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Stäger F, Zok D, Schiller AK, Feng B, Steinhauser G. Disproportionately High Contributions of 60 Year Old Weapons- 137Cs Explain the Persistence of Radioactive Contamination in Bavarian Wild Boars. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:13601-13611. [PMID: 37646445 PMCID: PMC10501199 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Radionuclides released from nuclear accidents or explosions pose long-term threats to ecosystem health. A prominent example is wild boar contamination in central Europe, which is notorious for its persistently high 137Cs levels. However, without reliable source identification, the origin of this decades old problem has been uncertain. Here, we target radiocesium contamination in wild boars from Bavaria. Our samples (2019-2021) range from 370 to 15,000 Bq·kg-1 137Cs, thus exceeding the regulatory limits (600 Bq·kg-1) by a factor of up to 25. Using an emerging nuclear forensic fingerprint, 135Cs/137Cs, we distinguished various radiocesium source legacies in their source composition. All samples exhibit signatures of mixing of Chornobyl and nuclear weapons fallout, with 135Cs/137Cs ratios ranging from 0.67 to 1.97. Although Chornobyl has been widely believed to be the prime source of 137Cs in wild boars, we find that "old" 137Cs from weapons fallout significantly contributes to the total level (10-68%) in those specimens that exceeded the regulatory limit. In some cases, weapons-137Cs alone can lead to exceedances of the regulatory limit, especially in samples with a relatively low total 137Cs level. Our findings demonstrate that the superposition of older and newer legacies of 137Cs can vastly surpass the impact of any singular yet dominant source and thus highlight the critical role of historical releases of 137Cs in current environmental pollution challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Stäger
- Institute
of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Dorian Zok
- Institute
of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Anna-Katharina Schiller
- Institute
of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Bin Feng
- Institute
of Inorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Universität
Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany
- TU
Wien, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry & TRIGA Center
Atominstitut, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg Steinhauser
- TU
Wien, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry & TRIGA Center
Atominstitut, 1060 Vienna, Austria
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Magre A, Boulet B, Isnard H, Mialle S, Evrard O, Pourcelot L. Innovative ICP-MS/MS Method To Determine the 135Cs/ 137Cs Ratio in Low Activity Environmental Samples. Anal Chem 2023; 95:6923-6930. [PMID: 37071760 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The 135Cs/137Cs isotopic ratio is a powerful tool for tracing the origin of radioactive contamination. Since the Fukushima accident, this ratio has been measured by mass spectrometry in several highly contaminated environmental matrices mainly collected near nuclear accident exclusion zones and former nuclear test areas. However, few data were reported at 137Cs environmental levels (<1 kBq kg-1). This is explained by the occurrence of analytical challenges related to the very low radiocesium content at the environmental level with the large presence of mass interferences, making 135Cs and 137Cs measurements difficult. To overcome these difficulties, a highly selective procedure for Cs extraction/separation combined with an efficient mass spectrometry measurement must be applied on a quantity of ca. 100 g of soil. In the current research, an innovative inductively coupled plasma-tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) method has been developed for the 135Cs/137Cs ratio measurement in low activity environmental samples. The use of ICP-MS/MS led to a powerful suppression of 135Cs and 137Cs interferences by introducing N2O, He, and, for the first time, NH3, into the collision-reaction cell. By adjusting the flow rates of these gases, the best compromise between a maximum signal in Cs and an effective interference elimination was achieved allowing a high Cs sensitivity of more than 1.105 cps/(ng g-1) and low background levels at m/z 135 and 137 lower than 0.6 cps. The accuracy of the developed method was successfully verified by analyzing two certified reference materials (IAEA-330 and IAEA-375) commonly used in the literature as validation samples and three sediment samples collected in the Niida River catchment (Japan) impacted by the Fukushima fallout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaelle Magre
- Laboratoire de métrologie de la radioactivité dans l'environnement (PSE-ENV/SAME/LMRE), IRSN, 91400 Orsay, France
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (CNRS, CEA, UVSQ-IPSL), Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Beatrice Boulet
- Laboratoire de métrologie de la radioactivité dans l'environnement (PSE-ENV/SAME/LMRE), IRSN, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Helene Isnard
- DES - Service d'Etudes Analytiques et de Réactivité des Surfaces (SEARS), CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
| | - Sebastien Mialle
- DES - Service d'Etudes Analytiques et de Réactivité des Surfaces (SEARS), CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
| | - Olivier Evrard
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (CNRS, CEA, UVSQ-IPSL), Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Laurent Pourcelot
- Laboratoire d'étude et d'expertise sur la radioactivité de l'environnement (PSE-ENV/SEREN/LEREN), IRSN, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France
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Galluccio F, Bilancia G, Mossini E, Cydzik I, Merlo M, Bombard A, Macerata E, Magugliani G, Peerani P, Mariani M. Preliminary development of a radiochemical separation method to determine 135Cs and 135Cs/137Cs isotopic ratio by a non-radiometric technique. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08685-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Zhang M, Hou X, Zhang L, Qiao J, Gao R, Liu Q. Distribution of Anthropogenic 129I in the Western South China Sea and Its Application for Tracing the Sources and Movement of Pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:12298-12306. [PMID: 35947771 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic 129I has been dispersed all over the world and could be utilized as an oceanographic tracer based on its conservative nature in the ocean. The first datasets of 129I and 127I were obtained by analysis of seawater of 36 water columns collected in the western South China Sea during August-September 2018. The measured 129I concentrations decreased with depth from (0.93-1.61) × 107 atoms/L in the upper 200 m to (0.04-0.14) × 107 atoms/L at 1500 m, indicating a clear anthropogenic source in the upper layer, mainly originated from the global fallout. The riverine input of the deposited 129I on the catchment area of the Mekong River is an important source besides the direct deposition in the seas. The water mass with high 129I from the Mekong River water moves to the east at 11°N by the North Nansha Current in the surface layer (2-25 m). The exponentially decreasing 129I level with depth indicates that the vertical dispersion of 129I from the upper to the lower layer was mainly through slow diffusion, and the deep water at more than 1500 m was not significantly contaminated by the upper layer water at least in the past 70 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
- Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Xiaolin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
- CAS Center of Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an 710061, China
- Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Luyuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- CAS Center of Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an 710061, China
- Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Jixin Qiao
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
| | - Ruiqin Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Qi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi'an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
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Metal-organic framework of Zn(Ⅱ) based on 2,4,6-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine as a highly effective and dual-responsive fluorescent chemosensor target for Fe3+ and Cr2O72− ions in aqueous solutions. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.129477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Boudias M, Gourgiotis A, Montavon G, Cazala C, Pichon V, Delaunay N. 226Ra and 137Cs determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: state of the art and perspectives including sample pretreatment and separation steps. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 244-245:106812. [PMID: 35042022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Achieving precise and accurate quantification of radium (226Ra) and cesium (137Cs) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is of particular interest in the field of radiological monitoring and more widely in environmental and biological sciences. However, the accuracy and sensitivity of the quantification depend on the analytical strategy implemented. Eliminating interferences during the sample handling step and/or during the analysis step is critical since presence of matrix elements can lead to spectral and non-spectral interferences in ICP-MS. Consequently, before the ICP-MS analysis, multiple sample preparation approaches have been applied to purify and/or pre-concentrate environmental and biological samples containing radium and cesium through years, such as (co)-precipitation, solid phase extraction (SPE) or dispersive SPE (dSPE). Separation steps using liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis can also be useful in complement with the abovementioned sample preparation techniques. The most attractive sample handling technique remains SPE but efficiency of the extraction procedures is currently limited by sorbent specificity. Indeed, with the recent advances in ICP-MS instrumentation, it becomes indispensable to eliminate residual interferences and improve sensitivity. It is in this direction that it will be possible to meet analytical challenges, e.g. analyzing radium and cesium at concentrations below the pg L-1 range in complex matrices of small volumes, as they are found for instance in pore waters or in biological samples. Development of new innovative sorbents based for example on hybrid and nanostructured materials has been reported with the aim of enhancing sorbent specificity and/or capacity. In the present review, the performances of the different analytical approaches are discussed, followed by an overview of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Boudias
- Laboratoire des Sciences Analytiques, Bioanalytiques et Miniaturisation - UMR Chimie Biologie Innovation, CNRS - ESPCI Paris PSL, 75005, Paris, France; Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92260, France
| | - Alkiviadis Gourgiotis
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92260, France.
| | - Gilles Montavon
- Laboratoire SUBATECH, UMR 6457, IN2P3/CNRS/IMT Atlantique/Université de Nantes, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, BP 20722, 44307, Nantes cedex 3, France
| | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LELI, Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92260, France
| | - Valérie Pichon
- Laboratoire des Sciences Analytiques, Bioanalytiques et Miniaturisation - UMR Chimie Biologie Innovation, CNRS - ESPCI Paris PSL, 75005, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Delaunay
- Laboratoire des Sciences Analytiques, Bioanalytiques et Miniaturisation - UMR Chimie Biologie Innovation, CNRS - ESPCI Paris PSL, 75005, Paris, France
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