12.3.4 Hot Particles
Before the Chernobyl accident, hot particles found in the atmosphere were due to
atmospheric nuclear tests (Sandals et al. 1993; Sonoc and Dovlete 1983a, b).
After the Chernobyl accident (Devell 1987) was the first to report the existence
of hot particles due to this accident. Many other studies were dedicated to this
subject (Balashazy et al. 1987; Osuch et al. 1989).
Two types of hot particles were reported:
1. Type “A” (almost exclusively containing
103 Ru,
106 Ru ). These contain no
Uranium or only traces of it.
2. Type “B” are considered to be fragments of fuel (uranium oxide) and contain
fission products and transuranic elements (
239
Np,
141
Ce,
144
Ce,
103
Ru,
106
Ru,
95
Zr,
95
Nb,
140
La,
99
Mo,
131
I,
132
Te,
134
Cs,
137
Cs,
242
Cm,
244
Cm,
238
Pu).
(Dovlete 1990a; Pollanen et al. 1997) reported the presence of
154
Eu and
155 Eu,
in this type of hot particle.
Seven hot particles were reported in deposition samples from Iasi, Buzau, Tulcea
and Craiova stations (Dovlete 1990a) in the period 1988–1990. The radionuclide
1
10
100
1000
10000
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Bq/kg
Year
Fig. 12.2 Activity of
137 Cs soil in Romania (Bq/kg dry)
Table 12.2 Anthropogenic
radionuclides in top soil
(0–5 cm)
Radionuclide
Activity (kBq/m
2
)
137
Cs
48.5
134
Cs
2.46
125
Sb
0.6
154
Eu
0.13
12 Pre and Post-Chernobyl Environmental Radioactivity in Romania: a Review
213