Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Measurements of plutonium, 237Np, and 137Cs in the BCR 482 lichen reference material

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Select anthropogenic radionuclides were measured in lichen reference material, BCR 482. This material was originally collected in Axalp, Switzerland in 1991 and is composed of the epiphytic lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea. Samples from three separate bottles of BCR 482 were analyzed for uranium, neptunium, and plutonium isotopes by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and analyzed for 137Cs by gamma-ray spectrometry. The isotopic composition of the radionuclides measured in BCR 482 suggests contributions from both global fallout resulting from historical nuclear weapons testing and more volatile materials released following the Chernobyl accident.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Conti ME, Cecchetti G (2001) Biological monitoring: lichens as bioindicators of air pollution assessment—a review. Environ Pollut 114(3):471–492. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(00)00224-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Richardson DHS, Nieboer E (1981) Lichens and pollution monitoring. Endeavour 5(3):127–133. doi:10.1016/0160-9327(81)90045-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Holleman DF, Luick JR, Whicker FW (1971) Transfer of Radiocesium from Lichen to Reindeer. Health Phys 21(5):657–666

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Taylor HW, Hutchison EA, McInnes KL, Svoboda J (1979) Cosmos 954: search for airborne radioactivity on Lichens in the Crash Area, Northwest Territories, Canada. Science 205(4413):1383–1385. doi:10.1126/science.205.4413.1383

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Holm E, Persson BRR (1978) Global fallout of curium. Nature 273(5660):289–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Paatero J, Jaakkola T, Kulmala S (1998) Lichen (sp. Cladonia) as a deposition indicator for transuranium elements investigated with the Chernobyl fallout. J Environ Radioact 38(2):223–247. doi:10.1016/S0265-931X(97)00024-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Holm E, Rioseco J, Pettersson H (1992) Fallout of transuranium elements following the Chernobyl accident. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 156(1):183–200. doi:10.1007/BF02037433

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lindahl P, Roos P, Eriksson M, Holm E (2004) Distribution of Np and Pu in Swedish lichen samples (Cladonia stellaris) contaminated by atmospheric fallout. J Environ Radioact 73(1):73–85. doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2003.08.003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Heinrich G, Oswald K, Müller HJ (1999) Lichens as monitors of radiocesium and radiostrontium in Austria. J Environ Radioact 45(1):13–27. doi:10.1016/S0265-931X(98)00069-1

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kirchner G, Daillant O (2002) The potential of lichens as long-term biomonitors of natural and artificial radionuclides. Environ Pollut 120(1):145–150. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00139-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Di Lella LA, Frati L, Loppi S, Protano G, Riccobono F (2004) Environmental distribution of uranium and other trace elements at selected Kosovo sites. Chemosphere 56(9):861–865. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.04.036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Loppi S, Riccobono F, Zhang ZH, Savic S, Ivanov D, Pirintsos SA (2003) Lichens as biomonitors of uranium in the Balkan area. Environ Pollut 125(2):277–280. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(03)00057-5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Loppi S, Di Lella LA, Frati L, Protano G, Pirintsos SA, Riccobono F (2004) Lichens as biomonitors of depleted uranium in Kosovo. J Atmos Chem 49(1–3):437–445. doi:10.1007/s10874-004-1258-z

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Rosamilia S, Gaudino S, Sansone U, Belli M, Jeran Z, Ruisi S, Zucconi L (2004) Uranium isotopes, metals and other elements in Lichens and Tree Barks collected in Bosnia-Herzegovina. J Atmos Chem 49(1–3):447–460. doi:10.1007/s10874-004-1259-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Tortorello R, Widom E, Renwick WH (2013) Use of uranium isotopes as a temporal and spatial tracer of nuclear contamination in the environment. J Environ Radioact 124:287–300. doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2013.06.007

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Quevauviller P, Herzig R, Muntau H (1996) The certification of the contents (mass fractions) of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in Lichen. European Commision Bureau of Reference (BCR), Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  17. Quevauviller P, Herzig R, Muntau H (1996) Certified reference material of lichen (CRM 482) for the quality control of trace element biomonitoring. Sci Total Environ 187(2):143–152. doi:10.1016/0048-9697(96)05139-X

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Matteson BS, Hanson SK, Miller JL, Oldham WJ (2015) Concurrent determination of 237Np and Pu isotopes using ICP-MS: analysis of NIST environmental matrix standard reference materials 4357, 1646a, and 2702. J Environ Radioact 142:62–67

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Horwitz EP, Dietz ML, Chiarizia R, Diamond H, Essling AM, Graczyk D (1992) Separation and preconcentration of uranium from acidic media by extraction chromatography. Anal Chim Acta 266(1):25–37. doi:10.1016/0003-2670(92)85276-C

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Uranium in Soil (ACS07) Eichrom Technologies, Inc. Analytical Procedures. http://www.eichrom.com. Accessed 8 Sept 2015

  21. Vanhaecke F, de Wannemacker G, Moens L, Dams R, Latkoczy C, Prohaska T, Stingeder G (1998) Dependence of detector dead time on analyte mass number in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. J Anal At Spectrom 13(6):567–571. doi:10.1039/A709001C

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kim CS, Kim CK, Lee KJ (2004) Simultaneous analysis of 237Np and Pu isotopes in environmental samples by ICP-SF-MS coupled with automated sequential injection system. J Anal At Spectrom 19(6):743–750. doi:10.1039/B400034J

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Kelley JM, Bond LA, Beasley TM (1999) Global distribution of Pu isotopes and 237Np. Sci Total Environ 237–238:483–500. doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(99)00160-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. UNSCEAR (2000) United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation 2000 Report to the General Assembly, vol 2. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  25. UNSCEAR (2000) United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation 2000 Report to the General Assembly, vol 1. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  26. Chawla F, Steinmann P, Pfeifer H-R, Froidevaux P (2010) Atmospheric deposition and migration of artificial radionuclides in Alpine soils (Val Piora, Switzerland) compared to the distribution of selected major and trace elements. Sci Total Environ 408(16):3292–3302. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.03.012

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Los Alamos National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396. We thank the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program for financial support (Project Number: 20120459ER). KBL is grateful to the Department of Homeland Security for financial assistance as a Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellow. Authors KBL, WBC, HBS, and SEG were supported by the US Department of Homeland Security under grant award number 2012-DN-130-NF001. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the US Department of Homeland Security.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210172, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0172, USA

    Kevin B. Lavelle & William B. Connick

  2. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mailstop J514, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Jeffrey L. Miller, Susan K. Hanson & Warren J. Oldham Jr.

  3. Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210072, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0072, USA

    Henry B. Spitz & Samuel E. Glover

Authors
  1. Kevin B. Lavelle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeffrey L. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Susan K. Hanson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. William B. Connick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Henry B. Spitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Samuel E. Glover
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Warren J. Oldham Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Warren J. Oldham Jr..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lavelle, K.B., Miller, J.L., Hanson, S.K. et al. Measurements of plutonium, 237Np, and 137Cs in the BCR 482 lichen reference material. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307, 2085–2090 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4497-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4497-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation