Examining the residual radiological footprint of a former colliery: An industrial nuclear archaeology investigation.

Nuclear industrial archaeology utilises radiation mapping and characterisation technologies to gain an insight into the radiological footprint of industrial heritage sites. Increased concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials at legacy mine sites are the result of elemental enrichment during coal mining and subsequent combustion. Public safety is of concern around these sites, and therefore, an increased understanding of their associated hazard is essential.

Quantifying impacts of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on natural assemblages of riverine phytobenthos and phytoplankton in an outdoor setting.

Impacts of widespread release of engineered titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO) on freshwater phytoplankton and phytobenthic assemblages in the field, represents a significant knowledge gap. Using outdoor experiments, we quantified impacts of nTiO on phytoplankton and periphyton from UK rivers, applied at levels representative of environmentally realistic concentrations (0.05 mg/L) and hot spots of accumulation (5.

Spatial pattern of plutonium and radiocaesium contamination released during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster.

Plutonium and radiocaesium are hazardous contaminants released by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) disaster and their distribution in the environment requires careful characterisation using isotopic information. Comprehensive spatial survey of Cs and Cs has been conducted on a regular basis since the accident, but the dataset for Cs/Cs atom ratios and trace isotopic analysis of Pu remains limited because of analytical challenges. We have developed a combined chemical procedure to separate Pu and Cs for isotopic analysis of environmental samples from contaminated catchments.