Transuranic isotopes and 90Sr in attic dust in the vicinity of two nuclear establishments in northern Germany.
Attic dust was chosen as the test medium in order to search for traces of man-made bone seeking alpha and beta emitters. The samples were taken from 5 houses in the community of Elbmarsch situated at the river Elbe, adjacent to the Krümmel nuclear power plant and the nuclear research center of Geesthacht. Five houses in other regions of northern Germany were taken as a control. 238Pu, (239,240)Pu, 241Am, and 244Cm were measured by alpha spectrometry after chemical separation. Additionally, 241Pu was measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry, and the fission product 90Sr was measured in a separate investigation. All nuclides except 244Cm showed activities above the detection limit in the Elbmarsch samples and an elevated mean concentration compared to the control. It can be concluded from the activity ratio 241Am/(239,240)Pu that the Elbmarsch contamination cannot be accounted for by the background levels of transuranic nuclides resulting from weapons fallout. The derived release of alpha emitters is assumed to have contributed to the induction of a leukemia cluster in children, which was observed in Elbmarsch between 1990 and 1996.
University of Bremen, Department of Physics, PO Box 330440, 28209 Bremen, Germany. ingesf@uni-bremen.de
I
I
Schmitz-Feuerhake
J W
JW
Mietelski
P
P
Gaca
D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D000512:Alpha Particles; D000576:Americium / Q000032:analysis; D001610:Beta Particles; D003476:Curium / Q000032:analysis; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005858:Germany; D011005:Plutonium / Q000032:analysis; D011210:Power Plants; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D019371:Topography, Medical / Q000379:methods; D014501:Uranium
D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D004391:Dust; D011868:Radioisotopes; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes; D014501:Uranium; D011005:Plutonium; D003476:Curium; D000576:Americium