Speaker
Description
As part of the laboratory-based environmental monitoring, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety regularly determine the content of radioactivity in various media. In accordance with this official environmental monitoring program, the following media are analysed: air, precipitation, surface water, sewage sludge, wastewater from sewage treatment plants, soil, vegetation, animal feed and fertilisers. High resolution gamma spectrometry is used for most determinations, while radionuclides requiring radiochemical separation – specifically Sr-90 and plutonium isotopes – are analysed in selected samples. Although measurements of Sr-90 and Pu isotopes in soil do not provide a direct assessment of population exposure, they are essential for establishing reliable baseline levels. These baseline data are critical for the detection and evaluation of additional contamination in the event of a radiological release in the future. Many of Austria's neighbouring countries operate nuclear power plants. In Austria detailed emergency plans, a catalogue of measures, and a sampling plan have been developed and continuously updated since the Chernobyl accident (absorbing also experiences from Fukushima in 2011). The emergency plans at the federal and state levels also include the determination of Sr-isotopes and Pu-isotopes.
Strontium and Plutonium are separated using the Sr®Resin by Triskem International. Plutonium is measured by alpha spectrometry and Sr-90 is measured by Liquid Scintillation Counting.
In this presentation we will present activity concentration data from various environmental settings, including forest ecosystems, undisturbed grassland sites and alpine regions. Furthermore, the results of soil profile measurements will be presented. Understanding local and regional variability is essential for accurate data interpretation and for establishing robust baseline values.
These measurements were funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management.