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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
12:22
Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
Published on: November 9, 2015
Plutonium segregation in glassy aerodynamic fallout from a nuclear weapon test
K S Holliday1, J M Dierken2, M L Monroe2
1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA, USA 94550. holliday7@llnl.gov.
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
|January 12, 2017
Summary
Plutonium distribution in nuclear fallout is linked to the physical properties of glassy particles, not their chemical makeup. This finding helps understand the behavior of radioactive materials in the environment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Nuclear Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Nuclear weapon tests produce radioactive fallout with complex compositions.
- Understanding plutonium's distribution in fallout is crucial for environmental and health risk assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial relationship between plutonium and major element composition in nuclear fallout.
- To determine the factors controlling plutonium distribution within fallout particles.
Main Methods:
- Utilized electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy for elemental analysis.
- Employed autoradiography to map plutonium distribution.
- Analyzed 48 individual aerodynamic glassy fallout specimens.
Main Results:
- Fallout samples exhibited significant chemical heterogeneity, classifiable into a few compositional endmembers.
- High plutonium concentrations were primarily associated with the mafic glass endmember.
- Plutonium was not found with several other endmember compositions.
Conclusions:
- The physical characteristics of fallout compositional endmembers, rather than their specific elemental chemistry, dictate plutonium distribution.
- This suggests a physical sorting mechanism governs un-burnt plutonium in fallout.
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