Edyta Łokas

Strontium-90 activity concentration in soil samples from the exclusion zone of the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant

The radioactive fission product 90Sr has a long biological half-life (˜18 y) in the human body. Due to its chemical similarity to calcium it accumulates in bones and irradiates the bone marrow, causing its high radio-toxicity. Assessing 90Sr is therefore extremely important in case of a nuclear disaster. In this work 16 soil samples were collected from the exclusion zone (<30 km) of the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, to measure 90Sr activity concentration using liquid scintillation counting. 137Cs activity concentration was also measured with gamma-spectroscopy in order to investigate correlation with 90Sr. The 90Sr activity concentrations ranged from 3.0 ± 0.3 to 23.3 ± 1.5 Bq kg−1 while the 137Cs from 0.7 ± 0.1 to 110.8 ± 0.3 kBq kg−1. The fact that radioactive contamination originated from the Fukushima nuclear accident was obvious due to the presence of 134Cs. However, 90Sr contamination was not confirmed in all samples although detectable amounts of 90Sr can be expected in Japanese soils, as a background, stemming from global fallout due to the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests. Correlation analysis between 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations provides a potentially powerful tool to discriminate background 90Sr level from its Fukushima contribution.

Automation of sample processing for ICP-MS determination of 90Sr radionuclide at ppq level for nuclear technology and environmental purposes

90Sr is a widely determined radionuclide for environmental purposes, nuclear waste control, and can be also monitored in coolants in nuclear reactor plants. In the developed method, the ICP-MS detection was employed together with sample processing in sequential injection analysis (SIA) setup, equipped with a lab-on-valve with mechanized renewal of sorbent bed for solid-phase extraction. The optimized conditions of determination included preconcentration of 90Sr on cation-exchange column and removal of different type of interferences using extraction Sr-resin. The limit of detection of the developed procedure depends essentially on the configuration of the employed ICP-MS spectrometer and on the available volume of the sample to be analyzed. For 1L initial sample volume, the method detection limit (MDL) value was evaluated as 2.9ppq (14.5BqL-1). The developed method was applied to analyze spiked river water samples, water reference materials, and also simulated and real samples of the nuclear reactor coolant.

The sources of high airborne radioactivity in cryoconite holes from the Caucasus (Georgia)

Cryoconite granules are mixtures of mineral particles, organic substances and organisms on the surface of glaciers where they decrease the ice albedo and are responsible for formation of water-filled holes. The contaminants are effectively trapped in the cryoconite granules and stay there for many years. This study evaluates the contamination level of artificial and natural radionuclides in cryoconite holes from Adishi glacier (Georgia) and identifies the sources of contamination based on activity or mass ratios among artificial radionuclides. Results revealed high activity concentrations of fallout radionuclides reaching 4900 Bq/kg, 2.5 Bq/kg, 107 Bq/kg and 68 Bq/kg for 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu and 241Am, respectively. The main source of Pu is global fallout, but the low 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios also indicated local tropospheric source of 239Pu, probably from the Kapustin Yar nuclear test site. Also, high activity ratios of 241Am/239+240Pu could originate from Kapustin Yar. The natural radionuclides originate from the surrounding rocks and were measured to control the environmental processes. 210Pb in cryoconite granules comes predominantly from the atmospheric deposition, and its activity concentrations reach high values up to 12000 Bq/kg.

Snapshot of micro-animals and associated biotic and abiotic environmental variables on the edge of the south-west Greenland ice sheet

Microinvertebrates play a role as top consumers on glaciers. In this study we tested what kind of cryoconite material the animals inhabit (mud vs granules) on the edge of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) in the south-west. We also tested the links between the densities of micro-fauna in cryoconite material and selected biotic (algae, cyanobacteria, bacterial abundances) and abiotic (water depth, pH, ion content, radionuclides) factors. We collected 33 cryoconite samples. Tardigrada and Rotifera were found in 18 and 61% of samples, respectively. Invertebrates in this study were considerably less frequent and less abundant in comparison with High Arctic glaciers. The highest density of tardigrades and rotifers constituted 53 and 118 ind./ml, respectively. Generalized linear models showed no relationship between the densities of fauna and biotic and abiotic factors. The densities of animals were significantly higher in granules than in mud. The difference in the densities of animals between granules and mud reflects a simple mechanistic removal of invertebrates from the sediment during its erosion by flushing which leads to mud formation. These processes may influence a random distribution of micro-fauna without clear ecological interactions with biotic and abiotic variables at the edge of the GrIS.

Study on the sorption process on geological materials of long-lived radioactive isotopes 90 Sr and 137 Cs in model systems with the use of short-lived isotopes of 85 Sr, 134 Cs

The objective of this work was to determine the sorption properties of soil underneath the National Radioactive Waste Disposal facility (NRWD) in Różan (NE Poland) for strontium (Sr) and caesium (Cs). The soil underneath the disposal was mainly sands consisted with quartz. The NRWD is a Low and Intermediate Level Wastes type facility. The procedure was new for our laboratory and turned out to be simple and effective. Sorption process analyses were carried out according to pH, ionic strength, time changes and tracer concentration in the solution. We also determined the Langmuir adsorption isotherms.

Potassium influence on the sorption of 134Cs and 83Rb by AMP in fresh and salty waters

Samples of fresh or simulated ocean waters were used to study ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) pre-concentration for cesium and rubidium in the presence and in the absence of natural rubidium and potassium salts using radioactive tracers (134Cs and 83Rb). Measurements were done using high resolution gamma spectrometry. The results suggest that for fresh waters both Cs and Rb ions precipitate with AMP, whereas for salty waters Rb precipitation is affected by potassium content. Cesium is always adsorbed almost quantitatively.

Modeling of the Cs137 and Sr90 contamination transportation process performed for the vicinity of National Radioactive Wastes Disposal in Różan (NE Poland)

This paper contains the results of radionuclides transportation modeling under National Radioactive Waste Disposal (NRWD) grounds in Różan (northeast Poland). The disposal is of the lowand intermediate-level waste (LILW) type. We simulated the radionuclides transportation process through sandy soils. The simulation was performed in a self-written simulator in Scilab using the finite difference method. The model included diffusion, advection and radioactive decay. The model was tested according to convergence and stability. Assuming the hydrological gradient being 0.008, the contamination transportation time was 30–46 years depending on the modeled problem. The modeled distance of 600 m was from underneath the disposal to the exudation in the Narew ravine. Radioactive decay for both cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) had a significant impact on the results. The model proved to be a useful tool for performing simple scientific simulations. This survey was part of a PhD thesis.