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Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium in water, air and biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro (2005)

AuteurJia, Belli, Sansone, Silvia
6-05-2-20-08.pdf
Datummei 2005
Classificatie 6.05.2.20/08 (VERARMD URANIUM - MILITAIR - (vml) JOEGOSLAVIË)
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Uit de publicatie:

                                                     ARTICLE IN PRESS




                                        Applied Radiation and Isotopes 63 (2005) 381–399
                                                                                                    www.elsevier.com/locate/apradiso



        Concentration and characteristics of depleted uranium
            in water, air and biological samples collected
                      in Serbia and Montenegro
Guogang JiaÃ, Maria Belli, Umberto Sansone, Silvia Rosamilia, Stefania Gaudino
                  Italian Environmental Protection Agency and Technical Services, Via V. Brancati 48, 00144 Roma, Italy
                          Received 1 February 2005; received in revised form 18 May 2005; accepted 18 May 2005




Abstract

   During the Balkan conflicts, in 1995 and 1999, depleted uranium (DU) rounds were employed and were left in the
battlefield. Health concern is related to the risk arising from contamination of the environment with DU penetrators
and dust. In order to evaluate the impact of DU on the environment and population in Serbia and Montenegro,
radiological surveys of DU in water, air and biological samples were carried out over the period 27 October–5
November 2001. The uranium isotopic concentrations in biological samples collected in Serbia and Montenegro, mainly
lichens and barks, were found to be in the range of 0.67–704 Bq kgÀ1 for 238U, 0.48–93.9 Bq kgÀ1 for 234U and
0.02–12.2 Bq kgÀ1 for 235U, showing uranium levels to be higher than in the samples collected at the control sites.
Moreover, 236U was detectable in some of the samples. The isotopic ratios of 234U/238U showed DU to be detectable in
many biological samples at all examined sites, especially in Montenegro, indicating widespread ground-surface DU
contamination, albeit at very low level. The uranium isotopic concentrations in air obtained from the air filter samples
collected in Serbia and Montenegro were found to be in the range of 1.99–42.1 mBq mÀ3