The fate of Pu released from nuclear test events into the environment


The fate of Pu released from nuclear test events into the environment

Ikeda-Ohno, A.

Nuclear weapons tests conducted worldwide have dispersed long-lived and radioactive nuclear debris including plutonium (Pu). A reliable assessment of the environmental impact of these radioactive contaminants and their potential implications for human health requires an understanding of their physical/chemical characteristics at the molecular scale. This lecture focuses particularly on the physical/chemical characterisation of the Pu contaminant, one of the most problematic radioactive contaminants released from nuclear tests, by synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy / spectroscopy. The study reveals direct experimental evidence that the Pu legacy remaining at one of the former testing sites in Australia (Taranaki, Maralinga) exists as particulates of Pu(IV) oxyhydroxide compounds, a very concentrated and low-soluble form of Pu, which will serve as ongoing radioactive sources far into the future. Based on the obtained results, a possible scenario of the physical/chemical transformation of the original Pu materials dispersed in the semi-arid environment at Maralinga can be also deduced. The lecture also highlights the importance of the comprehensive characterization of radioactive contaminants for reliable environmental- and radiotoxicological assessment.

Keywords: Actinides; plutonium; environmental science; chemical transformation; synchrotron; X-ray microscopy; X-ray spectroscopy

  • Invited lecture (Conferences)
    Guest lecture at the lecture series "Radioecology", 18.05.2017, TU Dresden, Germany

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-25444
Publ.-Id: 25444