Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 8488-8500 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Environmental Science and Technology |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 15 |
| Early online date | 6 Jul 2018 |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Aug 2018 |
Abstract
Traces of particulate radioactive iodine (131I) were detected in the European atmosphere in January/February 2017. Concentrations of this nuclear fission product were very low, ranging 0.1 to 10 μBq m-3 except at one location in western Russia where they reached up to several mBq m-3. Detections have been reported continuously over an 8-week period by about 30 monitoring stations. We examine possible emission source apportionments and rank them considering their expected contribution in terms of orders of magnitude from typical routine releases: radiopharmaceutical production units > sewage sludge incinerators > nuclear power plants > spontaneous fission of uranium in soil. Inverse modeling simulations indicate that the widespread detections of 131I resulted from the combination of multiple source releases. Among them, those from radiopharmaceutical production units remain the most likely. One of them is located in Western Russia and its estimated source term complies with authorized limits. Other existing sources related to 131I use (medical purposes or sewage sludge incineration) can explain detections on a rather local scale. As an enhancing factor, the prevailing wintertime meteorological situations marked by strong temperature inversions led to poor dispersion conditions that resulted in higher concentrations exceeding usual detection limits in use within the informal Ring of Five (Ro5) monitoring network.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- General Chemistry
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
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In: Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 52, No. 15, 07.08.2018, p. 8488-8500.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Potential Source Apportionment and Meteorological Conditions Involved in Airborne 131I Detections in January/February 2017 in Europe
AU - Masson, Olivier
AU - Steinhauser, Georg
AU - Wershofen, H.
AU - Mietelski, Jerzy W.
AU - Fischer, Helmut W.
AU - Pourcelot, L.
AU - Saunier, O.
AU - Bieringer, J.
AU - Steinkopff, T.
AU - Hýža, M.
AU - Møller, B.
AU - Bowyer, T. W.
AU - Dalaka, E.
AU - Dalheimer, A.
AU - De Vismes-Ott, A.
AU - Eleftheriadis, Konstantinos
AU - Forte, M.
AU - Gasco Leonarte, C.
AU - Gorzkiewicz, K.
AU - Homoki, Z.
AU - Isajenko, K.
AU - Karhunen, T.
AU - Katzlberger, C.
AU - Kierepko, R.
AU - Kövendiné Kónyi, J.
AU - Malá, H.
AU - Nikolic, J.
AU - Povinec, P. P.
AU - Rajacic, M.
AU - Ringer, W.
AU - Rulík, P.
AU - Rusconi, R.
AU - Sáfrány, G.
AU - Sykora, I.
AU - Todorović, D.
AU - Tschiersch, J.
AU - Ungar, Kurt
AU - Zorko, B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2018 American Chemical Society. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/8/7
Y1 - 2018/8/7
N2 - Traces of particulate radioactive iodine (131I) were detected in the European atmosphere in January/February 2017. Concentrations of this nuclear fission product were very low, ranging 0.1 to 10 μBq m-3 except at one location in western Russia where they reached up to several mBq m-3. Detections have been reported continuously over an 8-week period by about 30 monitoring stations. We examine possible emission source apportionments and rank them considering their expected contribution in terms of orders of magnitude from typical routine releases: radiopharmaceutical production units > sewage sludge incinerators > nuclear power plants > spontaneous fission of uranium in soil. Inverse modeling simulations indicate that the widespread detections of 131I resulted from the combination of multiple source releases. Among them, those from radiopharmaceutical production units remain the most likely. One of them is located in Western Russia and its estimated source term complies with authorized limits. Other existing sources related to 131I use (medical purposes or sewage sludge incineration) can explain detections on a rather local scale. As an enhancing factor, the prevailing wintertime meteorological situations marked by strong temperature inversions led to poor dispersion conditions that resulted in higher concentrations exceeding usual detection limits in use within the informal Ring of Five (Ro5) monitoring network.
AB - Traces of particulate radioactive iodine (131I) were detected in the European atmosphere in January/February 2017. Concentrations of this nuclear fission product were very low, ranging 0.1 to 10 μBq m-3 except at one location in western Russia where they reached up to several mBq m-3. Detections have been reported continuously over an 8-week period by about 30 monitoring stations. We examine possible emission source apportionments and rank them considering their expected contribution in terms of orders of magnitude from typical routine releases: radiopharmaceutical production units > sewage sludge incinerators > nuclear power plants > spontaneous fission of uranium in soil. Inverse modeling simulations indicate that the widespread detections of 131I resulted from the combination of multiple source releases. Among them, those from radiopharmaceutical production units remain the most likely. One of them is located in Western Russia and its estimated source term complies with authorized limits. Other existing sources related to 131I use (medical purposes or sewage sludge incineration) can explain detections on a rather local scale. As an enhancing factor, the prevailing wintertime meteorological situations marked by strong temperature inversions led to poor dispersion conditions that resulted in higher concentrations exceeding usual detection limits in use within the informal Ring of Five (Ro5) monitoring network.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049999290&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.est.8b01810
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.8b01810
M3 - Article
C2 - 29979581
AN - SCOPUS:85049999290
VL - 52
SP - 8488
EP - 8500
JO - Environmental Science and Technology
JF - Environmental Science and Technology
SN - 0013-936X
IS - 15
ER -