title: Empirical calibration of uranium releases in the terrestrial environment of nuclear fuel cycle facilities.
abstract: In the present paper the activity of uranium isotopes measured in plants and aerosols taken downwind of the releases of three nuclear fuel settlements was compared between them and with the activity measured at remote sites. An enhancement of238U activity as well as235U/238U anomalies and236U are noticeable in wheat, grass, tree leaves and aerosols taken at the edge of nuclear fuel settlements, which show the influence of uranium chronic releases. Further plants taken at the edge of the studied sites and a few published data acquired in the same experimental conditions show that the238U activity in plants is influenced by the intensity of the U atmospheric releases. Assuming that238U in plant is proportional to the intensity of the releases, we proposed empirical relationships which allow to characterize the chronic releases on the ground. Other sources of U contamination in plants such as accidental releases and "delayed source" of uranium in soil are also discussed in the light of uranium isotopes signatures.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France. Electronic address: laurent.pourcelot@irsn.fr.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pourcelot
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, CEN Cadarache BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saey
authors.affiliation: Agence Nationale pour la gestion des Déchets Radioactifs ANDRA, CMHM Ecothèque Route départementale 960 BP9, 55290 Bure, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Conil
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, Bat 501 Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Béatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boulet
authors.affiliation: Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire IRSN, Bat 501 Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cariou
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D014501:Uranium
keywords: Aerosols; Nuclear fuel facilities; Plants; Uranium