Radiological evaluation of the transuranic remaining contamination in Palomares (Spain): A historical review.

J Environ Radioact

Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, CNA, (Universidad de Sevilla-Junta de Andalucía-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.

Published: July 2019

AI Article Synopsis

  • The paper discusses studies conducted in Palomares, Spain, after a 1966 air crash that spread nuclear material from four nuclear bombs.
  • The accident resulted in plutonium and uranium dispersal over a 2.3 km area due to a chemical explosion.
  • Over 50 years, CIEMAT and other organizations focused on characterizing contamination, monitoring radiation, mapping the affected area, and assessing the bioavailability of remaining transuranics.

Article Abstract

This paper shows the studies carried out in Palomares (Almería, Spain) following the ground dispersion of nuclear material as a result of the air crash accident that took place in 1966, in which four nuclear bombs were involved. As a consequence of the Palomares accident, plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) were dispersed over an area of approximately 2.3 km due to the chemical explosion of two of them. The most relevant activities carried out by CIEMAT, along with other national and international institutions in the Palomares scenario are detailed. These activities, performed for over 50 years, focus mainly in the characterization of the contamination source, in the continuous environmental and personal radiological monitoring programs, in the construction of a detailed superficial and 3-D mapping distribution of the remaining contamination and in the evaluation of the bioavailability of the transuranics still remaining in the area.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.02.015DOI Listing

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