Distribution of Long‐Lived Radionuclides in an Abandoned Reactor Cooling Reservoir

Whicker, F.W.; Pinder, J.E.; Bowling, John W.; Alberts, James J.; Brisbin, I. Lehr

doi:10.2307/1943017

Cited by 123 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…This is startling, as sediment is known to comprise ≥ 99% of particle reactive radionuclide (e.g., 241 Am and 137 Cs) inventories in contaminated aquatic ecosystems and even relatively soluble radionuclides, such as 90 Sr, can be largely associated with sediment (85%) [18]. In addition, benthic invertebrates are usually partially or totally immersed in sediment, receiving radiation dose from external exposure from these large inventories of sediment associated radionuclides and internal exposure from sediment in their digestive tracts and tissue concentrations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors (BSAF) for Radionuclides and Sediment Associated Biota of the Ottawa River

Rowan

Silke

Carr

2013

AECL Nuclear Review

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors (BSAF) for Radionuclides and Sediment Associated Biota of the Ottawa River

Rowan

Silke

Carr

2013

AECL Nuclear Review

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“…Similar leaf concentrations of 137 Cs were 238 found in N. odorata from Pond B in a study from 1983. 37 239…”

Section: Concentrations Of Radionuclides By Individual Plant Species mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 The purpose of this study was to reexamine 22 established and identify potential new plant species that are active accumulators of radionuclides in 23 terrestrial, lotic and lentic environments. 11,12,13 As such, this study took place in an area known to be 24 impacted by nuclear processing: the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina (SC). The 25 SRS is a Dept.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plants as bio-monitors for Cs-137, Pu-238, Pu-239,240 and K-40 at the Savannah River Site

et al. 2011

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. 1 Introduction 1The nuclear fuel cycle generates a considerable amount of radioactive waste, which often 2 includes nuclear fission products, such as strontium-90 ( 90 Sr) and cesium-137 ( 137 Cs), and actinides 3 such as uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu). When released into the environment, large quantities of 4 these radionuclides can present considerable problems to man and biota due to their radioactive 5 nature and, in some cases as with the actinides, their chemical toxicity. Radionuclides are expected 6 to decay at a known rate. Yet, research has shown the rate of elimination from an ecosystem to differ 7 from the decay rate due to physical, chemical and biological processes that remove the contaminant 8 or reduce its biological availability. 1 Knowledge regarding the rate by which a contaminant is 9 eliminated from an ecosystem (ecological half-life) is important for evaluating the duration and 10 potential severity of risk. To better understand a contaminants impact on an environment, 11 consideration should be given to plants. As primary producers, they represent an important mode of 12 contamination transfer from sediments and soils into the food chain. Contaminants that are 13 chemically and/or physically sequestered in a media are less likely to be bio-available to plants and 14 therefore an ecosystem. 15It is widely accepted that the sorption capacity of a soil, particularly particle size distribution 16 (sand, silt and clay percentages) and mineralogy, play a large role in the availability of radionuclides 17 to plants. 2,3,4,5 However, these parameters are unable to account for the variations of concentrations 18 found in different plant species. 6,7,8,9 Plants will often accumulate contamination as a consequence of 19 mineral and nutrient attainment. Plants that have shown an ability to accumulate high concentrations 20 of radionuclides have garnered recent interest for their potential to act as bio-monitors in helping 21 identify areas of ecological and transport risk. 10 The purpose of this study was to reexamine 22 established and identify potential new plant species that are active accumulators of radionuclides in 23 terrestrial, lotic and lentic environments. 11,12,13 As such, this study took place in an area known to be 24 impacted by nuclear processing: the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina (SC). The 25 SRS is a Dept. of Energy (DOE) site that produced primarily tritium and Pu used in the fabrication of 26 nuclear weapons from 1952 to 1988. The SRS utilized natural streams, series of canals and 27 reservoirs to disperse heat from nuclear reactors. As a result of routine discharges, routine leaks in 28 the heat exchangers, and occasional leaks in fuel and core elements, over 50 radionuclides were 29 released to the atmosphere, to onsite streams, and to seepage basins. 14 Since production was halted in 30 the late 1980s, the primary mission of the DOE at the SRS has been environmental cleanup. 31Macrophytes and stream-side terrestrial plants from areas impacted by operations...

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“…Since then, Pond B has equilibrated to a water chemistry determined by precipitation-dominated hydrologic inputs and has developed extensive stands of aquatic macrophytes (Kelly 1989). Kelly (1989) and Whicker et al (1990) provide a brief limnological description of Pond B and references to more detailed studies.…”

Section: Srs Ecology -Environmental Information Document Chapter 5 -Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kelly (1989), as part of a larger study to assess the role of macrophytes in cesium-137 cycling in Pond B, described species composition, structure, and seasonal changes in the standing crop of macrophytes. Whicker et al (1990) sampled macrophyte standing crop as part of a survey of radioactive contaminants in the Pond B ecosystem. Kelly (1989) presents information on the species composition and structure of the vegetation in Pond B, documents seasonal changes in standing crop of dominant macrophytes, and compares the vegetation in Pond B with vegetation in other aquatic systems in the region, including Par Pond.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SRS Ecology Environmental Information Document

Wike¹,

Martín²,

Nelson³

et al. 2006

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Distribution of Long‐Lived Radionuclides in an Abandoned Reactor Cooling Reservoir

Cited by 123 publications

References 50 publications

Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors (BSAF) for Radionuclides and Sediment Associated Biota of the Ottawa River

Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors (BSAF) for Radionuclides and Sediment Associated Biota of the Ottawa River

Plants as bio-monitors for Cs-137, Pu-238, Pu-239,240 and K-40 at the Savannah River Site

SRS Ecology Environmental Information Document

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