Conveners
Radiohalide Techniques and Applications
- Hou Xiaolin (Xi’an AMS Center, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Radiohalide Techniques and Applications
- Philippe Collon (University of Notre Dame)
Description
AMS analysis of radionuclides as environmental tracers within geological, hydrological, and atmospheric systems.
Long-lived nuclides $^{10}$Be, $^{14}$C, $^{26}$Al, $^{36}$Cl, $^{41}$Ca, $^{90}$Sr, and $^{129}$I have been successfully detected with the 6 MV accelerator mass spectrometer at the University of Tsukuba [1]. $^{36}$Cl is one of the most difficult radionuclides to measure due to contamination with the interfering isobaric $^{36}$S. Sulfur itself is easily present in the environment, making its...
$^{129}$I is one of the AMS radionuclides which benefits most from a compact and low-energy AMS system. The interfering stable isobar $^{129}$Xe is completely suppressed as it does not form negative ions, thus high energies are not required for isobar separation in the detector. Mass separation needs to be high enough to discriminate against the stable isotope $^{129}$I. The HE side of a...
The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch that will mark when humans have irreversibly affected the Earth. One of the primary requirements to formally establish this is a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) or “golden spike” – a record of a planetary signal marking the new epoch’s beginning. Last July 2023, it was announced that the leading candidate for the...
Radioactive iodine is a key concern for the transport and dispersion of radioactive pollutants and radiation exposure evaluation during nuclear accidents and nuclear emergency preparedness, as well as for understanding the atmospheric cycling of iodine. However, atmopsheric 129I is difficult to measure due to its low concentration in remote areas, away from nuclear pollution sources. This...
129I (T1/2 = 15.7 × 106 y) is a radionuclide whose presence in the environment changed strongly due to the emissions from the two largest nuclear fuel reprocessing plants in Europe: Sellafield (UK) and La Hague (France). Most of the 129I has been discharged to the sea, but part of it is released as gaseous 129I. Liquid discharges of 129I mostly travelled from these plants to the North Sea and...
A series of analytical methods have been developed for sensitive and accurate determination of long-lived 129I, 14C, plutonium and uranium isotopes in various environmental samples, such as soil, sediment, water, air, and vegetation samples in the Xi’an AMS center using the 3MV tandem AMS, MICDAS AMS and other mass spectrometry methods. An overall investigation of artificial radioactivity in...
Iodine isotopes (stable 127I and long-lived radioactive 129I with half-life 15.7 million year) in natural environment have potentially various applications, utilizing as a dating tool or an index of comic-ray intensity variation with millions to 10-million-year time scale. For these purposes, iodine isotope system in natural environment should be understood comprehensively. Important issues...
Radiation exposure dose and potential health risks remain a crucial aspect of public health particularly given the use of the linear no-threshold model which postulates any exposure to radiation can result in harm. The concentration of several long-lived radionuclides has increased in the environment through human nuclear activities. Many of these radionuclides are alpha and beta emitters...
The increasingly wide range of human activities in the nuclear field, such as nuclear weapons technologies, nuclear reactors for energy production, spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, and nuclear waste repositories, has correspondingly increased the importance of monitoring and preventing nuclear pollution.
In the early stages of nuclear pollution, the quantities of dispersed radioactive...
Iodine is a crucial nutrient for public health, and its presence in the terrestrial atmosphere is a key factor in determining the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders. While oceanic iodine emissions decrease at lower sea surface temperature, the primary contributors to atmospheric iodine can vary from oceanic sources in summer to other sources in winter. However, the specific sources and...
