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Our Radiation Environment
Published in T. D. Luckey, Radiation Hormesis, 2020
Atomic blasts have released about 13 GBq of 3H in the northern hemisphere, Atmospheric atomic bomb tests release little more 131I than explosions of nuclear power reactors (Table 1.11).252Induced and fission products with half lives longer than two months are 55Fe, 90Sr, 106Ru, 137Cs, 144Ce, and 147Pm. Of these, cerium contributes the most radiation for one to three years, then cesium and strontium produce the dominant beta rays from fallout. The health hazards from ingestion of strontium and cesium are well documented.252 Almost 740 PBq of 90Sr were produced in atmospheric atom bomb testing from 1952 to 1962.252 Little more was added following the atmospheric test ban. Much of this strontium fell to earth and entered the food chain. The production of 137Cs in fallout is the limiting factor in atomic blasting for commercial purposes. The release of 134Cs from Chernobyl exceeded that from atomic bombs. The 14C released by atomic bombs has received little attention because its long half life effectively prevents any readily observed physiologic effect. Although no alpha emitters are produced in atmospheric atomic tests, residual 235U and 239Pu occur in the dust. The 3 to 4 tons of plutonium released during the atmospheric nuclear bomb tests from 1945 to 1965 are reflected in human tissues (Table 1.8b) and dispel the popular statement that, “One ton of plutonium is enough to kill every person on earth.”
Organization and Management of a Radiation Safety Office
Published in Kenneth L. Miller, Handbook of Management of Radiation Protection Programs, 2020
Steven H. King, Rodger W. Granlund
Routine monitoring for a research reactor includes the pool water for fission and activation products, air released from the reactor building, radiation levels at various locations, and liquids from the cooling system or water treatment system. The most common air contaminant is 41Ar produced when air dissolved in the reactor pool water is irradiated with neutrons. Air released may also contain 3H from water evaporated from the pool (a significant release for heavy-water moderated reactors). Research reactor fuel is normally leak-free so that fission products in the water and air are not a serious problem. Experiments in which fissionable material is irradiated are potentially a serious source of fission product contamination and must be reviewed carefully. Personnel monitoring is usually required of all reactor personnel. Neutron dosimeters may be required for persons working around beam ports.
Nuclear Physics Fundamentals Milorad Mladjenovic
Published in Frank Helus, Lelio G. Colombetti, Radionuclides Production, 2019
All radioactive members of fission fragment series are called fission products. There are now known more than 360 radioactive isotopes in the families of fission products. Table 8 shows a few selected radioactive series produced in fission.
Modeling principles of protective thyroid blocking
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2022
Alexis Rump, Stefan Eder, Cornelius Hermann, Andreas Lamkowski, Manabu Kinoshita, Tetsuo Yamamoto, Junya Take, Michael Abend, Nariyoshi Shinomiya, Matthias Port
Nuclear fission processes release a large number of different fission products, including radioactive iodine nuclides. Uranium-235 usually splits asymmetrically and radioioiodine(s) fall(s) in one of the favored mass number regions of the fission products (peaks between 90–100 and 130–140). The main radioactive iodine isotopes formed by fission are iodine-131 (physical half-life, T1/2 = 8.02 d), iodine-129 (T1/2 = 1.57 107 y) and iodine-132 (T1/2 = 2.3 h; from Te-132) (ICRP 2017). Among the different iodine isotopes, iodine-131 is of particular importance (Blum and Eisenbud 1967). Iodine is characterized by its high volatility compared to most other fission products. In the case of nuclear incidents, e.g. nuclear power plant accidents or the detonation of a nuclear weapon, it must be expected that radioiodine will be released and also carried over greater distances (Verger et al. 2001; Chabot 2016). Radioiodine is quickly absorbed into the organism both by inhalation and via ingestion (Geoffroy et al. 2000; Verger et al. 2001). From a practical point of view, intake through contaminated drinking water and food probably plays the decisive role (Blum and Eisenbud 1967).
Dosimetry associated with veterans who participated in nuclear weapons testing
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2022
John E. Till, Harold L. Beck, Jill W. Aanenson, Helen A. Grogan, H. Justin Mohler, S. Shawn Mohler, Paul G. Voillequé
The atomic veterans were primarily exposed to gamma and beta radiation from fission products resulting from nuclear weapons detonations. Many of the participants at the PPG were stationed on islands or ships impacted by fallout and thus received radiation exposure from fallout deposited on the ground or on ship surfaces as well as from descending fallout and re-suspended fallout. Other examples of activities that may have resulted in exposure include boarding contaminated target ships,2 operating small boats in contaminated sea water, shore leave on fallout-contaminated islands, troop maneuvers at NTS during and following tests and observing tests at the NTS. Previous attempts to investigate disease among nuclear test participants in the U.S. have yielded mixed results, and these studies lacked the detailed dosimetry on individuals studied (Till et al. 2014).
Why is the multiple stressor concept of relevance to radioecology?
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2019
B. Salbu, H. C. Teien, O. C. Lind, K. E. Tollefsen
A series of nuclear and radiological sources have contributed or are still contributing to radioactive contamination of the environment. Following severe nuclear events associated with the nuclear weapons and fuel cycles, a mixture of radionuclides representing fission products, activation products and transuranic elements are released. Following explosions or fires, refractory radionuclides are released as multicomponent radioactive particles, ranging from submicrons to fragments (IAEA 2011; Salbu et al. 2018). Similarly, a mixture of radionuclides and stable metals are also released from uranium mining sites, due to wind or water erosion (Abdelouas 2006; Lind et al. 2013b; Salbu et al. 2013; Skipperud et al. 2013). Uranium and associated radionuclides may, in addition to particles (Lind et al. 2009; IAEA 2011; Lind et al. 2013a; Batuk et al. 2015) be present in a variety of different physico-chemical forms including metal—organic species such as complexing agents originating from nuclear fuel reprocessing (Salbu et al. 2003) or naturally occurring substances (e.g. fulvic or humic compounds). Thus, the multiple stressor concept is not only related to the total concentration of a series of radionuclides released from one source, or from different sources, but also related to the presence of different physico-chemical forms of individual radionuclides. Environmental impact assessment focusing on only one stressor at a time can therefore lead to biased or wrong conclusions (Eggen et al. 2004; Salbu et al. 2005; Spurgeon et al. 2010; Mothersill et al. 2019).