Radionuclide bioconcentration factors and sediment partition coefficients in Arctic Seas subject to contamination from dumped nuclear wastes

Journal Article · Tue Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 1999 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es9812195· OSTI ID:6333826

Fisher, N S ^[1]; Fowler, S W; Boisson, F; Carroll, J ^[2]; Rissanen, K ^[3]; Salbu, B ^[4]; Sazykina, T G ^[5]; Sjoeblom, K L ^[6]

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1. State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States). Marine Sciences Research Center
2. International Atomic Energy Agency (Monaco). Marine Environment Lab.
3. STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Rovaniemi (Finland)
4. Agricultural Univ. of Norway, Aas (Norway). Lab. for Analytical Chemistry
5. Inst. of Experimental Meteorology, Obninsk (Russian Federation)
6. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

The disposal of large quantities of radioactive wastes in Arctic Seas by the former Soviet Union has prompted interest in the behavior of long-lived radionuclides in polar waters. Previous studies on the interactions of radionuclides prominent in radioactive wastes have focused on temperate waters; the extent to which the bioconcentration factors and sediment partitioning from these earlier studies could be applied to risk assessment analyses involving high latitude systems is unknown. Here the authors present concentrations in seawater and calculated in situ bioconcentration factors for [sup 90]Sr, [sup 137]Cs, and [sup 239+240]Pu (the three most important radionuclides in Arctic risk assessment models) in macroalgae, crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, sea birds, and marine mammals as well as sediment K[sub d] values for 13 radionuclides and other elements in samples taken from the Kara and Barents Seas. The data analysis shows that, typically, values for polar and temperate waters are comparable, but exceptions include 10-fold higher concentration factors for [sup 239+240]Pu in Arctic brown macroalgae, 10-fold lower K[sub d] values for [sup 90]Sr in Kara Sea sediment than in typical temperate coastal sediment, and 100-fold greater Ru K[sub d] values in Kara Sea sediment. For most elements application of temperate water bioconcentration factors and K[sub d] values to Arctic marine systems appears to be valid.

• OSTI ID: 6333826
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 33:12; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARCTIC REGIONS
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CESIUM 137
CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
SEAS
STRONTIUM 90
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CRYOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
MONITORING
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POLAR REGIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOISOTOPES
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
540330* - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)