Weapons Testing Research Articles

The surprising artificial radioactivity of glaciers

Glaciers accumulate significant amounts of fallout radionuclides from nuclear accidents and weapons testing – sometimes in the highest radioactive concentrations ever found outside of nuclear exclusion zones and test sites. Michael Allen digs into the depths of this unexpected issue and the associated risks as glaciers melt.

Political Fallout: Nuclear Weapons Testing and the Making of a Global Environmental Crisis by Toshihiro Higuchi (review)

Political Fallout: Nuclear Weapons Testing and the Making of a Global Environmental Crisis by Toshihiro Higuchi (review)

Reconstruction of the Sources and Their Contributions to 129I in Northern Xinjiang, China.

Anthropogenic 129I, as a long-lived fission product and volatile radionuclide, can be used to investigate dispersion of air masses and the deposition of atmospheric pollution. Surface soil and soil core samples were collected from Northern Xinjiang and analyzed for 127I and 129I. The results show that 129I/127I atomic ratios in surface soil are inhomogeneous with a range of (2.07-106) × 10-9, and the maximum values in each soil core occurred at surface-subsurface layers (0-15 cm) at undisturbed sites. The dominant source of 129I in Northern Xinjiang is European nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (NFRP) releases, accounting for at least 70% of the total inventory; less than 20% of 129I originates from the global fallout of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests; less than 10% comes from the regional deposition of nuclear weapons tests at the Semipalatinsk site; and the regional deposition from the nuclear weapons tests at the Lop Nor site is insignificant. The European NFRP-derived 129I was transported to Northern Xinjiang via long-distance atmospheric dispersion with the westerlies through Northern Eurasia. The distribution of 129I in the surface soil in Northern Xinjiang is mainly controlled by topography, wind fields, land utilization, and vegetation coverage.

Perils, promises and perspectives: nuclear weapons, atomic energy and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in the early Cold War

ABSTRACT In the 1950s and 1960s, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) protested nuclear weapons testing, called for nuclear and conventional disarmament, and simultaneously embraced the promises of atomic energy. The ICFTU also, particularly through its atomic energy committee, pressed the United Nations (UN), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for stronger worker protections and union input at atomic energy sites. Such efforts revealed how a non-governmental organization (NGO) attempted to shape international narratives and standards regarding nuclear weapons and atomic energy, revealing a complex approach to the use of the atom.

Global variability and controls on the accumulation of fallout radionuclides in cryoconite

The accumulation of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) from nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents has been evaluated for over half a century in natural environments; however, until recently their distribution and abundance within glaciers have been poorly understood. Following a series of individual studies of FRNs, specifically 137Cs, 241Am and 210Pb, deposited on the surface of glaciers, we now understand that cryoconite, a material commonly found in the supraglacial environment, is a highly efficient accumulator of FRNs, both artificial and natural. However, the variability of FRN activity concentrations in cryoconite across the global cryosphere has never been assessed. This study thus aims to both synthesize current knowledge on FRNs in cryoconite and assess the controls on variability of activity concentrations. We present a global database of new and previously published data based on gamma spectrometry of cryoconite and proglacial sediments, and assess the extent to which a suite of environmental and physical factors can explain spatial variability in FRN activity concentrations in cryoconite. We show that FRNs are not only found in cryoconite on glaciers within close proximity to specific sources of radioactivity, but across the global cryosphere, and at activity concentrations up to three orders of magnitude higher than those found in soils and sediments in the surrounding environment. We also show that the organic content of cryoconite exerts a strong control on accumulation of FRNs, and that activity concentrations in cryoconite are some of the highest ever described in environmental matrices outside of nuclear exclusion zones, occasionally in excess of 10,000 Bq kg−1. These findings highlight a need for significant improvements in the understanding of the fate of legacy contaminants within glaciated catchments. Future interdisciplinary research is required on the mechanisms governing their accumulation, storage, and mobility, and their potential to create time-dependent impacts on downstream water quality and ecosystem sustainability.

Monitoring of tritium in surface waters in PC, Nuclear facilities of Serbia

The isotope of hydrogen, tritium, is a radioactive isotope, in most cases it is found bonded to molecules that replace hydrogen. It can be found in nature as a product interactions of cosmic radiation with air or atmospheric molecules nitrogen, such tritium is natural. There is also anthropogenic tritium that contributes increased levels of natural tritium. Artificially produced tritium is produced in testing of nuclear weapons, in the operation of nuclear power plants and processing nuclear fuel. This paper will describe the methods of tritium detection liquid scintillation detector Quantulus 1220 by direct method in duration of 300 minutes at the Department of Nuclear Physics. Surface water samples with tritium was taken from the location of PC Nuclear facilities of Serbia from the Mlaka stream. The monitoring recorded an increase in tritium content at two locations, which indicates failures of nuclear waste storage.

Addressing the atomic bomb damage: Associations between ‘state compensation’ demands and aspects of survivors' suffering

AbstractTo address the long‐lasting consequences of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 1994, the Japanese government implemented the current in‐force Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Law. This substantial policy offers medical, health and welfare measures and even incorporates some reparations‐like aspects. Nevertheless, atomic bomb survivors' organisations have severely criticised the government for failing to adequately address the entirety and inhumanity of the atomic bomb damage by refusing to enact the law on a clearly stated principle of ‘state compensation’. As such, we attempt to clarify empirically what aspects of survivors' suffering are most closely associated with their demands for ‘state compensation’. Based on statistical model‐based analysis, survivors who deem that ‘state compensation’ should be enacted experience frequent flashbacks of the bombings, disadvantaged life opportunities and economic concerns, among others. We conclude the study by considering the difficulty in addressing the consequences of nuclear weapons use and testing through programmes that approximate, but fail to establish, clear reparations‐based measures, such as the current Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Law.

Statistical modeling of trends in infant mortality after atmospheric nuclear weapons testing.

The global fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s caused by far the greatest exposure of mankind to ionizing radiation. Surprisingly few epidemiological studies of the possible health effects of atmospheric testing have been conducted. Here, long-term trends in infant mortality rates in the United States (U.S.) and five major European countries (EU5) were examined: The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Bell-shaped deviations from a uniformly decreasing secular trend were found beginning in 1950, with maxima around 1965 in the U.S. and 1970 in EU5. From the difference between observed and predicted infant mortality rates, in the period 1950-2000, the overall increase in infant mortality rates was estimated to be 20.6 (90% CI: 18.6 to 22.9) percent in the U.S. and 14.2 (90% CI: 11.7 to 18.3) percent in EU5 which translates to 568,624 (90% CI: 522,359 to 619,705) excess infant deaths in the U.S. and 559,370 (90% CI: 469,308 to 694,589) in the combined five European countries. The results should be interpreted with caution because they rely on the assumption of a uniformly decreasing secular trend if there had been no nuclear tests, but this cannot be verified. It is concluded that atmospheric nuclear weapons testing may be responsible for the deaths of several million babies in the Northern Hemisphere.

129I in the SE-Dome ice core, Greenland: A new candidate golden spike for the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch that will mark the time when humans have irreversibly affected the Earth. One of the primary requirements to formally establish this is a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point or “golden spike” – a record of a planetary signal marking the new epoch's beginning. The leading candidates for the Anthropocene's golden spike are the fallout peaks of 14C (T1/2 = 5730 y) and 239Pu (T1/2 = 24,110 y) from nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s. However, these radionuclides' half-lives may not be long enough for their signals to be observable in the far future and are, thus, not durable. In this regard, here we show the 129I time series record (1957–2007) of the SE-Dome ice core, Greenland. We find that 129I in SE-Dome records almost the entire history of the nuclear age in excellent detail at a time resolution of about four months. More specifically, 129I in SE-Dome reflects signals from nuclear weapons testing in 1958, 1961, and 1962, the Chernobyl Accident in 1986, and various signals from nuclear fuel reprocessing within the same year or a year after. The quantitative relationships between 129I in SE-Dome and these human nuclear activities were established using a numerical model. Similar signals are observed in other records from various environments worldwide, such as sediments, tree rings, and corals. This global ubiquity and synchronicity are comparable to those of the 14C and 239Pu bomb signals, but the much longer half-life of 129I (T1/2 = 15.7 My) makes it a more durable golden spike. For these reasons, the 129I record of the SE-Dome ice core can be considered an excellent candidate for the Anthropocene golden spike.

Progress of the Analytical Methods and Application of Plutonium Isotopes in the Environment

Since the beginning of the use of nuclear energy in the twentieth century, atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, nuclear accidents, and spent fuel reprocessing have released large amounts of radioisotopes into the environment, especially plutonium isotopes. As an important anthropogenic radionuclide, plutonium is mainly produced by neutron irradiation of uranium. Plutonium isotopes and their ratios from different sources have a specific ‘fingerprint’, which is determined by irradiation time and intensity. Accordingly, several methods have been developed for the analysis of plutonium isotopes. As a popular new tracer in recent years, plutonium isotopes could be used for environmental tracer applications and source identification of regional environmental contamination sources. This paper summarizes and compares the pretreatment of plutonium isotopes in various samples and the detection and analysis methods in recent years. Plutonium isotopes in various environmental samples were enriched by chemical treatments, such as ashing, acid digestion, and alkali fusion. Then it was purified and separated by extraction resins to remove interfering nuclides for the subsequent mass spectrometry. The practical applications of plutonium isotopes and their related ratios in the environment are summarized, such as the determination of plutonium isotopes and their related ratios in the environment near two representative nuclear power plant accidents and the monitoring of the safe operation of nuclear power plants; the establishment of a plutonium isotope database in the vicinity of Chinese waters; and the traceability of plutonium isotopes in environmental regions through the global atmosphere and sand and dust. Finally, the outlook for subsequent research in plutonium isotope detection and applications is presented.

Underground Nuclear Testing: The Leading Cause of Global Warming

This paper aims to document a scientific linkage between the underground testing of nuclear weapons and global warming using methods in Statistical Process Control. An empirical analysis of CO2 and fossil fuel data post-1945 suggests that global warming is not clearly attributable to greenhouse gas emissions alone. Our data indicates beyond statistical doubt a direct linkage between the rise in CO2 levels and underground bomb testing; rendering adverse consequences like global warming, radioactive contamination of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and major disruptions to temperature patterns around the world. The derivative carbon footprint of underground nuclear testing is colossal and can bring about devastating human-induced climate changes which are not just massive but potentially irreversible.

Using autoclave digestion to extract technogenic radionuclides from soil cover of Semipalatinsk test site

Tests of nuclear weapons, various radiation accidents have led to a significant contamination of the natural environment with technogenic radionuclides and an increase in the radiation load on humans and biota. The soil cover is a kind of depot that accumulates technogenic radionuclides, from where they can enter the body of animals and humans in various ways. The migratory abilities of radionuclides and their inclusion in biological chains are determined by the properties of the radionuclides themselves, the properties of the soil, as well as the mechanism of formation of radioactive contamination. A large number of nuclear tests and experiments of various types and capacities carried out at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) led to the formation of various radioactive contaminated sites that differ from each other in nature, levels and isotopic composition. One of the most studied, from the point of view of studying the forms of presence, the solubility of radioactive particles, is the territory of the ‘Experimental Field’ testing ground, where ground and air tests were carried out. The specifics of the experiments, namely the interaction of the soil with the high-temperature explosion zone, led to the formation of slag surfaces and vitrified particles containing technogenic radionuclides, including 239+240Pu and 90Sr isotopes.Information on the presence of such sparingly soluble forms of radionuclides on the territory of other testing grounds of STS is extremely scarce. The resistance of radioactive particles to leaching by mineral acids can lead to an underestimation of the content in the soil cover of hazardous radionuclides, including 239+240Pu and 90Sr. Ultimately, this will lead to an underestimation of the radiation hazard for the population engaged in economic activities on the territory of the landfill (grazing, haymaking and mining) or living outside it.Chemical preparation of analyzed samples is one of the most time-consuming and critical stages, which limits the performance of the entire analysis as a whole, since even the highest performance measuring instruments cannot be realized with a lot of time spent on this procedure. Decomposition of samples in autoclaves is one of the alternative methods of sample preparation, but practically devoid of the disadvantages inherent in decomposition in open systems. The advantage of using autoclaves over decomposition in open systems is that the decomposition occurs in a closed volume of the reaction chamber at elevated pressure, which increases the boiling point of liquids and, accordingly, accelerates the decomposition of particles. Thus, sample digestion occurs in a shorter time, with fewer reagents and minimal analyte loss. The last factor, along with the completeness of the decomposition, is the main indicator that affects the quality of the analysis.In this paper, we consider the method of autoclave decomposition in the determination of technogenic radionuclides in soils of STS.

Identification of the origin of radiocesium released into the environment in areas remote from nuclear accident and military test sites using the 135Cs/137Cs isotopic signature

The isotopic signature of radionuclides provides a powerful tool for discriminating radioactive contamination sources and estimating their respective contributions in the environment. In this context, the 135Cs/137Cs ratio has been tested as a very promising isotopic ratio that had not been explored yet in many countries around the world including France. To quantify the levels of radioactivity found in the environment, a new method combining a thorough radiochemical treatment of the sample and an efficient measurement by ICP-MS/MS has been recently developed. This method was successfully applied, for the first time, to soil and sediment samples collected in France in two mountainous regions preferentially impacted either by global fallout from nuclear weapons testing (i.e., the Pyrenees) or by the Chernobyl accident (i.e., the Southern Alps). The 135Cs/137Cs ratios measured on twenty-one samples ranged from 0.66 ± 0.04 and 4.29 ± 0.21 (decay-corrected to January 1st, 2022) corresponding to the characteristic signatures of the fallout from Chernobyl and global fallout associated with the nuclear weapons testing, respectively. Moreover, large variations of both the 137Cs mass activity and the studied isotopic ratio recorded by most samples from the southern Alps suggest varying proportions of these two 137Cs sources. For these samples, the contribution of each source was estimated using this new tracer (135Cs/137Cs) and compared with the mixing contribution given by activity ratio: 239+240Pu/137Cs. This work has successfully demonstrated the applicability of the 135Cs/137Cs isotopic signature to nuclear forensic studies and could be extended to better evaluate the environmental impact of nuclear facilities (i.e., NPP, waste reprocessing).

JUSTIFICATION OF THE DRAFT GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE VIDEO REGISTRATION SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE MOVEMENT OF TEST OBJECTS

The article offers recommendations for the project of General requirements for the video registration system for determining the movement of weapons and military equipment test facilities.
 The analysis of scientific and technical literature and other open sources of information allows us to draw the following conclusion that in the developed countries of the world active scientific work is constantly being conducted to find new technologies, methods, methods and means to improve the quality of testing. Many different scientific studies are related to the need for video recording of test processes (high-speed, thermal, and others). Therefore, during the tests, a variety of video equipment is used, which differs in the principle of operation and technical characteristics. In today's conditions, video surveillance is implemented at all stages of testing weapons and military equipment. The capabilities and technical characteristics of existing modern video equipment require careful study.
 Based on the analysis and study of video recording capabilities, recommendations were developed for the project of General requirements for the video recording system for determining the movement of weapons and military equipment test objects during the testing of weapons and military equipment delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The 239Pu nuclear fallout as recorded in an Antarctic ice core drilled at Dome C (East Antarctica)

Starting from 1952 C.E. more than 540 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests (NWT) were conducted in different locations of the Earth. This lead to the injection of about 2.8 t of 239Pu in the environment, roughly corresponding to a total 239Pu radioactivity of 6.5 PBq. A semiquantitative ICP-MS method was used to measure this isotope in an ice core drilled in Dome C (East Antarctica). The age scale for the ice core studied in this work was built by searching for well-known volcanic signatures and synchronising these sulfate spikes with established ice core chronologies. The reconstructed plutonium deposition history was compared with previously published NWT records, pointing out an overall agreement. The geographical location of the tests was found to be an important parameter strongly affecting the concentration of 239Pu on the Antarctic ice sheet. Despite the low yield of the tests conducted in the 1970s, we highlight their important role in the deposition of radioactivity in Antarctica due to the relative closeness of the testing sites.

An Investigation into How India’s Foreign Policy is Beneficial for Our Country

It would seem that Asia is experiencing a shift in the balance of power as a direct result of the fast rise of China and the relative weakening of the influence of the US. India has been looking for a strategy for adapting to this newly developed scenario. Since the 1990s, India has been steadily approaching the global importance ranks, notably since it started carrying out nuclear weapon tests in 1998 and continuing ahead. Since the beginning of the 21st century, India has been thought of as the nation that would come after China in its quest to achieve the rank of major power. India has a history of being secretive about its ambitions to become a great power; but, in 2015, the country announced its determination to pursue this goal. This transition is brought into light on by this article via the lens of India's policy orientation on the regional, local, and global levels as well as its importance in Indian context. The development of India has significant repercussions for the shifting of power in Asian countries.

The theory and practice in application of methods for investigation on radionuclide speciation in soils

The paper provides a comparison of the various techniques for investigation of radionuclide speciation in soils based on fractionation of radionuclides bonded with different soil components. The dates on speciation of environmentally signifшcant technogenic and natural radionuclides in soils contaminated from testing of nuclear weapons, accidents or incidents at radiation dangerous objects, mining and mineral products processing are presented. The review looks at inf uence of natural and anthropogenic factors on the forms of the radionuclide compounds like the radionuclide and soil properties, type of radioactive fallout and the time elapsed af er fallout on soil. It has been demonstrated that experimental details of radionuclide speciation provide the basis for estimates and projections their mobility in soils, availability for plants and development of recommendations on reducing their penetration into food chains.

Способ кислотного извлечения радионуклидов из увеличенных навесок почвы с использованием автоклавного разложения

The specifics of the nuclear tests carried out on the territory of the former Semipalatinsk test site (STS) led to the emergence of various sites that differ in levels of radioactive contamination and radionuclide composition. This also led to a significant difference in the solubility of radioactive particles. Traditionally, the “Experimental Field” testing ground was characterized by the presence of sparingly soluble, vitrified particles, which was determined by the features inherent in ground tests of nuclear weapons, namely, the interaction of the high-temperature explosion region with soil particles. The presence of such sparingly soluble particles in the soil cover makes it impossible to use 6–8 М HCl and 7–8 М HNO 3 solutions which are most often used radiochemical analysis to determine the content of 90Sr and 239+240Pu. This paper considers methods for the acid extraction of anthropogenic radionuclides from soils of the STS using autoclaving. The aim of the research is to develop a method for the acid extraction of anthropogenic radionuclides from enlarged soil samples using autoclave decomposition. A blank soil sample was used to determine the optimal autoclave decomposition parameters; to test the acid extraction method, a soil sample was taken from the territory of the “experimental field” testing ground. The radionuclide 137Cs has been used as the most optimal indicator of acid extraction due to its strong fixation on clay and mineral soil particles and ease of detection by the gamma radiation. Autoclave decomposition has been carried out by dissolving the studied samples in a mixture of mineral acids (HCl, HNO3, HF, H2SO4). The specific activity of radionuclide has been determined on a BE3830 gamma spectrometer with a high-purity germanium detector (Canberra, USA), the amount of undecomposed soil residue has been determined gravimetrically (PA214C analytical balance, Ohaus, USA). The data obtained indicate that the most complete extraction of 137Cs occurs when using concentrated HF solutions (individually or in a mixture with other mineral acids). The degree of extraction of 137Cs varied from 85 to 100%. The worst results have been shown by the use of a mixture of acids 3HCl:HNO 3. In this case the degree of extraction of 137Cs did not exceed 20%. The efficiency of decomposition of soil samples weighing 10 g with a concentrated solution of HF at a temperature of 120 to 160 ºC was ≥95%.

Contemporary oceanic radiocarbon response to ocean circulation changes

Radiocarbon (14C) is a valuable tracer of ocean circulation, owing to its natural decay over thousands of years and to its perturbation by nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s. Previous studies have used 14C to evaluate models or to investigate past climate change. However, the relationship between ocean 14C and ocean circulation changes over the past few decades has not been explored. Here we use an Ocean-Sea-ice model (NEMO) forced with transient or fixed atmospheric reanalysis (JRA-55-do) and atmospheric 14C and CO2 boundary conditions to investigate the effect of ocean circulation trends and variability on 14C. We find that 14C/C (∆14C) variability is generally anti-correlated with potential density variability. The areas where the largest variability occurs varies by depth: in upwelling regions at the surface, at the edges of the subtropical gyres at 300 m depth, and in Antarctic Intermediate Water and North Atlantic Deep Water at 1000 m depth. We find that trends in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation may influence trends in ∆14C in the North Atlantic. In the high-variability regions the simulated variations are larger than typical ocean ∆14C measurement uncertainty of 2–5‰ suggesting that ∆14C data could provide a useful tracer of circulation changes.

Reconstructing the chronology of the natural and anthropogenic uranium isotopic signals in a marine sediment core from Beppu Bay, Japan

The long-lived U isotopes, 233U and 236U, have been used increasingly in recent years as marine circulation tracers and for identifying sources of uranium contamination in the environment. The sedimentation histories of these two U isotopes in combination with natural 238U were reconstructed for an anoxic sediment core collected from Beppu Bay, Japan, in the western North Pacific Ocean showing good time resolution (less than 2.6 y/sample). The 233U/236U atom ratio showed a prominent peak of (3.20 ± 0.30) × 10−2 around 1957 which can be attributed to the input from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests including thermonuclear tests conducting in the Equatorial Pacific. The integrated 233U/236U ratio of (1.64 ± 0.08) × 10−2 for the sediment was found to be in relatively good agreement with the representative ratio published for global fallout (∼1.4 × 10−2). A prominent increase in the authigenic ratio of 233U/238Ua,s in the leached fraction (1.39 ± 0.11 × 10−11) and the bulk digestion (1.36 ± 0.10 × 10−11) was also observed around 1957. This reflects the input supply of 233U to the seawater which is known to have a relatively constant 238U content. The authigenic 236U/238Ua,s ratio (0.18 ± 0.02 × 10−9) obtained for 1921 increased from the early 1950's to a maximum of (6.59 ± 0.60) × 10−9 around 1962. The variation in this ratio represents well the introduction history of U into the surface environment without site-specific U contamination and the time profile is also consistent with the 137Cs signature. This work thus provides a benchmark for the long-term use of the isotopic U composition as an input parameter for seawater circulation tracers and as a chronological marker for anoxic sediments and sedimentary rocks. Especially the 233U/236U ratio may serve as a key-marker for the new geological age Anthropocene.