Influence of releases of (129)I and (137)Cs from European reprocessing facilities in Fucus vesiculosus and seawater from the Kattegat and Skagerrak areas.

(129)I is a very long-lived radionuclide (T1/2=15.7×10(6) years) that is present in the environment because of natural and anthropogenic sources. Compared to the pre-nuclear era, large amounts of (129)I have been released to the marine environment, especially as liquid and gaseous discharges from two European reprocessing facilities located at Sellafield (England) and La Hague (France).

Production and characterization of monodisperse plutonium, uranium, and mixed uranium-plutonium particles for nuclear safeguard applications.

In order to prevent nuclear proliferation, the isotopic analysis of uranium and plutonium microparticles has strengthened the means in international safeguards for detecting undeclared nuclear activities. In order to ensure accuracy and precision in the analytical methodologies used, the instrumental techniques need to be calibrated. The objective of this study was to produce and characterize particles consisting of U, Pu, and mixed U-Pu, suitable for such reliability verifications.

Characterization of radioactive particles using non-destructive alpha spectrometry.

Spherical particles with known properties were used to demonstrate and test a novel software package known as AASIFIT, which is able to unfold complex alpha spectra. A unique feature of the program is that it uses simulated peak shapes in the fitting process. The experimental reference particles in the testing were artificially produced U particles of diameter 1.

The use of SIMS and SEM for the characterization of individual particles with a matrix originating from a nuclear weapon.

The application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for characterization of mixed plutonium and uranium particles from nuclear weapons material is presented. The particles originated from the so-called Thule accident in Greenland in 1968. Morphological properties have been studied by SEM and two groups were identified: a "popcorn" structure and a spongy structure.

Critical evaluation of environmental exposure agents suspected in the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy.

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), a kidney disease that occurs in rural villages in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia, is thought to be linked to an environmental toxin. The authors review literature on proposed environmental exposure agents, report the results of field sampling and analysis studies to evaluate potentials for exposure to proposed agents, and propose criteria for future testing. They used these criteria to evaluate the evidence for suggested hypotheses, concluding that several proposed agents can be eliminated or considered unlikely based on apparent inconsistencies between clinical or epidemiologic evidence related to BEN and toxicologic or exposure evidence related to the agents.