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Montenero MP, Dilbone EK, Waples JT. Using medically-derived iodine-131 to track sewage effluent in the Laurentian Great Lakes. WATER RESEARCH 2017; 123:773-782. [PMID: 28734182 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 07/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Tracking sewage wastewater in a large lake is difficult. Concentrations of pharmaceuticals that can be used as indicator compounds are quickly diluted and not easy to measure. In this study, we examined the potential of using medically-derived iodine-131 (131I, t½ = 8.02 d) as a tracer for Milwaukee sewage effluent in Lake Michigan. 131I activities in sewage effluent from two Milwaukee wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were measured in conjunction with 131I activities in water, sediment and biota in the Milwaukee Outer Harbor and Lake Michigan. 131I discharge rates from both WWTPS ranged from 34 ± 15 to 1807 ± 24 MBq d-1, with average and median 131I discharges of 278 and 129 MBq d-1. A budget of 131I in the Milwaukee Outer Harbor - based on measured sediment and water column inventories - showed that ∼11% of the 131I discharged to the harbor was scavenged to bottom sediments, ∼19% decayed in the harbor water column, and ∼70% was flushed out of the harbor to Lake Michigan. From this budget, we derived a harbor flushing rate of 3.1 days. In Lake Michigan, 131I activity was found in Cladophora algae (undetected to 91 ± 2 Bq kg-1) along ∼40 km of shoreline. Benthic trawl samples showed 131I activity up to 8 km from shore. Calculated 131I length scales were 30 km alongshore and 3.4 km offshore and corresponded to sewage effluent dispersion rates of ∼2.6 km d-1 and ∼0.3 km d-1 in along- and offshore directions. Using 131I as a tracer of sewage effluent from other coastal municipalities to the Laurentian Great Lakes appears feasible, particularly for larger (>105) population centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Montenero
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 East Greenfield Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53204, USA
| | - Elizabeth K Dilbone
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 East Greenfield Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53204, USA
| | - James T Waples
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 East Greenfield Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53204, USA.
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Rose PS, Smith JP, Aller RC, Cochran JK, Swanson RL, Coffin RB. Medically-Derived (131)I as a Tool for Investigating the Fate of Wastewater Nitrogen in Aquatic Environments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2015; 49:10312-10319. [PMID: 26008140 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Medically derived (131)I (t1/2 = 8.04 d) is discharged from water pollution control plants (WPCPs) in sewage effluent. Iodine's nutrient-like behavior and the source-specificity of (131)I make this radionuclide a potentially valuable tracer in wastewater nitrogen studies. Iodine-131 was measured in Potomac River water and sediments in the vicinity of the Blue Plains WPCP, Washington, DC, USA. Dissolved (131)I showed a strong, positive correlation with δ(15)N values of nitrate (δ(15)NO3(-)) in the river, the latter being a traditional indicator of nutrient inputs and recycling. Surface water δ(15)NO3(-) values ranged from 8.7 to 33.4‰; NO3(-) + NO2(-) concentrations were 0.39-2.79 mg N L(-1) (26-186 μM). Sediment profiles of particulate (131)I and δ(15)N indicate rapid mixing or sedimentation and in many cases remineralization of a heavy nitrogen source consistent with wastewater nitrogen. Values of δ(15)N in sediments ranged from 4.7 to 9.3‰. This work introduces (131)I as a tool to investigate the short-term fate of wastewater nitrogen in the Potomac River and demonstrates the general utility of (131)I in aquatic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula S Rose
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
- SAIC, Marine Biogeochemistry, Code 6114, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory , Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Joseph P Smith
- Marine Biogeochemistry, Code 6114, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory , Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Robert C Aller
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - J Kirk Cochran
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - R Lawrence Swanson
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Richard B Coffin
- Marine Biogeochemistry, Code 6114, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory , Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
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Liu L, Liu W, Zhao X, Chen D, Cai R, Yang W, Komarneni S, Yang D. Selective capture of iodide from solutions by microrosette-like δ-Bi₂O₃. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2014; 6:16082-16090. [PMID: 25170974 DOI: 10.1021/am504000n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Radioactive iodine isotopes that are produced in nuclear power plants and used in medical research institutes could be a serious threat to the health of many people if accidentally released to the environment because the thyroid gland can absorb and concentrate them from a liquid. For this reason, uptake of iodide anions was investigated on microrosette-like δ-Bi2O3 (MR-δ-Bi2O3). The MR-δ-Bi2O3 adsorbent showed a very high uptake capacity of 1.44 mmol g(-1) by forming insoluble Bi4I2O5 phase. The MR-δ-Bi2O3 also displayed fast uptake kinetics and could be easily separated from a liquid after use because of its novel morphology. In addition, the adsorbent showed excellent selectivity for I(-) anions in the presence of large concentrations of competitive anions such as Cl(-) and CO3(2-), and could work in a wide pH range of 4-11. This study led to a new and highly efficient Bi-based adsorbent for iodide capture from solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Liu
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fibers, Materials and Textiles of Shandong Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and ‡Library of Qingdao University, Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071, China
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Rose PS, Swanson RL. Iodine-131 in sewage sludge from a small water pollution control plant serving a thyroid cancer treatment facility. HEALTH PHYSICS 2013; 105:115-120. [PMID: 23799495 DOI: 10.1097/hp.0b013e31828459ef] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Iodine-131 (half-life = 8.04 d) is the most widely used radionuclide in medicine for therapeutic purposes. It is excreted by patients and is discharged directly to sewer systems. Despite considerable dilution in waste water and the relatively short half-life of I, it is readily measured in sewage. This work presents I concentrations in sewage sludge from three water pollution control plants (WPCPs) on Long Island, NY. Iodine-131 concentrations ranged from 0.027 ± 0.002 to 148 ± 4 Bq g dry weight. The highest concentrations were measured in the Stony Brook WPCP, a relatively small plant (average flow = 6.8 × 10 L d) serving a regional thyroid cancer treatment facility in Stony Brook, NY. Preliminary radiation dose calculations suggested further evaluation of dose to treatment plant workers in the Stony Brook WPCP based on the recommendations of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula S Rose
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA.
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Rose PS, Smith JP, Cochran JK, Aller RC, Swanson RL. Behavior of medically-derived 131I in the tidal Potomac River. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2013; 452-453:87-97. [PMID: 23500402 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.01.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2012] [Revised: 01/15/2013] [Accepted: 01/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Iodine-131 (t1/2=8.04 d) is administered to patients for treatment of thyroid disorders, excreted by patients and discharged to surface waters via sewage effluent. Radionuclides generally behave like their stable analogs; therefore, medically-derived (131)I is useful as a transport-reaction tracer of anthropogenic inputs and the aquatic biogeochemistry of iodine. Iodine-131 was measured in Potomac River water and sediments in the vicinity of the Blue Plains Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP), Washington, DC, USA. Concentrations measured in sewage effluent from Blue Plains WPCP and in the Potomac River suggest a relatively continuous source of this radionuclide. The range of (131)I concentrations detected in surface water was 0.076±0.006 to 6.07±0.07 Bq L(-1). Iodine-131 concentrations in sediments ranged from 1.3±0.8 to 117±2 Bq kg(-1) dry weight. Partitioning in the sewage effluent from Blue Plains and in surface waters indicated that (131)I is associated with colloidal and particulate organic material. The behavior of medically-derived (131)I in the Potomac River is consistent with the nutrient-like behavior of natural iodine in aquatic environments. After discharge to the river via sewage effluent, it is incorporated into biogenic particulate material and deposited in sediments. Solid phase sediment profiles of (131)I indicated rapid mixing or sedimentation of particulate debris and diagenetic remineralization and recycling on short time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula S Rose
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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Rose PS, Swanson RL, Cochran JK. Medically-derived 131I in municipal sewage effluent. WATER RESEARCH 2012; 46:5663-5671. [PMID: 22925394 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2012.07.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 06/27/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This work presents (131)I (t(½) = 8.04 d) concentrations in sewage effluent from the Stony Brook Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP), a small plant serving a regional thyroid cancer treatment facility in Stony Brook, NY, USA. The concentrations detected in sewage effluent ranged from 1.8 ± 0.3 to 227 ± 2 Bq L(-1). The primary source of (131)I is excreta from thyroid cancer inpatients treated at the Stony Brook University Medical Center. Based on several time series measurements following known inpatient treatments, the mean sewage half-life (T(s)) of iodine is 3 d in this plant. The T(s), analogous to a radioactive half-life, describes the time it takes for half of a wastewater component to be removed from a WPCP. Flow recycling, or activated sludge, used to maintain bacterial populations necessary for sewage treatment causes iodine to remain in this plant far longer than its hydraulic retention time. The experimental results suggest that most (131)I entering the Stony Brook WPCP leaves in sewage effluent, not in sewage sludge. Patient treatments can result in continuous discharges of (131)I to surface waters where it can be used as a tracer of sewage-derived material and to understand the behavior of (131)I in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula S Rose
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA.
| | - R Lawrence Swanson
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA
| | - J Kirk Cochran
- Marine Sciences Research Center, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, USA
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Gilfillan NR, Timmers H. Detection and tracing of the medical radioisotope131I in the Canberra environment. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2012. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/20123504002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Abstract
A study was conducted on three macroalgae species: Polysiphonia fucoides and Furcellaria lumbricalis, the species of the red algae division, and Cladophora glomerata, representing the green algae division, as well as Zostera marina, representing vascular plants. The main aim of the study was to recognize the level of 137Cs concentrations in the plants, which could be used as a measurement of bioaccumulation efficiency in the selected macrophytes at varying depths, and in the seasonal resolution of the vegetation period: spring–summer and autumnal. The plants’ biomass clearly showed seasonal variability, as did the 137Cs concentrations in the plants. Cesium activity also changed with depth. Seasonal variability in radionuclide content in the plants, as well as the differences in its activity determined along the depth profile, were related mainly to the plant biomass and the dilution effect caused by the biomass increment and reflected the growth dynamics. P. fucoides showed much greater bioaccumulation ability at each depth as compared to C. glomerata, a green algae. Lower concentrations of 137Cs were also identified in F. lumbricalis and in Z. marina, mostly as a result of differences in morphology and physiology. P. fucoides can be recommended as a bioindicator for the monitoring of 137Cs contamination due to the high efficiency of bioaccumulation and the available biomass along the depth profile, as well as the occurrence throughout the entire vegetation season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Zalewska
- Institute of Meteorology and Water Management-National Research Institute, Maritime Branch, Waszyngtona 42, 81-342 Gdynia, Poland
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Zalewska T. Seasonal changes of 137Cs in benthic plants from the southern Baltic Sea. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2011; 292:211-218. [PMID: 26224918 PMCID: PMC4514633 DOI: 10.1007/s10967-011-1546-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
137Cs activity concentrations were determined in samples of macrophytes Polysiphonia fucoides (red algae) and Zostera marina (vascular plant) collected during the entire vegetation season in the Gulf of Gdańsk in the southern Baltic Sea. The measurements showed considerable seasonality of 137Cs activity in both species; an increase of cesium concentrations was observed from spring to autumn with maximal levels 49.1 ± 1.4 Bq kgd.w.-1 (P. fucoides) and 14.5 ± 1.0 Bq kgd.w.-1 (Z. marina) in late autumn. 137Cs concentrations observed in a given season are the result of a number of processes, the intensity of which can differ depending on external environmental conditions. The effects of these processes can differ and their directions can frequently be opposite to one another. The examined macrophytobenthic plant species could serve as bioindicators of radionuclide pollution for monitoring purposes on condition that the samples of plants are taken within a strictly defined period of the year to give comparable results and to supply realistic information about pollution levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Zalewska
- Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, National Research Institute, Maritime Branch, Waszyngtona 42, 81-342 Gdynia, Poland
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Morita T, Niwa K, Fujimoto K, Kasai H, Yamada H, Nishiutch K, Sakamoto T, Godo W, Taino S, Hayashi Y, Takeno K, Nishigaki T, Fujiwara K, Aratake H, Kamonoshita S, Hashimoto H, Kobayashi T, Otosaka S, Imanaka T. Detection and activity of iodine-131 in brown algae collected in the Japanese coastal areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2010; 408:3443-7. [PMID: 20435341 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2010] [Revised: 03/31/2010] [Accepted: 04/01/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Iodine-131 (physical half-life: 8.04 days) was detected in brown algae collected off the Japanese coast. Brown algae have been extensively used as bioindicators for radioiodine because of their ability to accumulate radionuclides in high concentration factors. The maximum measured specific activity of (131)I in brown algae was 0.37 + or - 0.010 Bq/kg-wet. Cesium-137 was also detected in all brown algal samples used in this study. There was no correlation between specific activities of (131)I and (137)Cs in these seaweeds. The specific activity of (137)Cs ranged from 0.0034 + or - 0.00075 to 0.090 + or - 0.014 Bq/kg-wet. Low specific activity and minimal variability of (137)Cs in brown algae indicated that past nuclear weapon tests were the source of (137)Cs. Although nuclear power stations and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants are known to be pollution sources of (131)I, there was no relationship between the sites where (131)I was detected and the locations of nuclear power facilities. Most of the sites where (131)I was detected were near big cities with large populations. Iodine-131 is frequently used in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine. On the basis of the results, we suggest that the likely pollution source of (131)I, detected in brown seaweeds, is not nuclear power facilities, but nuclear medicine procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takami Morita
- Fisheries Research Agency, 15F Queen's Tower B, Minato Mirai Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-6115, Japan.
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