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Ohta T, Fifield LK, Palcsu L, Tims SG, Pavetich S, Mahara Y. Record of 3H and 36Cl from the Fukushima nuclear accident recovered from soil water in the unsaturated zone at Koriyama. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19672. [PMID: 37952016 PMCID: PMC10640602 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46853-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The opportunity to measure the concentrations of 3H and 36Cl released by the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 directly in rain was lost in the early stage of the accident. We have, however, been able to reconstruct the deposition record of atmospheric 3H and 36Cl following the accident using a bore hole that was drilled in 2014 at Koriyama at a distance of 60 km from the accident. The contributions of 3H and 36Cl from the accident are 1.4 × 1013 and 2.0 × 1012 atoms m-2 respectively at this site. Very high concentrations of both 3H (46 Bq L-1) and 36Cl (3.36 × 1011 atoms L-1) were found in the unsaturated soil at depths between 300 and 350 cm. From these, conservative estimates for the 3H and 36Cl concentrations in the precipitation in the ~ 6 weeks following the accident were 607 Bq L-1 and 4.74 × 1010 atoms L-1, respectively. A second hole drilled in 2016 showed that 3H concentrations in the unsaturated soil and shallow groundwater had returned to close to natural levels, although the 36Cl concentrations were still significantly elevated above natural levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Ohta
- Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Japan.
- The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan.
| | | | - László Palcsu
- HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, Hungary
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Chatterjee S, Khati V, Jaryal AK, Mohokar HV, Sinha UK, Pant HJ. Transit time estimation of drying springs in Uttarakhand region using environmental tritium concentration. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 266-267:107227. [PMID: 37433258 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Many parts of the Uttarakhand state, situated in the hilly terrain of the Himalayan region of India are facing acute water crisis due to the drying up of the perennial springs which are the only source of potable water in those regions. Tritium (3H), the radioactive isotope of hydrogen (half-life of 12.32 years) and also a part of water molecule (in the form of HTO) acts as a very useful tracer in estimating the transit time of the hydrological systems. Tritium concentrations of three springs (S-1, S-2 and S-3) were monitored consecutively for three years (2017-2019) to better constrain the transit time estimation. The tritium concentrations of the springs are found to vary between 3.66 and 4.15 TU. All the springs show gradual decrease in tritium concentration with the passage of time indicating the diminishing percentage of freshly recharged modern water component. Among various lumped parameter models, the piston-flow model (PFM), exponential mixing model (EMM), exponential piston-flow model (EPM) and partial exponential mixing model (PEM) have been employed in this study. The historical record of weighted mean concentration of tritium in precipitation available for the Uttarakhand region is taken as input function in the modelling procedure. The application of various LPMs (PFM, EMM, EPM and PEM) indicates that the transit time of the S-1 spring ranges from 1.26 to 1.46 years whereas for S-2 spring, the transit time is found to vary from 5 months to 1.1 years. The MTT of S-3 spring ranges from 5 months to 11 months. The relatively short residence time of these springs indicates the actively recharged system. The estimation of accurate transit time is thus very crucial for understanding the renewability of the spring water systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sitangshu Chatterjee
- Isotope Hydology Section, Isotope and Radiation Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India.
| | | | - Ajay Kumar Jaryal
- Isotope Hydology Section, Isotope and Radiation Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India.
| | - Hemant V Mohokar
- Isotope Hydology Section, Isotope and Radiation Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India.
| | - Uday Kumar Sinha
- Isotope Hydology Section, Isotope and Radiation Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India.
| | - Harish J Pant
- Isotope and Radiation Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India.
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Rozmaric M, Chamizo E, Louw DC, López-Lora M, Blinova O, Levy I, Mudumbi B, van der Plas AK, Garcia Tenorio R, McGinnity P, Osvath I. Fate of anthropogenic radionuclides ( 90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Am) in seawater in the northern Benguela upwelling system off Namibia. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 286:131514. [PMID: 34311394 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A baseline study on anthropogenic radioactivity in the Namibian marine ecosystem, which is part of the northern Benguela upwelling system, known as one of the most productive ocean areas in the world, has been performed. A scientific cruise carried out in 2014 covering inshore and offshore areas, exhibiting different oceanographic features, has provided a basis for better understanding the distributions, ratios and inventories of six anthropogenic radionuclides (90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu and 241Am) in seawater. Although 3H was also measured, due to extremely low levels, its behaviour was not studied. The main source of 90Sr, 137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu and 241Am in the samples analysed was proven to be global fallout, a finding further confirmed by 240Pu/239Pu and 90Sr/137Cs ratios. Furthermore, the 238Pu SNAP-9A satellite accident signal was confirmed once again through the determination of the 238Pu/239+240Pu activity ratio. Inshore and offshore samples showed different patterns due to the unique oceanographic features of this upwelling system. The levels of anthropogenic radionuclides, comprehensively assessed for the first time in this region, are comparable with the few existing data and filled a critical gap for the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rozmaric
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monaco.
| | - E Chamizo
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla-Junta de Andalucía-CSIC, Avenida Tomas Alva Edison 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - D C Louw
- National Marine Information and Research Centre (NatMIRC), Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, 1st Strand Street, 13000, Swakopmund, Namibia
| | - M López-Lora
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla-Junta de Andalucía-CSIC, Avenida Tomas Alva Edison 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain; Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping University, 58183, Linköping, Sweden
| | - O Blinova
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monaco
| | - I Levy
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monaco
| | - B Mudumbi
- National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST), Windhoek, Namibia
| | - A K van der Plas
- National Marine Information and Research Centre (NatMIRC), Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, 1st Strand Street, 13000, Swakopmund, Namibia
| | - R Garcia Tenorio
- Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla-Junta de Andalucía-CSIC, Avenida Tomas Alva Edison 7, 41092, Sevilla, Spain; Dpto. Física Aplicada II, ETS Arquitectura, Avda. Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012, Sevilla, Spain
| | - P McGinnity
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monaco
| | - I Osvath
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monaco
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Dating of hot springs at Attri, Tarabalo and Athmalik sites in Odisha, India using radiocarbon technique. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06867-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Wassenaar LI, Han LF, Schiefer T, Kainz G, Araguas-Araguas L, Aggarwal PK. A simple polymer electrolyte membrane system for enrichment of low-level tritium ( 3H) in environmental water samples. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2018; 54:274-287. [PMID: 29166773 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2017.1403914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Tritium (3H) is an essential tracer of the Earth's water cycle; yet widespread adoption of tritium in hydrologic studies remains a challenge because of analytical barriers to quantification and detection of 3H by electrolytic pre-concentration. Here, we propose a simple tritium electrolytic enrichment system based on the use of solid polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) that can be used to enrich 3H in 250-3000 mL environmental water samples to a 10-mL final volume. The IAEA PEM-3H system reported here can produce high enrichment factors (>70-fold) and, importantly, removes some of the deterrents to conventional 3H enrichments methods, including the use of toxic electrolysis and neutralization chemicals, spike standards, a complex electrolysis apparatus that requires extensive cooling and temperature controls, and improves precision by eliminating the need for tracking recovery gravimetrics. Preliminary results with varying operating conditions show 3H enrichments to 70-fold and higher are feasible, spanning a wide range of tritium activities from 5 to 150 TU with a precision of ∼4.5 %. Further work is needed to quantify inter-sample memory and to establish lower 3H detection limits. The IAEA PEM-3H system is open source, with 3-D CAD and design files made freely available for adoption and improvement by others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard I Wassenaar
- a Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Center , Vienna , Austria
| | - Liang-Feng Han
- a Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Center , Vienna , Austria
| | | | - Gustav Kainz
- a Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Center , Vienna , Austria
| | - Luis Araguas-Araguas
- a Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Center , Vienna , Austria
| | - Pradeep K Aggarwal
- a Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Center , Vienna , Austria
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Eyrolle F, Ducros L, Le Dizès S, Beaugelin-Seiller K, Charmasson S, Boyer P, Cossonnet C. An updated review on tritium in the environment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 181:128-137. [PMID: 29149670 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Various studies indicated more or less recently that organically bound tritium (OBT) formed from gaseous or liquid tritium releases into the environment potentially accumulates in organisms contradicting hypotheses associated to methods used to assess the biological impact of tritium on humans (ASN, 2010). Increasing research works were then performed during the last decade in order to gain knowledge on this radionuclide expected to be increasingly released by nuclear installations in the near future within the environment. This review focusses on publications of the last decade. New unpublished observations revealing the presence of technogenic tritium in a sedimentary archive collected in the upper reaches of the Rhône river and findings from the Northwestern Mediterranean revealing in all likelihood the impact of terrigenous tritium inputs on OBT levels recorded in living organisms are also presented. Identifying and understanding the physicochemical forms of tritium and the processes leading to its persistence in environmental compartments would explain most observations regarding OBT concentrations in organisms and definitively excludes that tritium would "bio accumulate" within living organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédérique Eyrolle
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France.
| | - Loïc Ducros
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France
| | - Séverine Le Dizès
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France
| | - Karine Beaugelin-Seiller
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France
| | - Sabine Charmasson
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France
| | - Patrick Boyer
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SRTE, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France
| | - Catherine Cossonnet
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV, SAME, Bois des Rames, Bat 501, 91400 Orsay, France
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