NDLI: Plutonium Activity Ratios in Plankton: New Evidence of Hold-Up Time in Irish Sea Sediments

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Meri, J. Sanchez Cabeza, J. A. Pujol, L. Leonard, K. McCubbin, D.
Copyright Year	2000
Abstract	The determination of activity ratios for radioisotopes of different half-lives can be used to estimate transit times from a point source to locations further away. For conservative elements, this time is approximately equivalent to the net hydrological transport. However, for non-conservative elements such as plutonium, the additional influence of biogeochemical processes decreases the net transport time. In this study, $^{241}$Pu and $^{239,240}$Pu concentrations in Irish Sea plankton samples, collected in May 1994, were determined and the $^{241}$Pu/$^{239,240}$Pu ratios calculated. Plutonium-239,240 was measured using a standard method by ion exchange chromatography and alpha counting, and $^{241}$Pu was determined by liquid scintillation counting using the disk-supported technique. The latter showed some methodological problems, which are briefly discussed. The $^{241}$Pu/$^{239,240}$Pu ratios gave an estimate of the "transit time" from Sellafield to the different sampling points. In fact, this time represents the age of plutonium in plankton, i.e., the time lag between release from Sellafield and detection at the different sampling stations. The mean plutonium age was 17±2 years (n = 10) and 18.6±0.8 years (n = 13) in phytoplankton and zooplankton, respectively. The spatial distribution was reasonably homogeneous over the Irish Sea. The assimilation-elimination processes of plutonium in plankton are rather rapid. Therefore, it may be assumed that, in this time scale, the plutonium concentrations were in equilibrium with surrounding waters. Thus, it is concluded that plutonium was rather old because resuspension-sedimentation processes had occurred that delayed its transport within the Irish Sea. Therefore, the age of plutonium in plankton represented the hold-up time of plutonium in the sediments from the Irish Sea.
Starting Page	517
Ending Page	524
Page Count	8
File Format	PDF
ISSN	02365731
Journal	Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Volume Number	243
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	15882780
Language	English
Publisher	Kluwer Academic Publishers
Publisher Date	2000-01-01
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Inorganic Chemistry Physical Chemistry Nuclear Chemistry Diagnostic Radiology Nuclear Physics, Heavy Ions, Hadrons
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Spectroscopy Pollution Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging Analytical Chemistry Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Nuclear Energy and Engineering

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