ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY Stft ''iii M. DE BORTOLL P. GAGLIONE)NE, E5^ilmsKti»'hlfeï:iaï,JWiF™ra!Piifil:efii ΙβΤίΓ'ΐΛΓτνΕΗ STRICHT wEXa ™.à|T;ÌB '¿Ju 9Γ *:m JilpitiÉiilwfilb mmm »■*■fii'tiit.a LEGAL ¡ρNOTIC;E ^ΐβΒΒβίΙ ThThiis document was prepared Atomic ΕEnergι y Community •epared under the sponsorship of the Commission of the European (EURATOM). κ* M* completeness, or usefulness of the information contained in this document, or that the use of any information, apparatus, ιmethod , or process disclosed in this document may not infringe privately owned rights;rights; or 2o — Assume any liabihty with respect to the use of, or for damages resulting from the use of any information, apparatus, method or process disclosed in this documentH. K m ISillii iliieiliiPI This report can be obtained, at the price oí Belgian Francs 85,· ill from: PRESSES ACADÉMIQUES EUROPÉENNES Mnfi? Iß 98, Chaussée de Charleroi, Brussels 6. l^tÌM 'Si Please remit payments to : '•Sw — BANQUE DE LA SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE (Agence Ma Campagne) - Brussels - account No 964.658, — BELGIAN AMERICAN BANK AND TRUST COMPANY m New York --a accouno t No 22.186, —— LLOYDS BBANA K (Europe) Ltd. - 10, Moorgate London E.C.2. reference: "EUR 2213.e - ENVIRONMENTAL ' ' '. Pfiflíí! ¿Γ til ".-^Li RADIOACTIVITYT> AT\Tn A ΓΤΤΤΓΓΤΛ , ISPRA 1963". lais KI'T:i :ii.n.. .'»·.C^KSBtarønil^^^s^i? j·»'i: J.*W 'Í ¿WÎ ■ (¿kilt . 'J! HjiJffcu.U ht(f«.ittWei.;!E M Printed by Guyot, s.a., Brussels, January 1965. This document was duplicated on the basis of the best available copy. ^ïi»lilÉiiislilllÉi I v'Íli'í IfMllÄ S^ffií'E»: m Â\->\& '«|f'l^i*Ëîn!n: ' fifi !ií1^'t^W:'*5Íyl5 ::'ai tEIHsr ^wi W fepf'H»? li "Mi ÌSf-IT »'liHli ì ;*&- ÎfctdL ü^iteM^èWïYt EUR 2213.e ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY, ISPRA 1963 by M. DE BORTOLI, P. GAGLIONE, A. MALVICINI and E. VAN DER STRICHT. European Atomic Energy Community - EURATOM. Joint Nuclear Research Center. Ispra Establishment (Italy). Security Service - Site Survey and Meteorology. Brussels, January 1965 - 68 pages - 12 figures. In this report are briefly described the measurements of environmental radioactivity performed during 1963 by the site survey group of the Protection Service. Data are given on the concentrations of strontium-90, cesium-137 and other radionuclides in fallout, air, water, herbage, animal bones and foods. EUR 2213.e ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY, ISPRA 1963 by M. DE BORTOLI, P. GAGLIONE, A. MALVICINI and E. VAN DER STRICHT. European Atomic Energy Community - EURATOM. Joint Nuclear Research Center. Ispra Establishment (Italy). Security Service - Site Survey and Meteorology. Brussels, January 1965 - 68 pages - 12 figures. In this report are briefly described the measurements of environmental radioactivity performed during 1963 by the site survey group of the Protection Service. Data are given on the concentrations of strontium-90, cesium-137 and other radionuclides in fallout, air, water, herbage, animal bones and foods. EUR 2213.e ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY, ISPRA 1963 by M. DE BORTOLI, P. GAGLIONE, A. MALVICINI and E. VAN DER STRICHT. European Atomic Energy Community - EURATOM. Joint Nuclear Research Center. Ispra Establishment (Italy). Security Service - Site Survey and Meteorology. Brussels, January 1965 - 68 pages - 12 figures. In this report are briefly described the measurements of environmental radioactivity performed during 1963 by the site survey group of the Protection Service. Data are given on the concentrations of strontium-90, cesium-137 and other radionuclides in fallout, air, water, herbage, animal bones and foods. EUR 2213.e EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY - EURATOM ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY ISPRA 1963 by M. DE BORTOLI. P. GAGLIONE, A. MALVICINI and E. VAN DER STRICHT 1965 Joint Nuclear Research Center Ispra Establishment - Italy Security Service Site Survey and Meteorology Manuscript received on November 15, 1964 CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 7 1. AIR RADIOACTIVITY 9 2. FALLOUT RADIOACTIVITY 10 2. 1. Beta radioactivity IQ 2. 2. Gamma spectrometry 11 2. 3 Strontium-90 and cesium-137 in fallout 11 2.4. Other important radionuclides in fallout 12 3. HERBAGE RADIOACTIVITY 12 4. MILK RADIOACTIVITY 13 5. STRONTIUM-90 AND CESIUM-137 IN DAIRY PRODUCTS i4 6. RADIOACTIVITY OF SURFACE WATERS 14 6. 1. Beta radioactivity 14 6.2. Strontium-90, cesium-137 and other radionuclides in lake water 15 7. STRONTIUM-90, STRONTIUM-89 AND CESIUM-137 IN LAKE FISHES 15 8. STRONTIUM-90 AND STRONTIUM-89 IN ANIMAL BONES ... 16 9. STRONTIUM-90 AND CESIUM-137 IN VEGETABLES ... 16 REFERENCES 17 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra January. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra February. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra March. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra April. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra May. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra June. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra July. Table 8 Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra August. Table Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra September. Table 10 Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra October. Table 11 Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra November. Table 12 Concentrations of gross beta radioactivity in air at Ispra December. Table 13 Monthly average concentrations of radionuclides in air (pc/m ). Table 14 Gross beta radioactivity, strontium-90, cesium-137 in fallout. Table 15 Radionuclides in fallout. Table 16 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in her• bage. Table 17 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in milk - Barza . Table 18 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in milk - Brebbia. Table 19 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-13 7 in milk - Ispra. Table 20 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in milk - Osmate. Table 21 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in milk - Milano. Table 22 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in milk - Varese. Table 23 Strontium-90 and cesium-137 in cheese Table 24 Geographie coordinates of water sampling points. Table 25 Beta radioactivity subtracted potassium-40 in the water of the lake "Maggiore". Table 26 Beta radioactivity subtracted potassium-40 in lakes, streams and wells near to the Ispra Establishment. Table 27 Strontium-90 and cesium-137 in lake waters. Table 28 Concentrations of radionuclides in lake waters. Table 29 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in lake - fishes - lake "Maggiore". Table 30 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in lake fishes - lake "Varese". Table 31 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in lake fishes - lake "Comabbio". Table 32 Strontium-90, strontium-89 and cesium-137 in lake fishes - lake "Monate". Table 33 Strontium-90 and strontium-89 in calf bones. Table 34 Strontium-90 and cesium-137 in vegetables. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 a Daily average concentrations of gross beta radioac• tivity in air at Ispra January - June 1963. Figure 1 b Daily average concentrations of gross beta radioac• tivity in air at Ispra July - December 1963. Figure 2 Monthly average concentrations of strontium-90 and cesium-137 in air at Ispra. Figure 3 Fallout collectors. Figure 4 Gross beta radioactivity monthly deposition at Ispra since February 1958. Figure 5 Gross beta radioactivity cumulative deposit at Ispra since February 1958. Figure 6 Gamma spectrum of fallout collected at Ispra in May 1963. Figure 7 Strontium-90 monthly deposition and cumulative de• posit at Ispra since February 1958. Figure 8 Cesium-137 monthly deposition at Ispra since Februa• ry 1958. Figure 9 Per-cent distribution of the most important radionu• clides in fallout. Figure 10 Strontium-89 to strontium-90 ratio in fallout since September I96I. Figure 11 Strontium-90 in the milk of Ispra and Milano since January I960. Figure 12 Dislocation of waters sampling points. INTRODUCTION In this report are summarized the results of the measurements of environmental radioactivity performed by the site survey group of the Protection Service. This group consists of 3 persons with University de• gree and 6 technicians. The work is carried out in a chemical laboratory and in a ra• dioactivity measurements laboratory, equipped with the instruments al• lowing to perform gamma and alfa spectrometry and low-level beta coun• ting. The following reports on the same subject have already been published: CNI - 43 Misure di radioattività ambientale, Ispra 1958 - 59 CNI - 95 Misure di radioattività ambientale, Ispra I960 EUR - 223i Misure di radioattività ambientale, Ispra 1961 EUR - 48li Misure di radioattività ambientale, Ispra 1962 Main object of the measurements performed is the constant knowledge of the radioactivity levels in the environment of the Euratom Ispra Establishment, in order to identify and evaluate incidental radioac• tive contaminations caused by the Establishment itself. Since the beginning of the survey the data collected concern only the artificial radioactivity produced by weapons testing and natural radioactivity, both of them contributing, almost entirely, to the irradia• tion dose of the population in the environs. The personnel devotes itself almost completely to routine activities, yet efforts are made to improve the techniques and to test new methods, with the aim of improving the work as well from a qualitative stand point as from a quantitative one. During 1963 the following new techniques have been adopted: flame photometry for the determination of potassium, cal• cium and strontium in different matrixes and for the deter• mination of the chemical recoveries in the separation proce• dure of strontium. the method for the separation of cesium by means of filtration through thin ammonium phosphomolibdate layer (l). the spectrum stripping technique, which allows to evaluate the gamma emitting nuclides in complex gamma spectra. The actual survey programme, in spite of its incompleteness, may by regarded as fairly satisfactory, if one considers the personnel and the means employed in it.