Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 55, FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Department of Radiation Safety and Security, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, CH-5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Jul;30(31):76769-76783. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-27795-4. Epub 2023 May 29.
Knowledge of past anthropogenic sources of radionuclide contamination in Russian Arctic areas is important to assess the radioecological situation of these less-studied regions. Therefore, we investigated the sources of radionuclide contamination in Russian Arctic in the 1990s. Lichen and moss samples were collected from 1993 to 1996 in Kola Peninsula, Franz Josef Land, and few other locations. The activity concentration of Cs was determined from the archived samples by gamma spectrometry in 2020. After radiochemical separation of Pu and U isotopes from the lichens and mosses, mass ratios Pu/Pu, U/U, U/U, and U/U were determined by mass spectrometry. Cs activity concentrations at the sampling date were found to vary from 3.1 ± 1.4 (Inari, Finnish-Russian border) to 303 ± 7 (Kola Peninsula) Bq/kg. The ranges of isotopic ratios were 0.0592 ± 0.0007 to 0.253 ± 0.082 for Pu/Pu, (4.89 ± 3.91) × 10 to (6.86 ± 0.04) × 10 for U/U, 0.0072104(21) to 0.007376(41) for U/U, and from below 1 × 10 to (2.65 ± 0.19) × 10 for U/U, respectively. Based on the measured isotopic ratios and characteristic isotopic ratios of known contamination sources, the main Pu and U sources in the sampled lichens and mosses are global fallout, the Chernobyl accident, and possibly local nuclear activities. These results contribute to further understanding of past nuclear events and resulting nuclear contamination in Russian Arctic terrestrial areas.
了解过去人为引起的放射性核素污染在俄罗斯北极地区的来源对于评估这些研究较少的地区的放射生态状况非常重要。因此，我们调查了 20 世纪 90 年代俄罗斯北极地区放射性核素污染的来源。1993 年至 1996 年期间，在科拉半岛、弗朗茨约瑟夫地群岛和其他几个地点采集了地衣和苔藓样本。2020 年，通过伽马谱仪从存档样本中测定了 Cs 的活度浓度。从地衣和苔藓中分离 Pu 和 U 同位素后，通过质谱法测定了 Pu/Pu、U/U、U/U 和 U/U 的质量比。在采样日，Cs 活度浓度从 3.1±1.4（芬兰-俄罗斯边境的因纳里）变化到 303±7（科拉半岛）Bq/kg。同位素比值的范围为 Pu/Pu 的 0.0592±0.0007 至 0.253±0.082，U/U 的 (4.89±3.91)×10 至 (6.86±0.04)×10，U/U 的 0.0072104(21) 至 0.007376(41)，U/U 的小于 1×10 至 (2.65±0.19)×10。基于所测同位素比值和已知污染来源的特征同位素比值，采样地衣和苔藓中的主要 Pu 和 U 来源是全球沉降物、切尔诺贝利事故以及可能的当地核活动。这些结果有助于进一步了解俄罗斯北极陆地地区过去的核事件和由此产生的核污染。
