Preparation and evaluation of new reference materials for naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM): Zirconium silicate, bauxite, and phosphogypsum.

New reference materials (RMs), zirconium silicate, bauxite and phosphogypsum, were produced and characterized according to an ISO guide. The homogeneity of the three RMs was evaluated using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and characterizations of the three candidate materials were performed through a collaborative study with nine expert radioanalytical laboratories. The assigned radionuclides are 230Th, 232Th, 234U, 235U, and 238U for zirconium silicate; 230Th, 232Th, 234U, and 238U for bauxite; and 226Ra, 230Th, 234U, and 238U for phosphogypsum.

(137)Cs baseline levels in the Mediterranean and Black Sea: a cross-basin survey of the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch programme.

The common mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected as unique biomonitor species to implement a regional monitoring programme, the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch (MMW), in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As of today, and upon standardization of the methodological approach, the MMW Network has been able to quantify (137)Cs levels in mussels from 60 coastal stations and to produce the first distribution map of this artificial radionuclide at the scale of the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas. While measured (137)Cs levels were found to be very low (usually < 1 Bq kg(-1) wet wt) (137)Cs activity concentrations in the Black Sea and North Aegean Sea were up to two orders of magnitude higher than those in the western Mediterranean Basin. Such effects, far from representing a threat to human populations or the environment, reflect a persistent signature of the Chernobyl fallout in this area.

Impact of Saharan dust events on radionuclide levels in Monaco air and in the water column of the northwest Mediterranean Sea.

Characterization of atmospheric aerosols collected in Monaco (2004-2008) and in sediment traps at 200 m and 1000 m water depths at the DYFAMED (Dynamics of Atmospheric Fluxes in the Mediterranean Sea) station (2004) was carried out to improve our understanding of the impact of Saharan dust on ground-level air and on the water column. Activity concentrations of natural (210Pb, 210Po, uranium and radium isotopes) and anthropogenic (137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu, and 239+240Pu) radionuclides and their isotopic ratios confirmed a Saharan impact on the investigated samples. In association with a large particulate matter deposition event in Monaco on 20 February 2004, the 137Cs (∼40 Bq kg-1) and 239+240Pu (∼1 Bq kg-1) activities were almost a factor of two higher than other Saharan deposition dust events. This single-day particle flux represented 72% of the annual atmospheric deposition in Monaco. The annual deposition of Saharan dust on the sea was 232-407 mBq m-2 for 137Cs and 6.8-9.8 mBq m-2 for 239+240Pu and contributed significantly (28-37% for 137Cs and 34-45% for 239+240Pu) to the total annual atmospheric input to the northwest Mediterranean Sea. The 137Cs/239+240Pu activity ratios in dust samples collected during different Saharan dust events confirmed their global fallout origin or mixing with local re-suspended soil particles. In the sediment trap samples the 137Cs activity varied by a factor of two, while the 239+240Pu activity was constant, confirming the different behaviors of Cs (dissolved) and Pu (particle reactive) in the water column. The 137Cs and 239+240Pu activities of sinking particles during the period of the highest mass flux collected in 20 February 2004 at the 200 m and 1000 m water depths represented about 10% and 15%, respectively, of annual deposition from Saharan dust events.

Main results of the 2012 joint Norwegian-Russian expedition to the dumping sites of the nuclear submarine K-27 and solid radioactive waste in Stepovogo Fjord, Novaya Zemlya.

This paper reports the main results of the 2012 joint Norwegian-Russian expedition to investigate the radioecological situation of the Stepovogo Fjord on the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, where the nuclear submarine K-27 and solid radioactive waste was dumped. Based on in situ gamma measurements and the analysis of seawater and sediment samples taken around the submarine, there was no indication of any leakage from the reactor units of K-27. With regard to the radioecological status of Stepovogo Fjord, activity concentrations of all radionuclides in seawater, sediment and biota in 2012 were in general lower than reported from the previous investigations in the 1990s. However in 2012, the activity concentrations of (137)Cs and, to a lesser extent, those of (90)Sr remained elevated in bottom water from the inner part of Stepovogo Fjord compared with surface water and the outer part of Stepovogo Fjord. Deviations from expected (238)Pu/(239,240)Pu activity ratios and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios in some sediment samples from the inner part of Stepovogo Fjord observed in this study and earlier studies may indicate the possibility of leakages from dumped waste from different nuclear sources. Although the current environmental levels of radionuclides in Stepovogo Fjord are not of immediate cause for concern, further monitoring of the situation is warranted.