A DGT Technique for Plutonium Bioavailability Measurements.

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Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_159888E81786
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
A DGT Technique for Plutonium Bioavailability Measurements.
Journal
Environmental Science and Technology
Author(s)
Cusnir R., Steinmann P., Bochud F., Froidevaux P.
ISSN
1520-5851 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0013-936X
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2014
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
48
Number
18
Pages
10829-10834
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
The toxicity of heavy metals in natural waters is strongly dependent on the local chemical environment. Assessing the bioavailability of radionuclides predicts the toxic effects to aquatic biota. The technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) is largely exploited for bioavailability measurements of trace metals in waters. However, it has not been applied for plutonium speciation measurements yet. This study investigates the use of DGT technique for plutonium bioavailability measurements in chemically different environments. We used a diffusion cell to determine the diffusion coefficients (D) of plutonium in polyacrylamide (PAM) gel and found D in the range of 2.06-2.29 × 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1). It ranged between 1.10 and 2.03 × 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1) in the presence of fulvic acid and in natural waters with low DOM. In the presence of 20 ppm of humic acid of an organic-rich soil, plutonium diffusion was hindered by a factor of 5, with a diffusion coefficient of 0.50 × 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1). We also tested commercially available DGT devices with Chelex resin for plutonium bioavailability measurements in laboratory conditions and the diffusion coefficients agreed with those from the diffusion cell experiments. These findings show that the DGT methodology can be used to investigate the bioaccumulation of the labile plutonium fraction in aquatic biota.
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Create date
23/10/2014 18:50
Last modification date
24/02/2020 7:08
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