Stable isotope analysis in environmental impact assessment of radioactivity releases from nuclear power plants

Abstract

The potential use of stable fission products from the decay of radioactive contaminants in recreating the impact assessment of radioactivity releases from nuclear power stations is examined. With the advances in mass spectrometry, Minimum Detectable Limits (MDLs) comparable to radioactive measurements have been achieved in the case of stable isotopes as well. The applications of stable fission products in safeguards and environmental surveillance by the author are mentioned. The limited application of stable fission products in the analysis of Fukushima environmental samples is reviewed. The article examines the possible candidates for such analysis and points out the enormous possibilities. This is a neglected field in environmental impact assessment till now and calls for standardizing measurement procedures and analysis methodologies. The stable fission product signatures can also be used to study the uptake and transport of radionuclides in the environment.

Keywords

• environmental radioactivity impact assessment
• fission products
• nuclear power plants
• radioactive contaminants
• stable fission products