Abstract
THE possible production of 210Pb during weapons testing by the reaction 208Pb (2n,γ) 210Pb was suggested by Peirson. et al.1, who observed unusually high ratios of 210Pb in tropospheric air in 1962 and 1963, and by Jaworowski2, who reported increased 210Pb concentrations in lichens and deer antlers in 1958–59 and 1962–63. On the other hand, Bhandari et al.3 and Crozaz4 found no corresponding increase in the amount of this isotope in air or glaciers, and Krey5 reported no unusually high levels of 210Pb in the stratosphere in 1966. Resolution of this conflict is important because it has been postulated6 that nuclear devices used in excavating a canal in Central America would produce 210Pb in amounts comparable with 90Sr–90Y as a radiological contaminant.
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BEASLEY, T. Lead-210 Production by Nuclear Devices: 1946–1958. Nature 224, 573 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/224573a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/224573a0
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