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Solubility of airborne radioactive fuel particles from the Chernobyl reactor and implication to dose

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Abstract

Airborne particles of nuclear fuel from the Chernobyl reactor that had been collected on air filters and stored, were characterised using in vitro dissolution tests to assess effective doses after their inhalation. As solvent, the Gamble biological fluid was used to simulate lung fluid. The solubility of the measured radionuclides decreased in the order 137Cs>90Sr>>241Am≥239+240Pu in the simulated lung fluid. The dissolution rate constant of e.g. 239+249Pu ranged from 0.72 to 5.4×10−6 g·cm−2 d−1 and decreased (for all nuclides) with increasing particle size as predicted from theoretical considerations. Considering the inhalation dose, decreasing dose with size and increasing doses with lower solubility may partly counterbalance each other for 137Cs and 90Sr. On the other hand, for 239Pu and 241Am larger particles and associated lower solubility both change the resulting dose in the same direction towards lower values. The comparison of the experimentally determined dose coefficients with ICRP values indicates that nuclear fuel particles closely resemble type M material characteristics for 137Cs and 90Sr and type S material characteristics for 239Pu and 241Am.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the Bundesminister für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit under contract StSch 4232. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agroecology and Biotechnology, Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kyiv 03143, Ukraine

    E. K. Garger, A. D. Sazhenyuk & A. A. Odintzov

  2. Institute of Radiation Protection, GSF—National Research Center for Environment and Health, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    H. G. Paretzke, P. Roth & J. Tschiersch

Authors
  1. E. K. Garger
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  2. A. D. Sazhenyuk
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  3. A. A. Odintzov
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  4. H. G. Paretzke
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  5. P. Roth
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  6. J. Tschiersch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Tschiersch.

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Garger, E.K., Sazhenyuk, A.D., Odintzov, A.A. et al. Solubility of airborne radioactive fuel particles from the Chernobyl reactor and implication to dose. Radiat Environ Biophys 43, 43–49 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-004-0226-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-004-0226-y

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