Handbook of Parameter Values for the Prediction of Radionuclide Transfer in Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments


Book Description

Provides data for use in assessments of routine discharges of radionuclides to terrestrial and freshwater environments. Some of the data may also be useful for assessing the impacts of accidental releases and releases in the future.




Guidelines on Soil and Vegetation Sampling for Radiological Monitoring


Book Description

This publication addresses the sampling of soil and vegetation in terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural, forest and urban environments, contaminated with radionuclides from events such as radiation accidents, radiological incidents and former nuclear activities. It considers sampling strategies and programmes, which are relevant for both emergency and existing exposure situations. Practical advice is provided on the design and implementation of sampling programmes for soil and vegetation within the framework of environmental monitoring. Examples of best practice on the formulation of optimized sampling strategies for different exposure situations are given based on the experience and lessons learned from implementation of past and existing programmes.
















Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments


Book Description

Bioavailability refers to the extent to which humans and ecological receptors are exposed to contaminants in soil or sediment. The concept of bioavailability has recently piqued the interest of the hazardous waste industry as an important consideration in deciding how much waste to clean up. The rationale is that if contaminants in soil and sediment are not bioavailable, then more contaminant mass can be left in place without creating additional risk. A new NRC report notes that the potential for the consideration of bioavailability to influence decision-making is greatest where certain chemical, environmental, and regulatory factors align. The current use of bioavailability in risk assessment and hazardous waste cleanup regulations is demystified, and acceptable tools and models for bioavailability assessment are discussed and ranked according to seven criteria. Finally, the intimate link between bioavailability and bioremediation is explored. The report concludes with suggestions for moving bioavailability forward in the regulatory arena for both soil and sediment cleanup.




Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment III


Book Description

This book, the third in the series Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment, is dedicated to Fukushima. Major findings from research since 2011 are reviewed concerning the behavior of radionuclides released into the environment due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, including atmospheric transport and fallout of radionuclides, their fate, and transport in the soil-water environment, behavior in freshwater, coastal and marine environment, transfer in the terrestrial and agricultural environment. Volume III discusses not only radionuclides dynamics in the environment in the short- and mid-term, but also modeling and prediction of long-term time changes. Along with reviews, the book contains original data and results not published previously. It was spearheaded by the authors from the Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, established two years after the Fukushima accident, with their collaborators from Japan, Russia, and Ukraine. The knowledge emerging from the studies of the environmental behavior of Fukushima-derived radionuclides enables us to move forward in understanding mechanisms of environmental contamination and leads to better modeling and prediction of long-term pollution effects in general.




Generic Models for Use in Assessing the Impact of Discharges of Radioactive Substances to the Environment


Book Description

Describes an approach for assessing doses to members of the public as part of an environmental impact analysis of predictive radioactive discharges. This is achieved by using screening models which describe environmental processes in mathematical terms, producing a quantitative result.