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This article about actinides in the environment is about the sources, environmental behaviour and effects of actinides in the environment. This is a subpage of Environmental radioactivity, if you want to read about the environmental aspects of radioisotopes other than the actinides then please go to this page. A set of overviews of some of the chemistry of uranium, neptunium, plutonium and americium in wastes can be seen at [1][2]. Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ...
This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...
The actinide series encompasses the 15 chemical elements that lie between actinium and lawrencium on the periodic table with atomic numbers 89 - 103. ...
The environmental radioactivity page is devoted to the subject of radioactive materials in man and his environment. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Atomic mass 238. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number neptunium, Np, 93 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass (237) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f4 6d1 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 22, 9, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass (244) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number americium, Am, 95 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass (243) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f7 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
Inhalation versus ingestion
In general for the insoluble actinide oxides such as high fired uranium dioxide and MOX fuel if it is swallowed then it will pass through the digestive system with very little actinide dissolving. As the actinide oxide can not dissolve, it can not be absorbed into the body of the person or animal. With such an oxide the dose a person is committed to after a given intake of activity is higher for inhalation than for ingestion as the insoluble compound will remain in the lungs, where it will then irradiate the lung tissue. UO2 A black, radioactive, crystalline powder, once used in the late 1800s to mid-1900s in ceramic glazes. ...
Mixed oxide, or MOX fuel, is a blend of plutonium and natural uranium or depleted uranium which behaves similarly (though not identically) to the enriched uranium feed for which most nuclear reactors were designed. ...
In general terms, eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming something edible, i. ...
Low fired oxides and soluble salts such as the nitrates can be absorbed with greater ease through the digestive system. So they are able to enter the bloodstream after being swallowed. If they are inhaled then it is possible for the solid to dissolve and leave the lungs. Hence the dose to the lungs will be lower for the soluble form. An electrostatic potential map of the nitrate ion. ...
Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ...
Radon and radium in the environment Radon and radium are not actinides—they are both radioactive daughters from the decay of uranium. Aspects of their biology and environmental behaviour is discussed at radium in the environment. General Name, Symbol, Number radon, Rn, 86 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 6, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass (222) g/mol Electron configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8 Physical properties Phase gas Density (0 °C, 101. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number radium, Ra, 88 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 7, s Appearance silvery white metallic Atomic mass (226) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
// Radium Radium in quack medicine See the story of Eben Byers for details of one very nasty case which involved a product called Radithor this contained 1 mCi of 226Ra and 1 mCi of 228Ra per bottle. ...
Thorium in the environment In India a large amount of Thorium ore can be found in the form of monazite in placer deposits of the Western and Eastern coastal dune sands, particularly in the Tamil Nadu coastal areas. The residents of this area are exposed to a naturally occurring radiation dose ten times higher than the worldwide average.[3]. General Name, Symbol, Number thorium, Th, 90 Chemical series Actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 232. ...
Monazite powder In geology, the mineral monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate containing rare earth metals and an important source of thorium, lanthanum, and cerium. ...
In geology, a placer deposit is a deposit of earth, sand, or gravel, containing valuable minerals in particles, especially by the side of a river, or in the bed of a mountain stream. ...
Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian processes. ...
For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ...
Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...
A good set of gamma activity maps for part of the USA can be found at http://www.csbsju.edu/MNradon/maps/surface.html.
Occurrence
 Monazite, a rare-earth-and-thorium-phosphate mineral is the primary source of the world's thorium Thorium is found in small amounts in most rocks and soils, where it is about three times more abundant than uranium, and is about as common as lead. Soil commonly contains an average of around 6 parts per million (ppm) of thorium. Thorium occurs in several minerals, the most common being the rare earth-thorium-phosphate mineral, monazite, which contains up to about 12% thorium oxide. There are substantial deposits in several countries. 232Th decays very slowly (its half-life is about three times the age of the earth) but other thorium isotopes occur in the thorium and uranium decay chains. Most of these are short-lived and hence much more radioactive than 232Th, though on a mass basis they are negligible. Monazite Thorium is a silvery radioactive, metallic element. ...
Monazite Thorium is a silvery radioactive, metallic element. ...
Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Atomic mass 238. ...
For PB or pb as an abbreviation, see PB. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ...
Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ...
Monazite powder In geology, the mineral monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate containing rare earth metals and an important source of thorium, lanthanum, and cerium. ...
Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ...
Isotopes are any of the several different forms of an element each having different atomic mass. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Atomic mass 238. ...
Effects in humans Thorium has been linked to liver cancer, in the past thoria (thorium dioxide) was used as a contrast agent for medical X-ray radioagraphy but its use has been discontinued. It was sold under the name Thorotrast. The liver is an organ in some animals, including mammals (and therefore humans), birds, and reptiles. ...
It has been suggested that Cancerous tumor be merged into this article or section. ...
Thorium dioxide (ThO2), also called thorium(IV) oxide (IUPAC) is a white, crystalline powder. ...
Thorotrast is a suspension containing particles of the radioactive compound thorium dioxide, ThO2, used as a contrast medium in X-ray diagnostics in the 1930s and 40s (use in some countries, such as the U.S. continued into the 1950s). ...
Uranium in the environment -
Uranium is a natural metal which is widely found. It is present in almost all soils and it is more plentiful than antimony, beryllium, cadmium, gold, mercury, silver, or tungsten and is about as abundant as arsenic or molybdenum. Significant concentrations of uranium occur in some substances such as phosphate rock deposits, and minerals such as lignite, and monazite sands in uranium-rich ores (it is recovered commercially from these sources). Uranium in the environment, this page is devoted to the science of uranium in the environment and in animals (including humans). ...
General Name, Symbol, Number antimony, Sb, 51 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous grey Atomic mass 121. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number beryllium, Be, 4 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 2, s Appearance white-gray metallic Atomic mass 9. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number cadmium, Cd, 48 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 5, d Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 112. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 200. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 6, d Appearance grayish white, lustrous Atomic mass 183. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Atomic mass 74. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number molybdenum, Mo, 42 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 5, d Appearance gray metallic Atomic mass 95. ...
Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ...
Coal Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by mining. ...
Monazite powder In geology, the mineral monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate containing rare earth metals and an important source of thorium, lanthanum, and cerium. ...
Iron ore (Banded iron formation) Manganese ore Lead ore Gold ore An ore is a volume of rock containing components or minerals in a mode of occurrence which renders it valuable for mining. ...
Seawater contains about 3.3 parts per billion of uranium by weight[4] as uranium(VI) forms soluble carbonate complexes. The extraction of uranium from seawater has been considered as a means of obtaining the element. In inorganic chemistry, a carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid. ...
Due to the very low specific activity of uranium the chemical effects of it upon living things can often outweigh the effects of its radioactivity.
Additional uranium has been added to the environment in some locations as a result of the nuclear fuel cycle and the use of depleted uranium in munitions. The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. ...
Depleted uranium storage yard. ...
Neptunium in the environment Like plutonium, neptunium has a high affinity for soil.[5] General Name, Symbol, Number neptunium, Np, 93 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass (237) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f4 6d1 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 22, 9, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
Plutonium in the environment -
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
Sources Plutonium in the environment has several sources. These include: General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass (244) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
- Atomic batteries
- Bomb detonations
- Bomb safety trials
- Chernobyl
- Nuclear crime
- Nuclear fuel cycle
Environmental chemistry
Plutonium like other actinides readily forms a dioxide plutonyl core (PuO2). In the environment, this plutonyl core readily complexes with carbonate as well as other oxygen moieties (OH-, NO2-, NO3-, and SO4-2) to form charged complexes which can be readily mobile with low affinities to soil. - PuO2(CO3)1-2
- PuO2(CO3)2-4
- PuO2(CO3)3-6
PuO2 formed from neutralizing highly acidic nitric acid solutions tends to form polymeric PuO2 which is resistant to complexation. Plutonium also readily shifts valences between the +3, +4, +5 and +6 states. It is common for some fraction of plutonium in solution to exist in all of these states in equilibrium.
Plutonium is known to bind to soil particles very strongly, see above for a X-ray spectrscopic study of plutonium in soil and concrete. While cesium has very different chemistry to the actinides, it is well known that both cesium and many of the actinides bind strongly to the minerals in soil. Hence it has been possible to use 134Cs labeled soil to study the migration of Pu and Cs is soils. It has been shown that colloidal transport processes control the migration of Cs (and will control the migration of Pu) in the soil at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant according to R.D. Whicker and S.A. Ibrahim, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2006, 88, 171–188. Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number Caesium, Cs, 55 Series Alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 6, s Density, Hardness 1879 kg/m3, 0. ...
Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ...
In general, a colloid or colloidal dispersion is a substance with components of one or two phases, a type of mixture intermediate between a homogeneous mixture (also called a solution) and a heterogeneous mixture with properties also intermediate between the two. ...
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is the worlds first underground repository licensed to safely and permanently dispose of transuranic radioactive waste that is left from the research and production of nuclear weapons. ...
Americium in the environment Americium often enters landfills from discarded smoke detectors. The rules associated with the disposal of smoke detectors are very relaxed in most municipalities. For instance in the UK it is permissible to dispose of an americium containing smoke detector by placing it in the dustbin with normal household rubbish, but each dustbin worth of rubbish is limited to only containing one smoke detector. General Name, Symbol, Number americium, Am, 95 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass (243) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f7 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
A smoke detector or smoke alarm is an active fire protection device, subject to stringent bounding, that detects airborne smoke and issues an audible alarm, thereby alerting nearby people to the danger of fire. ...
In France a truck transporting 900 smoke detectors has been reported to have caught fire, it is claimed that this lead to a release of americium into the environment.[6] The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer truck prepares to offload Å koda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle for transporting goods. ...
Humans have become contaminated with americium, the worst case was that of Harold McCluskey. It is interesting to note that Harold McCluskey did not die of cancer but of heart disease (which he had before the accident). It is likely that the medical care which he was given saved his life; it should be noted that due to the difference in the chemistry of americium (the +3 oxidation state is very stable) to plutonium (where the +4 state can form in the human body) the americium has very different biochemistry to plutonium. Harold R. McCluskey was a chemical operator at the Hanford nuclear weapons plant located in Washington state who is known for having survived exposure to the highest dose of radiation in 1976. ...
It has been suggested that Cancerous tumor be merged into this article or section. ...
Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases which affect the heart. ...
In chemistry, the oxidation state is a measure of the degree of oxidation of an atom in a chemical compound. ...
Further reading - Hala, Jiri, and James D. Navratil. Radioactivity, Ionizing Radiation and Nuclear Energy. Konvoj: Brno, Czech Republic, 2003. ISBN 80-7302-053-X.
| Environmental science | | Atmospheric sciences | Ecology | Geosciences | Soil science| Hydrology | | | Related fields: Biology | Chemistry | Environmental design | Environmental economics | Environmental ethics | Environmental law | Physics | Sustainability | Waste management To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Nuclear engineering is the practical application of the atomic nucleus gleaned from principles of nuclear physics and the interaction between radiation and matter. ...
Nuclear physics is the branch of physics concerned with the nucleus of the atom. ...
For the generation of electrical power by fission, see Nuclear power plant An induced nuclear fission event. ...
The deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reaction is considered the most promising for producing fusion power. ...
Radiation in physics is the process of emitting energy in the form of waves or particles. ...
Radiation hazard symbol. ...
A semi-accurate depiction of the helium atom. ...
Core of a small nuclear reactor used for research. ...
Nuclear safety is a term which underscores and understates the danger implicit in the use of nuclear materials, and may be used to describe measures taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents. ...
Nuclear material consists of materials used in nuclear systems, such as nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. ...
Nuclear fuel is any material that can be consumed to derive nuclear energy, by analogy to chemical fuel that is burned to derive energy. ...
Fertile material is a term used to describe nuclides which generally themselves do not undergo induced fission (fissionable by thermal neutrons) but from which fissile material is generated by neutron absorption and subsequent nuclei conversions. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number thorium, Th, 90 Chemical series Actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 232. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Atomic mass 238. ...
These pie-graphs showing the relative proportions of uranium-238 (blue) and uranium-235 (red) at different levels of enrichment. ...
Depleted uranium storage yard. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass (244) g/mol Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ...
A nuclear power station. ...
A nuclear power station. ...
An illustration showing the various sources of nuclear waste Radioactive waste is waste type containing radioactive chemical elements that does not have a practical purpose. ...
The Sun is a natural fusion reactor. ...
Future energy development faces great challenges due to an increasing world population, demands for higher standards of living, demands for less pollution and a much-discussed end to fossil fuels. ...
An Inertial fusion power plant is intended to industrially produce electric power by use of inertial confinement fusion techniques. ...
Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are generation II nuclear power reactors that use water under high pressure as coolant and neutron moderator. ...
The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...
Generation IV reactors (Gen IV) are a set of theoretical nuclear reactor designs currently being researched. ...
The fast breeder or fast breeder reactor (FBR) is a fast neutron reactor designed to breed fuel by producing more fissile material than it consumes. ...
A fast neutron reactor or simply a fast reactor is a category of nuclear reactor in which the fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons. ...
Schematic diagram of a Magnox nuclear reactor showing gas flow. ...
Schematic diagram of the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor. ...
The Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) system is a Generation IV reactor that features a fast-neutron spectrum and closed fuel cycle for efficient conversion of fertile uranium and management of actinides. ...
A molten salt reactor is a type of nuclear reactor where the working fluid is a molten salt. ...
A Liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor is nuclear reactor where the primary coolant is a liquid molten metal. ...
The Lead-cooled Fast Reactor is a Generation IV reactor that features a fast-spectrum lead or lead/bismuth eutectic liquid metal-cooled reactor with a closed fuel cycle. ...
The Sodium-cooled fast reactor is a sodium cooled reactor that uses fast neutrons. ...
Supercritical water reactor scheme. ...
Very high temperature reactor scheme. ...
The pebble bed reactor (PBR) or pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) is an advanced nuclear reactor design. ...
The Integral Fast Reactor or Advanced Liquid-Metal Reactor is a design for a nuclear fast reactor with a specialized nuclear fuel cycle. ...
Nuclear propulsion can include a wide variety of methods, the commonality of which is the use of some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source. ...
In a nuclear thermal rocket a working fluid, usually hydrogen, is heated in a high temperature nuclear reactor, and then expands through a rocket nozzle to create thrust. ...
// A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) is a simple electrical generator which obtains its power from radioactive decay. ...
Bone scintigraphy of a young woman. ...
Image of a typical positron emission tomography (PET) facility Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three dimensional image or map of functional processes in the body. ...
Clinac 2100 C100 accelerator Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ...
Radiosurgery is a medical procedure which allows non-invasive brain surgery, i. ...
Proton therapy is a kind of external beam radiotherapy where protons are directed to a tumor site. ...
Brachytherapy for prostate cancer is administered using seeds, small radioactive rods implanted directly into the tumour. ...
The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ...
A nuclear fireball lights up the night in a United States nuclear test. ...
The Titan II ICBM carried a 9 Mt W53 warhead, making it one of the most powerful nuclear weapons fielded by the United States during the Cold War. ...
US and USSR/Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles, 1945-2005. ...
The first nuclear weapons, though large, cumbersome and inefficient, provided the basic design building blocks of all future weapons. ...
A 23 kiloton tower shot called BADGER, fired on April 18, 1953 at the Nevada Test Site, as part of the Operation Upshot-Knothole nuclear test series. ...
Preparation for an underground nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site in the 1980s. ...
// Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its intended target. ...
World map with nuclear weapons development status represented by color. ...
This is a list of states with nuclear weapons. ...
Main article: Nuclear testing The following is a list of nuclear test series designations, organized first by country and then by date. ...
jecca is very beautiful!! Environmental science is the study of the interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment; with a focus on pollution and degradation of the environment related due to human activities; and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability from local and global development. ...
Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. ...
Ernst Haeckel coined the term oekologie in 1866. ...
Earth science (also known as geoscience or the geosciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. ...
Environmental soil science is the study of the interaction of humans with the pedosphere as well as critical aspects of the biosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. ...
Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ...
Biology (from Greek Βìο meaning life and Λoγος meaning the study of, see below) is the study of life. ...
Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. ...
Environmental design is the process of addressing environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. ...
Environmental economics is a subfield of economics concerned with environmental issues (other usages of the term are not uncommon). ...
Environmental ethics --or more properly designated, environmental philosophy-- considers the ethical relationship between human beings and the natural environment. ...
Environmental law is a body of law, which is a system of complex and interlocking statutes, common law, treaties, conventions, regulations and policies which seeks to protect the natural environment which may be affected, impacted or endangered by human activities. ...
Physics (from the Greek, (phúsis), nature and (phusiké), knowledge of nature) is the science concerned with the discovery and understanding of the fundamental laws which govern matter, energy, space, and time. ...
Sustainability is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future. ...
For the company, see Waste Management, Inc. ...
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