Abstract
The deposition and possible mobility of plutonium in sediments contaminated by nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes are of considerable importance in assessing the short- and long-term fate of this pollutant. Previous studies have shown that marine sediments very effectively and quickly remove plutonium1, and have suggested both immobile2 and mobile2,3 behaviour of plutonium after deposition. Here, the deposition characteristics and lack of vertical migration of plutonium isotopes in intertidal sediments of the Irish Sea, which are contaminated with radioactive wastes from the Windscale reprocessing facility, are discussed.
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Aston, S., Stanners, D. Plutonium transport to and deposition and immobility in Irish Sea intertidal sediments. Nature 289, 581–582 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/289581a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/289581a0
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