Artificial radionuclides
Artificial radionuclides are the product of human activity and their occurrence in the environment is undesirable. Populations must be protected against dangers arising from artificial pollutant radionuclides therefore the monitoring of the air, water and soil is of highest importance.
The handling of radioactive materials is strictly regulated by national nuclear regulatory bodies, who supervise all nuclear facilities, waste repositories and other workplaces with radionuclides, and issue relevant standards and limits.
Despite the regulations, the main potential sources of environmental contamination by radionuclides can be:
- Nuclear accidents in nuclear facilities and the spread of radionuclides into the environment.
- Radiological incidents in workplaces with radioactive substances.
- Insufficient measures against the penetration of wastes into the environment from waste repositories.
- The use of nuclear weapons.
The mostly measured artificial radionuclides are:
- C-14, Ar-41, iodine radioisotopes, xenon radioisotopes, krypton radioisotopes in air.
- H-3, Co-60, Sr-90, Cs-134, Cs-137 in water.
- Sr-90, Cs-134, Cs-137, uranium radioisotopes, plutonium radioisotopes, americium radioisotopes, curium radioisotopes in soil.