title: Environmental consequences of uranium atmospheric releases from fuel cycle facility: II. The atmospheric deposition of uranium and thorium on plants.
abstract: Uranium and thorium isotopes were measured in cypress leaves, wheat grains and lettuce taken in the surroundings of the uranium conversion facility of Malvési (South of France). The comparison of activity levels and activity ratios (namely (238)U/(232)Th and (230)Th/(232)Th) in plants with those in aerosols taken at this site and plants taken far from it shows that aerosols emitted by the nuclear site (uranium releases in the atmosphere by stacks and (230)Th-rich particles emitted from artificial ponds collecting radioactive waste mud) accounts for the high activities recorded in the plant samples close to the site. The atmospheric deposition process onto the plants appears to be the dominant process in plant contamination. Dry deposition velocities of airborne uranium and thorium were measured as 4.6 × 10(-3) and 5.0 × 10(-3) m s(-1), respectively.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France. Electronic address: laurent.pourcelot@irsn.fr.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pourcelot
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cagnat
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boulet
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cariou
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN/PRP-ENV, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Vismes-Ott
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D029780:Chamaecyparis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005602:France; D018545:Lactuca / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014908:Triticum / Q000378:metabolism*; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D014501:Uranium; D013910:Thorium
keywords: Aerosols; Plants; Uranium