WAM-B - Environmental Monitoring Woodrow Wilson B 10:00 - 11:15
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WAM-B.1
10:00 Radioecology under Arid Conditions N Semioshkina, r.e.m. GbR
; G Voigt, r.e.m. GbR; I Fiedler, r.e.m. GbR; M Hiller*, CheMin GmbH
Abstract: The behaviour of radionuclides is well investigated in regions with temperate climate, e.g., after accidents such as Chernobyl and more recently Fukushima and other releases due to e.g., nuclear weapon testing. However, limited radioecological data are available for tropical regions and especially for arid or semi-arid climates. Relevant publications are scarce; only very few laboratory experiments have been conducted to study the migration of radionuclides in soil and water, and to determine transfer of radionuclides to endemic plants and animals.
In order to investigate the influence of climate change on transfer behaviour of radionuclides, our group has established a task force to study the transfer in dry regions. To strengthen and broaden knowledge, the co-operation with the IAEA has been initiated.
The objective of this work is to create a state-of-the-art database on the behaviour of the major radionuclides in arid regions, and to identify existing gaps including studies not yet published or available in the open literature.
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WAM-B.2
10:15 Large Scale Characterization of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Oil & Gas Industry GA Asuni*, Saudi Aramco
; MI Cowie, Saudi Aramco; Ga Asuni
Abstract: Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) associated with oil and gas production can create potential radiation hazards to workers, the general public, and the environment if wastes are not managed appropriately.
NORM is generated as a byproduct of oil and gas production and comes in different forms such as scales, sludge, scrapings, black powder, and other waste media. It is accumulated in components such as wellheads, separation vessels, pumps, pipelines, and other processing equipment. For the safe and effective management of NORM-contaminated wastes, a detailed understanding of the waste constituents is required.
Large-scale characterization of the different NORM waste streams accumulated at various locations across the production process was conducted. This provides radiological and chemical properties of the NORM waste and determines any correlation between the occurrence of NORM and specific producing formations or different extraction methods. Samples from different locations and waste media types were collected and analyzed for total activity concentration and chemical composition using XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) and XRD (X-ray Diffraction) analysis. The total activity concentration obtained is all above the International Atomic Energy Agency exemption level for specific radionuclides. The oil-bearing formations were found to have the highest activity concentration. The predominant radionuclide is Ra226 a radioactive daughter of primordial natural uranium U235. The chemical composition analysis shows that the samples contain several materials and vary from one location to another. The dominating materials present in the samples are Barite-BaSO4, Calcite-CaCO3, and Dolomite-MgCa(CO3)2.
The characterization of NORM waste has provided information to allow the effective identification and management of NORM associated with our facilities' operations, and ensure the appropriate disposal. Moreover, potential non-radioactive constituents potentially hazardous to health and the environment are identified which shall facilitate acceptance criteria for NORM waste disposal.
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WAM-B.3
10:30 Fukushima and Chernobyl: similarities and differences of radiocesium behavior in the soil-water environment AV Konoplev*, Fukushima University
Abstract: In the wake of Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents radiocesium has become a radionuclide of most environmental concern. The ease with which this radionuclide moves through the
environment and is taken up by plants and animals is governed by its chemical forms and site-specific
environmental characteristics. Distinctions in climate and geomorphology, as well as Cs-137 speciation in the fallout result in differences in migration rates of Cs-137 in the environment and rates of its natural attenuation. In Fukushima areas Cs-137 was found to be strongly bound to soil and sediment particles, its bioavailability being reduced as a result. Up to 80% of the deposited Cs-137 on the soil were reported to be incorporated in glassy hot particles (CsMPs) insoluble in water. The disintegration of these particles in the environment is much slower than that of Chernobyl-derived fuel particles. The higher annual precipitation and steep slopes in Fukushima-contaminated areas are conducive to higher erosion and higher total radiocesium wash-off. Typhoons Etou in 2015 and Hagibis in 2019 demonstrated the pronounced redistribution of Cs-137
on river watersheds and floodplains, and in some cases natural self-decontamination occurred. Among the common features of Cs-137 behavior in Chernobyl and Fukushima is a slow decrease in Cs-137 activity concentration in small, closed, and semi-closed lakes and its particular seasonal
variations: increase in summer and decrease in winter.
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WAM-B.4
10:45 Potential Risk from Consumption of Savannah River Site Creek-Mouth Fish BH Stagich*, Savannah River National Laboratory
Abstract: During 1991 and 1992, in response to a U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee request for a plan to evaluate risk to the public from fish collected from the Savannah River, the Savannah River Site (SRS) developed a fish monitoring plan in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. This plan includes assessing radiological risk from consuming Savannah River fish and requires that SRS summarize the results in the annual SRS Environmental Report. SRS estimates the potential risks using the cancer morbidity risk coefficients from Federal Guidance Report No. 13 (EPA, 1999). For 2021, SRS estimated the maximum potential lifetime risk of developing fatal and nonfatal cancer from consuming SRS creek-mouth fish to be 3.24E-07. That is, if 10 million people each received a dose of 0.00426 mSv, there is a potential for 3.2 extra cancer incidents. A history of the SRS fish pathway dose and risk assessments and a discussion of the environmental/ecological factors affecting the current results will be provided.
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