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Migration of plutonium in ground water at the Nevada Test Site

Author

Listed:
  • A. B. Kersting

    (Isotope Sciences Division
    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

  • D. W. Efurd

    (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

  • D. L. Finnegan

    (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

  • D. J. Rokop

    (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

  • D. K. Smith

    (Isotope Sciences Division
    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

  • J. L. Thompson

    (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Abstract

Mobile colloids—suspended particles in the submicrometre size range—are known to occur naturally in ground water1, 2 and have the potential to enhance transport of non-soluble contaminants through sorption3. The possible implications of this transport mechanism are of particular concern in the context of radionuclide transport. Significant quantities of the element plutonium have been introduced into the environment as a result of nuclear weapons testing and production, and nuclear power-plant accidents. Moreover, many countries anticipate storing nuclear waste underground. It has been argued that plutonium introduced into the subsurface environment is relatively immobile owing to its low solubility in ground water4 and strong sorption onto rocks5. Nonetheless, colloid-facilitated transport of radionuclides has been implicated in field observations6, 7, but unequivocal evidence of subsurface transport is lacking3, 8, 9. Moreover, colloid filtration models predict transport over a limited distance resulting in a discrepancy between observed and modelled behaviour3. Here we report that the radionuclides observed in groundwater samples from aquifers at the Nevada Test Site, where hundreds of underground nuclear tests were conducted, are associated with the colloidal fraction of the ground water. The 240 Pu/239 Pu isotope ratio of the samples establishes that an underground nuclear test 1.3 km north of the sample site is the origin of the plutonium. We argue that colloidal groundwater migration must have played an important role in transporting the plutonium. Models that either predict limited transport or do not allow for colloid-facilitated transport may thus significantly underestimate the extent of radionuclide migration.

Suggested Citation

  • A. B. Kersting & D. W. Efurd & D. L. Finnegan & D. J. Rokop & D. K. Smith & J. L. Thompson, 1999. "Migration of plutonium in ground water at the Nevada Test Site," Nature, Nature, vol. 397(6714), pages 56-59, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:397:y:1999:i:6714:d:10.1038_16231
    DOI: 10.1038/16231
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    Cited by:

    1. Rechard, Rob P. & Liu, Hui-Hai & Tsang, Yvonne W. & Finsterle, Stefan, 2014. "Site characterization of the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 32-52.
    2. Rechard, Rob P. & Arnold, Bill W. & Robinson, Bruce A. & Houseworth, James E., 2014. "Transport modeling in performance assessments for the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 189-206.
    3. Victor I. Malkovsky & Vladislav A. Petrov & Sergey V. Yudintsev & Michael I. Ojovan & Valeri V. Poluektov, 2023. "Influence of Rock Structure on Migration of Radioactive Colloids from an Underground Repository of High-Level Radioactive Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, January.
    4. Victor Malkovsky & Sergey Yudintsev & Michael Ojovan, 2023. "Forecast of 241 Am Migration from a System of Deep Horizontal Boreholes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-15, October.
    5. Rechard, Rob P. & Stockman, Christine T., 2014. "Waste degradation and mobilization in performance assessments for the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 165-188.
    6. Rechard, Rob P. & Wilson, Michael L. & Sevougian, S. David, 2014. "Progression of performance assessment modeling for the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 96-123.

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