Ultra-low-level measurements of airborne fission products from the Fukushima Daiichi reactor accident using high volume collection systems at Savannah River National Laboratory.

Ultra-low-level measurements of radionuclides in air have been conducted at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to determine the atmospheric concentration of fission products released following the Fukushima Daiichi reactor accident on March 11, 2011. Air filter samples were acquired from two high-volume collection systems (a traditional filter-based system and an electrostatic precipitator-based system) to monitor airborne radionuclide concentrations in the period covering from 2 weeks to 3 years after the disaster. The world-wide spread of low-level concentrations of airborne fission products from the Fukushima event provided a unique opportunity to demonstrate SRNL's electrostatic particle collection technology and other improvements in environmental monitoring developed at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Detecting and analyzing the release allowed a comprehensive test of SRS systems for monitoring environmental radioactivity. Gamma-ray-emitting fission products (131,132I, 134,136,137Cs, and 129,132Te) and cosmogenic isotopes (7Be and 22Na) in air were detected and quantified by high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy at concentrations as low as 0.07 µBq per standard cubic meter (SCM) (50 mBq total 137Cs), while plutonium content was quantified by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) at concentrations as low as 6.5 × 10-21 g/SCM (3.0 fg 239+240Pu). Isotope concentrations measured at SRNL from gamma-ray spectroscopy were compared to independent measurements from Chapel Hill, NC, located approximately 370 km (230 mi) NE of SRNL. Meteorological modeling was also used to predict radionuclide transport from the location of release to both measurement locations.

Anthropogenic plutonium-244 in the environment: Insights into plutonium's longest-lived isotope.

Owing to the rich history of heavy element production in the unique high flux reactors that operated at the Savannah River Site, USA (SRS) decades ago, trace quantities of plutonium with highly unique isotopic characteristics still persist today in the SRS terrestrial environment. Development of an effective sampling, processing, and analysis strategy enables detailed monitoring of the SRS environment, revealing plutonium isotopic compositions, e.g., (244)Pu, that reflect the unique legacy of plutonium production at SRS. This work describes the first long-term investigation of anthropogenic (244)Pu occurrence in the environment. Environmental samples, consisting of collected foot borne debris, were taken at SRS over an eleven year period, from 2003 to 2014. Separation and purification of trace plutonium was carried out followed by three stage thermal ionization mass spectrometry (3STIMS) measurements for plutonium isotopic content and isotopic ratios. Significant (244)Pu was measured in all of the years sampled with the highest amount observed in 2003. The (244)Pu content, in femtograms (fg = 10(-15) g) per gram, ranged from 0.31 fg/g to 44 fg/g in years 2006 and 2003 respectively. In all years, the (244)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were significantly higher than global fallout, ranging from 0.003 to 0.698 in years 2014 and 2003 respectively.

Plutonium isotopes in the terrestrial environment at the Savannah River Site, USA: a long-term study.

This work presents the findings of a long-term plutonium (Pu) study at Savannah River Site (SRS) conducted between 2003 and 2013. Terrestrial environmental samples were obtained at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) in the A-Area. Plutonium content and isotopic abundances were measured over this time period by α particle and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (3STIMS). We detail the complete process of the sample collection, radiochemical separation, and measurement procedure specifically targeted to trace plutonium in bulk environmental samples. Total plutonium activities were determined to be not significantly above atmospheric global fallout. However, the (238)Pu/(239+240)Pu activity ratios attributed to SRS are substantially different than fallout due to past (238)Pu production on the site. The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios are reasonably consistent from year to year and are lower than fallout indicating an admixture of weapons-grade material, while the (242)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios are higher than fallout values, again due to actinide production activities. Overall, the plutonium signatures obtained in this study reflect a distinctive mixture of weapons-grade, heat source, and higher burn-up plutonium with fallout material. This study provides a unique opportunity for developing and demonstrating a blue print for long-term low-level monitoring of trace plutonium in the environment.