Accelerator mass spectrometry measurements of 233U in groundwater, soil and vegetation at a legacy radioactive waste site

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dc.contributor.authorPayne, TEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHarrison, JJen_AU
dc.contributor.authorChild, DPen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHankin, SIen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHotchkis, MACen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHughes, CEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorJohansen, MPen_AU
dc.contributor.authorThiruvoth, Sen_AU
dc.contributor.authorWilsher, KLen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-22T06:01:14Zen_AU
dc.date.available2024-08-22T06:01:14Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2024-06en_AU
dc.date.statistics2024-08-14en_AU
dc.description.abstractLow-level radioactive wastes were disposed at the Little Forest Legacy Site (LFLS) near Sydney, Australia between 1960 and 1968. According to the disposal records, 233U contributes a significant portion of the inventory of actinide activity buried in the LFLS trenches. Although the presence of 233U in environmental samples from LFLS has been previously inferred from alpha-spectrometry measurements, it has been difficult to quantify because the 33U and 234U α-peaks are superimposed. Therefore, the amounts of 233U in groundwaters, soils and vegetation from the vicinity of the LFLS were measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The AMS results show the presence of 233U in numerous environmental samples, particularly those obtained within, and in the immediate vicinity of, the trenched area. There is evidence for dispersion of 233U in groundwater (possibly mobilised by co-disposed organic liquids), and the data also suggest other sources of 233U contamination in addition to the trench wastes. These may include leakages and spills from waste drums as well as waste burnings, which also occurred at the site. The AMS results confirm the historic information regarding disposal of 233U in the LFLS trenches. The AMS technique has been valuable to ascertain the distribution and environmental behaviour of 233U at the LFLS and the results demonstrate the applicability of AMS for evaluating contamination of 233U at other radioactive waste sites. © 2024 Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY licenseen_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipThe LFLS research is very much a team effort and we greatly appreciate the input of all members of the team. We acknowledge the important role of ANSTO records section and the National Archives of Australia in preserving the historic information on the disposal operations at LFLS. We thank Jon Shatwell and Josick Comarmond for their contribution to the investigation of the disposal records. We acknowledge the financial support from the Australian Government for the Centre for Accelerator Science at ANSTO through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).en_AU
dc.format.mediumPrint-Electronicen_AU
dc.identifier.articlenumber141761en_AU
dc.identifier.citationPayne, T. E., Harrison, J. J., Child, D. P., Hankin, S., Hotchkis, M. A. C., Hughes, C. E., Johansen, M. P., Thiruvoth, S., & Wilsher, K. L. (2024). Accelerator mass spectrometry measurements of 233U in groundwater, soil and vegetation at a legacy radioactive waste site. Chemosphere, 358, 141761. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141761en_AU
dc.identifier.issn0045-6535en_AU
dc.identifier.issn1879-1298en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleChemosphereen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141761en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/handle/10238/15665en_AU
dc.identifier.volume358en_AU
dc.languageEnglishen_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherElsevieren_AU
dc.subjectUraniumen_AU
dc.subjectSpectroscopyen_AU
dc.subjectGround wateren_AU
dc.subjectSoilsen_AU
dc.subjectRadioactive waste storageen_AU
dc.subjectPlantsen_AU
dc.subjectRadioactive wastesen_AU
dc.subjectMass spectrometersen_AU
dc.subjectAlpha spectrometersen_AU
dc.subjectEnvironmenten_AU
dc.subjectHIFAR Reactoren_AU
dc.subjectAAECen_AU
dc.subjectResearch reactorsen_AU
dc.titleAccelerator mass spectrometry measurements of 233U in groundwater, soil and vegetation at a legacy radioactive waste siteen_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
dcterms.dateAccepted2024-03-18en_AU
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