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An unknown source of reactor radionuclides in the Baltic Sea revealed by multi-isotope fingerprints
Tech Univ Denmark, Dept Environm Engn, DTU Riso Campus, Roskilde, Denmark..ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5409-4274
Tech Univ Denmark, Dept Environm Engn, DTU Riso Campus, Roskilde, Denmark.;Northwest Inst Nucl Technol, Xian, Peoples R China..
Univ Vienna, Fac Phys, Isotope Phys, Vienna, Austria..ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6144-2449
Univ Vienna, Fac Phys, Isotope Phys, Vienna, Austria..
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2021 (English)In: Nature Communications, E-ISSN 2041-1723, Vol. 12, no 1, article id 823Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

We present an application of multi-isotopic fingerprints (i.e., U-236/U-238, U-233/U-236, U-236/I-129 and I-129/I-127) for the discovery of previously unrecognized sources of anthropogenic radioactivity. Our data indicate a source of reactor U-236 in the Baltic Sea in addition to inputs from the two European reprocessing plants and global fallout. This additional reactor U-236 may come from unreported discharges from Swedish nuclear research facilities as supported by high U-236 levels in sediment nearby Studsvik, or from accidental leakages of spent nuclear fuel disposed on the Baltic seafloor, either reported or unreported. Such leakages would indicate problems with the radiological safety of seafloor disposal, and may be accompanied by releases of other radionuclides. The results demonstrate the high sensitivity of multi-isotopic tracer systems, especially the U-233/U-236 signature, to distinguish environmental emissions of unrevealed radioactive releases for nuclear safeguards, emergency preparedness and environmental tracer studies. Anthropogenic activities lead to the accumulation of radioactive substances in the environment. Here the authors use multi-isotopic fingerprints of uranium and iodine to discover a previously unknown source of reactor uranium in the Baltic Sea, likely sourced from a Swedish nuclear facility.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
NATURE RESEARCH Springer Nature, 2021. Vol. 12, no 1, article id 823
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Environmental Sciences
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URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-437895DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21059-wISI: 000617499600025PubMedID: 33547296OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-437895DiVA, id: diva2:1538437
Available from: 2021-03-19 Created: 2021-03-19 Last updated: 2024-01-15Bibliographically approved

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Possnert, Göran

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