Environmental concentration and migration of /sup 129/I
Local sources of /sup 129/I suitable for study of migration in the environment are uranium ore bodies for long periods and nuclear fuel reprocessing operations for recent time periods. Uranium ores produce /sup 129/I from spontaneous and neutron-induced fission. Nuclear fuel reprocessing has resulted in releases of /sup 129/I to both the atmosphere and the hydrosphere. The long term fate of surface-deposited and groundwater /sup 129/I was studied. Neutron activation analysis was used to measure the low levels of /sup 129/I and natural /sup 127/I in samples near and remote from nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. Measurements were made on air samples, vegetation, soil, surface water, groundwater, and uranium ore samples. The /sup 129/I was found to accumulate in the top soil and litter layer. The surface concentrations of /sup 129/I in forest communities were found to be several times higher than for nearby grass communities. The /sup 129/I levels were found to persist in the environment after reprocessing activities had been discontinued. Measurable /sup 129/I was found to be contained in uranium ore samples from a variety of locations and with a range of uranium concentrations. Thus ore bodies constitute a source of /sup 129/I suitable for study of migration over long time periods. Iodine-/sup 129/ has entered surface and groundwater as the result of liquid and atmospheric discharges from nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. The iodine in water samples was found to be anionic and travel with the water flow. Thus /sup 129/I was found to provide high sensitivity for hydrology tracer studies and radioactivity migration surveillance. Once /sup 129/I enters the hydrosphere it migrates with the water with little or no hold-up by exchange with cationic exchangers such as soil or silt.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6231620
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-9140; CONF-810722-12; ON: DE81030093; TRN: 81-016178
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International symposium on migration in the terrestrial environment of long-lived radionuclides from the nuclear fuel cycle, Knoxville, TN, USA, 27 Jul 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
FOREST LITTER
RADIOACTIVITY
GROUND WATER
IODINE 129
RADIATION MONITORING
PLANTS
SEDIMENTS
SOILS
SURFACE AIR
SURFACE WATERS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
ANIONS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
ION EXCHANGE
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
URANIUM ORES
AIR
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
CHARGED PARTICLES
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IODINE ISOTOPES
IONS
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MONITORING
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
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