Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 243-252 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Environmental Radioactivity |
| Volume | 165 |
| Early online date | 26 Oct 2016 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2016 |
Abstract
Ongoing radionuclide releases from nuclear facilities, e.g. from reprocessing plants, but also from nuclear reactors require monitoring of the environment. Particularly drinking water reservoirs are prone to possible radionuclide accumulation fostering the need for routine surveillance. In this work, we investigated tritium (3H), radiocarbon (14C), and iodine-129 (129I) activity levels in natural aquatic samples at the water protection area of Fuhrberger Feld near Hannover city, Northern Germany. For that aim, a low-level liquid scintillation counting (LSC) technique was used to measure 3H in the water samples based on a distillation process after alkaline permanganate treatment. Isotopic ratios for both 14C and 129I were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) after chemical separation and purification of the samples. Mean 3H levels in precipitation (8.8 ± 3.4 TU) were found to be comparable to its levels in precipitation data in Germany. Rivers and small streams revealed similar mean 3H value (11.0 ± 3.3 TU) as in lake water (10.6 ± 3.4 TU). Variations in 3H concentrations in groundwater samples were observed and discussed. 14C levels in all groundwater samples were below the atmospheric natural level of 100 pMC indicating no anthropogenic input of radiocarbon. The 129I/127I isotopic ratios in all investigated water samples were in the order of 10−8 to 10−7, which is significantly higher than the pre-nuclear natural equilibrium isotopic ratio (∼1.5 × 10−12). In strong contrast to all other regional groundwaters, the Fuhrberger Feld groundwater has much higher values of 129I concentration and 129I/127I isotopic ratio close to the ones of surface water. The overall annual effective dose via ingestion for all nuclides in the investigated groundwater remains substantially below the reference dose level of 0.1 mSv a−1.
Keywords
- Fuhrberger Feld, Hannover, Iodine-129, Natural waters, Radiocarbon, Tritium
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Science(all)
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Environmental Science(all)
- Pollution
- Environmental Science(all)
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
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In: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Vol. 165, 12.2016, p. 243-252.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Radioecological investigation of 3H, 14C, and 129I in natural waters from Fuhrberger Feld catchment, Northern Germany
AU - Osman, Alfatih A.A.
AU - Bister, Stefan
AU - Riebe, Beate
AU - Daraoui, Abdelouahed
AU - Vockenhuber, Christof
AU - Wacker, Lukas
AU - Walther, Clemens
N1 - Funding information: This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) [contract No. 02 NUK 030D ]; and Siebold-Sasse Foundation .
PY - 2016/12
Y1 - 2016/12
N2 - Ongoing radionuclide releases from nuclear facilities, e.g. from reprocessing plants, but also from nuclear reactors require monitoring of the environment. Particularly drinking water reservoirs are prone to possible radionuclide accumulation fostering the need for routine surveillance. In this work, we investigated tritium (3H), radiocarbon (14C), and iodine-129 (129I) activity levels in natural aquatic samples at the water protection area of Fuhrberger Feld near Hannover city, Northern Germany. For that aim, a low-level liquid scintillation counting (LSC) technique was used to measure 3H in the water samples based on a distillation process after alkaline permanganate treatment. Isotopic ratios for both 14C and 129I were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) after chemical separation and purification of the samples. Mean 3H levels in precipitation (8.8 ± 3.4 TU) were found to be comparable to its levels in precipitation data in Germany. Rivers and small streams revealed similar mean 3H value (11.0 ± 3.3 TU) as in lake water (10.6 ± 3.4 TU). Variations in 3H concentrations in groundwater samples were observed and discussed. 14C levels in all groundwater samples were below the atmospheric natural level of 100 pMC indicating no anthropogenic input of radiocarbon. The 129I/127I isotopic ratios in all investigated water samples were in the order of 10−8 to 10−7, which is significantly higher than the pre-nuclear natural equilibrium isotopic ratio (∼1.5 × 10−12). In strong contrast to all other regional groundwaters, the Fuhrberger Feld groundwater has much higher values of 129I concentration and 129I/127I isotopic ratio close to the ones of surface water. The overall annual effective dose via ingestion for all nuclides in the investigated groundwater remains substantially below the reference dose level of 0.1 mSv a−1.
AB - Ongoing radionuclide releases from nuclear facilities, e.g. from reprocessing plants, but also from nuclear reactors require monitoring of the environment. Particularly drinking water reservoirs are prone to possible radionuclide accumulation fostering the need for routine surveillance. In this work, we investigated tritium (3H), radiocarbon (14C), and iodine-129 (129I) activity levels in natural aquatic samples at the water protection area of Fuhrberger Feld near Hannover city, Northern Germany. For that aim, a low-level liquid scintillation counting (LSC) technique was used to measure 3H in the water samples based on a distillation process after alkaline permanganate treatment. Isotopic ratios for both 14C and 129I were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) after chemical separation and purification of the samples. Mean 3H levels in precipitation (8.8 ± 3.4 TU) were found to be comparable to its levels in precipitation data in Germany. Rivers and small streams revealed similar mean 3H value (11.0 ± 3.3 TU) as in lake water (10.6 ± 3.4 TU). Variations in 3H concentrations in groundwater samples were observed and discussed. 14C levels in all groundwater samples were below the atmospheric natural level of 100 pMC indicating no anthropogenic input of radiocarbon. The 129I/127I isotopic ratios in all investigated water samples were in the order of 10−8 to 10−7, which is significantly higher than the pre-nuclear natural equilibrium isotopic ratio (∼1.5 × 10−12). In strong contrast to all other regional groundwaters, the Fuhrberger Feld groundwater has much higher values of 129I concentration and 129I/127I isotopic ratio close to the ones of surface water. The overall annual effective dose via ingestion for all nuclides in the investigated groundwater remains substantially below the reference dose level of 0.1 mSv a−1.
KW - Fuhrberger Feld
KW - Hannover
KW - Iodine-129
KW - Natural waters
KW - Radiocarbon
KW - Tritium
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84993940461&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.10.011
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.10.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 27794272
AN - SCOPUS:84993940461
VL - 165
SP - 243
EP - 252
JO - Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
JF - Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
SN - 0265-931X
ER -