18–23 Apr 2010
Casino Conference Centre
UTC timezone

Polonium (<sup>210</sup>Po), uranium (<sup>234</sup>U, <sup>238</sup>U) and plutonium (<sup>238</sup>Pu, <sup>239+240</sup>Pu) in the biggest Polish rivers

20 Apr 2010, 03:50
20m
Mirror Hall (Casino Conference Centre)

Mirror Hall

Casino Conference Centre

Reitenbergerova 4/95, Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic
Verbal Radionuclides in the Environment, Radioecology Radionuclides in the Environment, Radioecology 1

Speaker

Dr Dagmara Strumińska-Parulska (University of Gdańsk)

Description

Radionuclides existing in the environment, both natural and artificial, are accumulated in plants and animals and transferred through the trophic chain. They are also transported with river from their catchments’ areas. The activities of polonium 210Po, uranium (234U, 238U) and plutonium (238Pu, 239+240Pu) were measured in the biggest Polish rivers with tributaries – the Vistula and the Oder – and 3 small Pomeranian rivers. The Vistula unfiltered water samples were collected from November 2002 to November 2003, the Oder and the Pomeranian samples were collected from October 2003 to July 2004 and all were measured using the α spectrometer. The highest quantity of 210Po was transported from the Vistula catchments area to the Baltic Sea in spring and the lowest in summer, while the Oder carries the highest amounts during spring time. Annually the southern Baltic Sea is enriched in 94.5 GBq of 210Po (73.7 GBq from the Vistula, 14.8 GBq from the Oder and 6.0 GBq from the Pomeranian rivers). In the study, the highest activities of uranium 234U and 238U in the Vistula River samples was observed in spring, the lowest in summer. The activity of uranium in the Oder was different in all analyzed seasons, the lowest however in summer. In all analyzed river samples uranium isotopes 234U and 238U are not in the radioactive equilibrium state and the values of 234U/238U activity ratio lie between 1.03-1.84. Annually the southern Baltic Sea is enriched in about 750 GBq of 234U and 238U from all analyzed rivers. According to the Vistula River the highest quantity of plutonium 238Pu and 239+240Pu were transported to Baltic See in spring and the lowest in summer. The highest activities of plutonium 238Pu and 239+240Pu in the Oder River samples was observed in winter, the lowest in summer. Annually the Vistula River, the Oder River and the Pomeranian rivers enrich the Baltic Sea in 22.2 MBq 238Pu and 137.6 239+240Pu. The authors would like to thank to the Ministry of Sciences and Informatics for the financial support under grant DS/8460-4-0176-10.

Primary author

Dr Dagmara Strumińska-Parulska (University of Gdańsk)

Co-authors

Mrs Agnieszka Tuszkowska (University of Gdańsk) Dr Alicja Boryło (University of Gdańsk) Dr Anna Jahnz-Bielawska (University of Gdańsk) Prof. Bogdan Skwarzec (University of Gdańsk)

Presentation materials