2) After 10 days, however, Kd was > 100-fold higher. On the other hand, Kd at 5 degrees C was low (10(-2)) throughout, without any significant increase over time. The interaction between Pa and MAB was found to be stronger than that for Np, with Kd for Pa about 100 times higher. The Kd was controlled by some basic factors, the activity of MAB, the complexing capacity of MAB, and the chemical conditions in the solution such as pH and Eh.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1999

Sedimentary fluxes of 90Sr, 137Cs, 239,240Pu and 210Pb in the East Sea (Sea of Japan).

Sediment cores collected from the deep basins of the East Sea (Sea of Japan) provide an ongoing and historical record of artificial radionuclides contamination into one of the most highly publicized radioactive waste dumping areas in the world ocean. The depth distributions of 90Sr, 137Cs and 239,240Pu in sediment cores were investigated with the aid of 210Pb-derived sediment accumulation and mixing rates in the deep basins of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Five box core samples were collected from the northern Yamato Ridge, Korea Plateau, Ulleung and Japan Basins below 1000-m depth. Sediment inventories of 137Cs and 239,240Pu are inversely correlated with water depth and linearly correlated with sediment accumulation rates. The inventories of these nuclides are linearly correlated with the accumulation rates of organic carbon in sediments. The 238Pu/239,240Pu activity ratios in sediments are 0.036 +/- 0.009 suggesting that most of the Pu to the study area is derived from the global fallout. The activity ratios of 239,240Pu/137Cs, and 90Sr/137Cs in bottom sediments are much lower than those of global fallout due to the differences of particle affinity and biological uptake of these nuclides. Sediment inventories of 90Sr and 137Cs constitute < 4% of the anticipated inventories from the global fallout, while those of 239,240Pu constitute 30-150% of the anticipated inventories from the global fallout. The residence time of the dissolved 239,240Pu in the study area is estimated to be 200-400 years based on the sediment inventory and/or sediment accumulation rate, and water column inventory.

Cesium↗
PubMed1975

Are nuclear shipments really safe?

The transportation of nuclear materials is on the increase. Although nuclear shipments are only a very small fraction of the Nation's hazardous materials shipments, they attract a great deal of public attention. Shipments of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear wastes are a particular concern. One of the many fears that people have about nuclear energy is the possibility that a nuclear shipment might somehow go awry and cause a serious public hazard. Primarily, they are worried that a shipment of spent reactor fuel or highly radioactive waste could be involved in serious rail or highway accident and dump its contents all over the countryside. Is that really possible? How safe are those shipments? How many are there? What do they look like? Are the packages tested? These and other questions are answered in this paper. Since public risk is the product of the consequences of an accident and its probability, both aspects are presented so that each of us can make up his own mind whether the risk from nuclear shipments is acceptable.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2002

A reconsideration of the external dose assessment for the Techa river population.

A new methodology is employed to infer the time course of the external dose rate that affected the Techa riverside population. This was accomplished using information on the radionuclide composition of released radioactive waste and from earlier and current data on the degree of the river floodplain contamination with (137)Cs. The new approach is proposed for use in the dose reconstruction. Compared to current assumptions it indicates a considerably higher dose contribution due to short-lived fission products from the predominant peak of contamination in 1951. Relative to the present Techa river dosimetry system (TRDS-2000) this information may increase the external dose estimates several fold and correspondingly reduce the solid cancer risk estimate.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed2005

90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu concentration surface water time series in the Pacific and Indian Oceans--WOMARS results.

Under an IAEA's Co-ordinated Research Project "Worldwide Marine Radioactivity Studies (WOMARS)" 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu concentration surface water time series in the Pacific and Indian Oceans have been investigated. The Pacific and Indian Oceans were divided into 17 latitudinal boxes according to ocean circulation, global fallout patterns and the location of nuclear weapons test sites. The present levels and time trends in radionuclide concentrations in surface water for each box were studied and the corresponding effective half-lives were estimated. For the year 2000, the estimated average 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu concentrations in surface waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans varied from 0.1 to 1.5 mBq/L, 0.1 to 2.8 mBq/L, and 0.1 to 5.2 microBq/L, respectively. The mean effective half-lives for 90Sr and 137Cs in surface water were 12+/-1 years for the North, 20+/-1 years for the South and 21+/-2 years for the Equatorial Pacific. For (239,240)Pu the corresponding mean effective half-lives were 7+/-1 years for the North, 12+/-4 years for the South and 10+/-2 years for the Equatorial Pacific. For the Indian Ocean the mean effective half-lives of 137Cs and (239,240)Pu were 21+/-2 years and 9+/-1 years, respectively. There is evidence that fallout removal rates before 1970 were faster than those observed during recent decades. The estimated surface water concentrations of 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu in latitudinal belts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans for the year 2000 may be used as the average levels so that any new contribution from nuclear facilities, nuclear weapons test sites, radioactive waste dumping sites and from possible nuclear accidents can be identified.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed2005

Modelling of geochemical reactions and experimental cation exchange in MX 80 bentonite.

Bentonites are widely used for waste repository systems because of their hydrodynamic, surface and chemical-retention properties. MX 80 bentonite (bentonite of Wyoming) contains approximately 85% Na/Ca-montmorillonite and 15% accessory minerals. The dominant presence of Na/Ca-montmorillonite in this clay mineral could cause it to perform exceptionally well as an engineered barrier for a radioactive waste repository because this buffer material is expected to fill up by swelling the void between canisters containing waste and the surrounding ground. However, the Na/Ca-montmorillonite could be transformed to other clay minerals as a function of time under repository conditions. Previous modelling studies based on the hydrolysis reactions have shown that the Na/Ca-montmorillonite-to-Ca-montmorillonite conversion is the most significant chemical transformation. In fact, this chemical process appears to be a simple cation exchange into the engineered barrier. The purpose of the present study was two-fold. Firstly, it was hoped to predict the newly formed products of bentonite-fluid reactions under repository conditions by applying a thermokinetic hydrochemical code (KIRMAT: Kinetic Reactions and Mass Transport). The system modelled herein was considered to consist of a 1-m thick zone of water-saturated engineered barrier. This non-equilibrated system was placed in contact with a geological fluid on one side, which was then allowed to diffuse into the barrier, while the other side was kept in contact with iron-charged water. Reducing initial conditions ( [P(O)2 approximately equals 0] ; Eh=-200 mV) and a constant reaction temperature (100 degrees C) were considered. Secondly, it was hoped to estimate the influence of inter-layer cations (Ca and Na) on the swelling behaviour of the MX 80 bentonite by using an isothermal system of water vapour adsorption and an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) coupled with a digital image analysis (DIA) program. Here, the MX 80 bentonite was previously treated with concentrated solutions (1N) of calcium and sodium chlorides. The results confirmed that the Na/Ca-montmorillonite-to-Ca-montmorillonite conversion was the main chemical transformation in the bentonite barrier under repository conditions. A simplified method (based on volume balance) has shown that the swelling capacity of the engineered barrier would be slightly affected after 1000 years of diffusion-reaction because the volume of neo-formed swelling clays is almost directly proportional to the volume of transformed initial-montmorillonite. Minimal neo-formation of saponites, vermiculites and chlorites was also observed. In addition, an isothermal system of water adsorption and ESEM-DIA methods showed that in the raw-bentonite-to-Ca-bentonite exchange there is a small decrease in the amount of adsorbed water and the swelling potential.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2006

Modeling the long-term leaching behavior of (137)Cs, (60)Co, and (152,154)Eu radionuclides from cement-clay matrices.

Leaching characteristics of some radionuclides that are commonly encountered in radioactive waste streams from immobilized waste matrices in different cement-clay grouts have been assessed to investigate the influence of the clay additives on the leaching behavior of the solid waste matrices. The International Atomic Energy's Agency (IAEA) standard leach method has been employed to study the leach pattern of (137)Cs, (60)Co, and (152,154)Eu radionuclides immobilized in ordinary Portland cement (OPC), OPC-bentonite, and OPC-red clay grouts. The examination of the leaching data revealed that adding clays to OPC reduces the leach pattern as OPC-bentonite<OPC-red clay<OPC for all studied radionuclides. The controlling leaching mechanism has been found to be diffusion and the mean apparent diffusion coefficients and leachability indices have been calculated for the studied waste matrices. Simplified analytical models have been derived to predict the cumulative leach fraction (CLF) of radionuclides over the studied experimental period. These simplified research models could be used as a screening tool to assess the performance of the waste matrix under repository conditions.

Aluminum Silicates↗