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Half-lives of self-purification for various isotopes in soils of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2009

M. Bondarkov
Affiliation:
Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, Slavutych 07100, Ukraine
Yu. Ivanov
Affiliation:
Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, Slavutych 07100, Ukraine
D. Bondarkov
Affiliation:
Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, Slavutych 07100, Ukraine
S. Gaschak
Affiliation:
Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, Slavutych 07100, Ukraine
A. Maksimenko
Affiliation:
Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, Slavutych 07100, Ukraine
R. K. Chesser
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-3131, USA
B. Rodgers
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-3131, USA
M. Zheltonozhskaya
Affiliation:
Institute for Nuclear Research, 03680 Kiev, Ukraine
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Abstract

During 2001–2002 we investigated current contamination of soils in several places in the Chornobyl zone. We have measured the content of alpha emitting isotopes Pu, 241Am, 154,155Eu, 90Sr, and 137Cs in layers of soil up to the depth of 30 cm. By including the two mechanisms of migration: convection and diffusion in our model, we were able to estimate the ecological and effective half-lives of self-purification processes for these layers of soil. Effective half-lives vary from 20 to 400 years dependent upon the type of soil and the isotopes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2009

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References

Bondarkov, M.D., Bondarkov D.M. and Zhelonozhsky, V.A. et al. The method of 90Sr concentration measurement in biological objects and soil samples without radiochemistry. Scientific papers of the Institute for Nuclear research 8 (2002) 162–167.
Bondarkov, M.D., Zheltonozhska, M.V., Maksimenko, A.M. et al. Determination of Plutonium isotopes in Chernobyl samples by characteristic Lx-radiation of Uranium. Problems of nuclear power plants' safety and of Chornobyl, 2 (2005) 108–112.
Ivanov, Yu.A., Kashparov, V.A., Khomutinin, Yu.V. et al. Vertical transfer of radionuclides of ChNPP in soils. 3. Mathematical modelling of radionuclides vertical transfer in soil profile. Radiochemistry 38 (1996) 278–284.