Beschreibung
Radioactive particles can be found in the environment in various regions of the world. Reactor accidents such as in Chornobyl and Fukushima have deposited microscopic particles with varying composition in the environment. Whereas in Chornobyl nuclear fuel fragments were released containing both actinides and fission products, Fukushima released glass particles containing mostly caesium isotopes. Further sources of uranium- or plutonium-containing particles include the nuclear weapons explosions, either from testing or accidental destruction, as in the Palomares incident. In this study, we took the opportunity to search for, and extract, very small (5 - 100 μm) single particles in the environment of the Chornobyl exclusion zone from three different sampling points around the reactor in 2015 and 2017. Based on sets of individual particles, we showcase the differences in the particulate inventory as it currently stands at these locations. Also, we propose a ‘best practice’ procedure for the effective extraction of these particles and preparation of single particle samples ready to analyse with destructive (e.g. leaching experiments) as well as modern and non-destructive (e.g. single-particle gamma spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, SIMS) methods.
