PLUTONIUM CONCENTRATION DISTRIBUTION IN BED-LOAD SEDIMENT SAMPLES ALONG THE ROMANIAN SECTOR OF THE DANUBE RIVER AND THE BLACK-SEA COAST

The concentrations of Pu-238 and Pu-239,Pu-240 were determined in 12 s ediment samples collected from the bed of the Romanian Danube river an d Black Sea coast during June-September 1994. After the sample materia l has been properly prepared and Pu-242 tracer added, plutonium was se parated from americium and curium by anion exchange. After electrodepo sition on stainless steel discs the elements were counted with an alph a-spectrometry system with silicon surface-barrier detectors. The Pu-2 39,Pu-240 concentrations range between 150 and 800 mBq kg(-1) dry, whi le the Pu-238 concentrations rise up to max 150 mBq kg(-1) dry. Althou gh the chemical yields are rather low (<51%) we appreciate the results as valuable since they report for the first time the distribution of the plutonium contamination along the Danube river and the Black Sea c oast - Romanian sector.