title: Concentrations of iodine isotopes ((129)I and (127)I) and their isotopic ratios in aerosol samples from Northern Germany.
abstract: New data about (129)I, (127)I concentrations and their isotopic ratios in aerosol samples from the trace survey station of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, Northern Germany, are presented and discussed in this paper. The investigated samples were collected on a weekly basis during the years 2011 to 2013. Iodine was extracted from aerosol filters using a strong basic solution and was separated from the matrix elements with chloroform and was analysed by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for (129)I and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for (127)I. The concentrations of (127)I and (129)I in aerosol filters ranged from 0.31 to 3.71 ng m(-3) and from 0.06 to 0.75 fg m(-3), respectively. The results of (129)I/(127)I isotopic ratios were in the order 10(-8) to 10(-7). The (129)I originated directly from gaseous emissions and indirectly from liquid emissions (via sea spray) from the reprocessing plants in Sellafield and La Hague. In comparison with the results of (131)I after the Fukushima accident, no contribution of (129)I from this accident was detectable in Central Europe due to the high background originating from the (129)I releases of the European reprocessing plants. (129)I atmospheric activity concentrations were compared with those of an anthropogenic radionuclide ((85)Kr). We did not find any correlation between (129)I and (85)Kr, both having nuclear reprocessing plant as the main source.
authors: Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: daraoui@irs.uni-hannover.de.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Daraoui
authors: Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Riebe
authors: Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection (IRS), Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Walther
authors: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, Germany.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Wershofen
authors: Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Freiburg, Germany.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Schlosser
authors: Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Vockenhuber
authors: Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: H-A
authors: HA
authors: Synal
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis*; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D004739:England; D005602:France; D005858:Germany; D007456:Iodine Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D007456:Iodine Isotopes; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes
keywords: AMS; Aerosol; Iodine-129; Krypton-85; Nuclear reprocessing plant