Distribution of local and stratospheric plutonium in Ohio soils

The distribution of plutonium as a function of particle size was determined in three agricultural soils. Greatest plutonium concentrations were found in the 4-2μm and 'less than' 2μm fractions and lowest concentrations were in the 45-20μm fraction. 238Pu, derived from a local industrial source, and sup(239,240)Pu, derived from stratospheric fallout, exhibit similar patterns of distribution, suggesting that plutonium from both sources underwent similar processes of attachment in the soil matrix. The higher concentration in the smaller size classes may considerably influence the importance of aquatic transport in the geochemical behavior of this element. (author)