Identification and analysis of a radioactive particle in a marine sedimentsample

A radioactive particle was identified in a marine sediment sample. Characte ristics of the particle were determined using various methods. Particle iso lation and preliminary activity estimation were performed using gamma-ray s pectrometry and autoradiography. Long-lived radionuclides were detected in the particle using alpha-, beta- and gamma-ray analyses. Particle size and elemental composition were determined using SEM. Elemental composition, nuc lide composition and structure suggest that the particle may have originate d from the Chernobyl accident. The present study shows that routinely used laboratory methods/procedures in environmental radiation detection are not necessarily appropriate for analyses of individual particles as they are (t oo much) focused on radiation monitoring and not on characterization of rad ioactive materials. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.