Actinide aerosol releases from the nuclear fuel cycle interactions in the environment: A review

This report was compiled to survey the current state of knowledge concerning the migration of uranium and transuranium aerosols released into the environment from processes associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. Included in the report is information on what is known about the release of trace quantities during routine operations, past accidental releases and laboratory simulated accidental releases. Because the physical and chemical (physicochemical) characteristics of an aerosol influence its transport in the atmosphere, emphasis was placed on compiling what is known about the state of these radionuclides at potential release points throughout the cycle, and on ascertaining how environmental conditions at the time of release influence these characteristics. Once deposited, both the physical and chemical nature of a particle affects the rate at which the actinide equilibrates with its geochemical surroundings. Further, migration by mass transfer processes, including terrestrial resuspension, vertical migration and aquatic suspension are, in part, dependent on the physics-chemical characteristics of the deposited actinide-containing particle