Plutonium in the environment--a review.

Abstract

The plutonium that will be produced in the nuclear fuel cycle is a matter of extreme importance to regulators and to members of the public concerned with the environment. At the present time there is plutonium present in the environment on a global scale from weapons testing and from a satellite failure and on a local scale from nuclear operations and from the loss of nuclear weapons. The sensitivity of plutonium measurement has allowed us to study the present environmental levels of plutonium in the atmosphere, on the ground, in the oceans and in the pathways leading to man. This information, in turn, may allow us to predict the probable distribution of this material from any future contamination. Since the present levels from even local contamination are low, it is desirable to be able to distinguish among the various sources, particularly distinguishing local sources from global fallout. When plutonium-238 is involved, alpha spectrometry can provide the contribution from this source. When the question involves the 239/240 ratio, mass spectrometry is necessary and only very high quality mass spectrometry is adequate for environmental levels of plutonium. This paper will review our present knowledge of environmental plutonium and give some examples of problems where it has been necessary to distinguish among the various plutonium isotopes.