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Masson, O.* ; Steinhauser, G.* ; Wershofen, H.* ; Mietelski, J.W.* ; Fischer, H.W.* ; Pourcelot, L.* ; Saunier, O.* ; Bieringer, J.* ; Steinkopff, T.* ; Hýža, M.* ; Møller, B.* ; Bowyer, T.W.* ; Dalaka, E.* ; Dalheimer, A.* ; de Vismes-Ott, A.* ; Eleftheriadis, K.* ; Forte, M.* ; Gasco Leonarte, C.* ; Gorzkiewicz, K.* ; Homoki, Z.* ; Isajenko, K.* ; Karhunen, T.* ; Katzlberger, C.* ; Kierepko, R.* ; Kövendiné Kónyi, J.* ; Malá, H.* ; Nikolic, J.* ; Povinec, P.P.* ; Rajacic, M.* ; Ringer, W.* ; Rulík, P.* ; Rusconi, R.* ; Sáfrány, G.* ; Sýkora, I.* ; Todorović, D.* ; Tschiersch, J. ; Ungar, K.* ; Zorko, B.*

Potential source apportionment and meteorological conditions involved in airborne 131 I detections in January/February 2017 in Europe.

Environ. Sci. Technol. 52, 8488-8500 (2018)
Postprint DOI PMC
Open Access Green
Traces of particulate radioactive iodine (I-131) were detected in the European atmosphere in January/February 2017. Concentrations of this nuclear fission product were very low, ranging 0.1 to 10 mu Bq 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 I-131 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 I-131 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.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
Keywords In-situ Production; Spontaneous Fission; Stripa Granite; Source-term; Radionuclides; Chernobyl; Uranium; Iodine; Plant; Radioactivity
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0013-936X
e-ISSN 1520-5851
Journal Environmental Science & Technology
Quellenangaben Volume: 52, Issue: 15, Pages: 8488-8500 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher ACS
Publishing Place Washington, DC
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Institute of Radiation Protection (ISS)