Sea-to-land transfer of technetium-99 through the use of contaminated seaweed as an agricultural soil conditioner

Webster, Shona; Salt, Carol A.; Howard, Brenda J.. 2003 Sea-to-land transfer of technetium-99 through the use of contaminated seaweed as an agricultural soil conditioner. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 70 (1-2). 127-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0265-931X(03)00122-X

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Abstract/Summary

The use of seaweed as an agricultural soil conditioner gives rise to a potential pathway for the transfer of Technetium-99 (99Tc) from marine to terrestrial ecosystems and thence to man. However, to date there is little information on the extent of the release of 99Tc from seaweed into soil and the mechanisms involved. This pot experiment has shown that 99Tc is released fairly rapidly from Fucus vesiculosus into a sandy coastal soil. Despite low temperature conditions, 60% of the 99Tc added with the seaweed had accumulated in the soil 15 weeks after addition. Concurrent CO2 monitoring (used as a measure of microbial decomposition or catabolism) suggested that the initial 99Tc release (up to 40% in the first 8 weeks) was due to leaching from the seaweed and that microbial decomposition was responsible for the release of the remaining 99Tc in the latter phase (12–15 weeks).

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0265-931X(03)00122-X
Programmes:	CEH Programmes pre-2009 publications > Biogeochemistry > SE01B Sustainable Monitoring, Risk Assessment and Management of Chemicals > SE01.4 Monitoring and predicting the distribution of chemicals in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	_ Environmental Chemistry & Pollution
ISSN:	0265-931X
Additional Keywords:	radioecology
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	26 Apr 2012 11:23 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/17736

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