12.2 Pre-Chernobyl Environmental Radioactivity
in Romania (1977–1985)
12.2.1 Atmospheric Nuclear Test Signature
After the establishment of NERSN and ERL, the first studies of atmospheric
radioactivity were based on gross beta measurements and meteorological parameters (Diaconescu et al. 1966). As of 1977, the environmental samples were also
analysed by high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry (Dovlete et al. 1981a;
Cuculeanu et al. 1983; Dovlete and Sonoc 1983a; Sonoc and Dovlete 1984a). The
influence of nuclear atmospheric tests performed in the northern hemisphere was
studied using monthly aerosol and deposition samples and the sediment and water
samples from the Danube river.
Shortly after the atmospheric nuclear test of March 1978 fresh fission
products were identified in the aerosol and deposition samples:
95 Zr,
95 Nb,
110m Ag,
103
Ru,
106
Ru,
125
Sb,
129m Te,
131
I,
132
I,
132
Te,
134
Cs,
136
Cs,
137
Cs,
140
Ba,
140
La,
141
Ce,
144
Ce,
154
Eu,
155
Eu.
Spatial and temporal distribution of the cosmogenic radionuclide
7 Be and fission
products (
137 Cs,
106 Ru,
125 Sb,
144 Ce) for the deposition samples and for the period
1979–1980, for the stations Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Craiova, Pitesti and Constanta were
presented in (Cuculeanu et al. 1983). The role of the injection of radionuclides from
the stratosphere and/or increased vertical tropospheric exchanges in spring-summer
was demonstrated.
After the atmospheric nuclear test of 16 October 1980 the following radionuclides
were identified in the atmosphere (starting with November 1980):
95
Zr,
95
Nb,
103
Ru,
106
Ru,
125
Sb,
137
Cs,
141
Ce,
144
Ce. Using the relative activities of
95
Zr and
95
Nb, the
timing of the nuclear explosion could be estimated accurately (Cuculeanu et al.
1983). The improvement of the simple method of ratio of
95
Zr and
95
Nb used by us
in 1981 were published in (Pomme and Collins 2014).
On an aerosol filter collected on 12 Mars 1981 at the Suceava station (NorthEastern Romania), a hot particle containing
95 Zr and
95 Nb was identified. The
description of this hot particle was presented in (Sonoc and Dovlete 1983a). It
could be traced back to the atmospheric thermonuclear test of 16 October 1980.
In order to identify very low concentrations of gamma emitting radionuclides, a
composite sample obtained by putting together dry deposition and precipitation
samples collected during one year (1981) from all the NERSN stations was used.
Besides the above-mentioned radionuclides (like
106 Ru,
125
Sb,
137 Cs,
144
Ce) in the
studied sample very small amounts of
155 Eu (1.9 Æ 0.6 Bq/m
2 /year) and
88 Y
(0.2 Æ 0.1 Bq/m
2 /year) were identified (Dovlete et al. 1981b).
The first identification of
155 Eu in nuclear weapons debris was presented in
(Aarkrog and Lippert 1967).
Monthly mean of deposition velocities for
7 Be,
103 Ru,
106 Ru,
125 Sb,
137 Cs,
141 Ce,
144 Ce (period December 1980–December 1981) were published in (Sonoc and
Dovlete 1983b)
12 Pre and Post-Chernobyl Environmental Radioactivity in Romania: a Review
205
in Romania (1977–1985)
12.2.1 Atmospheric Nuclear Test Signature
After the establishment of NERSN and ERL, the first studies of atmospheric
radioactivity were based on gross beta measurements and meteorological parameters (Diaconescu et al. 1966). As of 1977, the environmental samples were also
analysed by high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry (Dovlete et al. 1981a;
Cuculeanu et al. 1983; Dovlete and Sonoc 1983a; Sonoc and Dovlete 1984a). The
influence of nuclear atmospheric tests performed in the northern hemisphere was
studied using monthly aerosol and deposition samples and the sediment and water
samples from the Danube river.
Shortly after the atmospheric nuclear test of March 1978 fresh fission
products were identified in the aerosol and deposition samples:
95 Zr,
95 Nb,
110m Ag,
103
Ru,
106
Ru,
125
Sb,
129m Te,
131
I,
132
I,
132
Te,
134
Cs,
136
Cs,
137
Cs,
140
Ba,
140
La,
141
Ce,
144
Ce,
154
Eu,
155
Eu.
Spatial and temporal distribution of the cosmogenic radionuclide
7 Be and fission
products (
137 Cs,
106 Ru,
125 Sb,
144 Ce) for the deposition samples and for the period
1979–1980, for the stations Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Craiova, Pitesti and Constanta were
presented in (Cuculeanu et al. 1983). The role of the injection of radionuclides from
the stratosphere and/or increased vertical tropospheric exchanges in spring-summer
was demonstrated.
After the atmospheric nuclear test of 16 October 1980 the following radionuclides
were identified in the atmosphere (starting with November 1980):
95
Zr,
95
Nb,
103
Ru,
106
Ru,
125
Sb,
137
Cs,
141
Ce,
144
Ce. Using the relative activities of
95
Zr and
95
Nb, the
timing of the nuclear explosion could be estimated accurately (Cuculeanu et al.
1983). The improvement of the simple method of ratio of
95
Zr and
95
Nb used by us
in 1981 were published in (Pomme and Collins 2014).
On an aerosol filter collected on 12 Mars 1981 at the Suceava station (NorthEastern Romania), a hot particle containing
95 Zr and
95 Nb was identified. The
description of this hot particle was presented in (Sonoc and Dovlete 1983a). It
could be traced back to the atmospheric thermonuclear test of 16 October 1980.
In order to identify very low concentrations of gamma emitting radionuclides, a
composite sample obtained by putting together dry deposition and precipitation
samples collected during one year (1981) from all the NERSN stations was used.
Besides the above-mentioned radionuclides (like
106 Ru,
125
Sb,
137 Cs,
144
Ce) in the
studied sample very small amounts of
155 Eu (1.9 Æ 0.6 Bq/m
2 /year) and
88 Y
(0.2 Æ 0.1 Bq/m
2 /year) were identified (Dovlete et al. 1981b).
The first identification of
155 Eu in nuclear weapons debris was presented in
(Aarkrog and Lippert 1967).
Monthly mean of deposition velocities for
7 Be,
103 Ru,
106 Ru,
125 Sb,
137 Cs,
141 Ce,
144 Ce (period December 1980–December 1981) were published in (Sonoc and
Dovlete 1983b)
12 Pre and Post-Chernobyl Environmental Radioactivity in Romania: a Review
205