title: Preliminary evaluation of (135)Cs/(137)Cs as a forensic tool for identifying source of radioactive contamination.
abstract: Ratios of the fission products (135)Cs and (137)Cs were determined in soil and sediment samples contaminated from three different sources, to assess the use of (135)Cs/(137)Cs as an indicator of source of radioactive contamination. Soil samples from the Chernobyl exclusion zone were found to have to be heavily depleted in (135)Cs ((135)Cs/(137)Cs approximately 0.45), indicative of a high thermal neutron flux at the source. Sludge samples from a nuclear waste treatment pond were found to have a (135)Cs/(137)Cs ratio of approximately 1, whereas sediment collected downstream from a nuclear reactor was highly variable in both (137)Cs activity and (135)Cs/(137)Cs ratio. Comparison of these preliminary results of variability in radiocaesium isotope ratios with reports of Pu isotope ratios suggests (135)Cs/(137)Cs similarly varies with fuel and reactor conditions, and may be used to corroborate other methods of characterizing radioactive contamination.
authors.affiliation: Trace Element Core, Dartmouth College, 6105 Fairchild, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. vivien.f.taylor@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: V F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cornett
mesh_terms: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants