Environmental Chemistry of Radionuclides : Open Questions and Perspectives

• Published in: ChemPlusChem (Weinheim, Germany) Vol. 87; no. 8; pp. e202200108 - n/a
• Main Authors: Beccia, Maria Rosa, Creff, Gaëlle, Den Auwer, Christophe, Di Giorgio, Christophe, Jeanson, Aurélie, Michel, Hervé
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley 01.08.2022
• Subjects: Chemical Sciences; environmental chemistry; nuclear toxicology; radiochemistry; radioecology; speciation; radioecology; radiochemistry; nuclear toxicology; environmental chemistry; speciation
• ISSN: 2192-6506; 2192-6506
• DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202200108

Since the discovery of nuclear fission, atomic energy has become for mankind a source of energy, but it has also become a source of consternation. This Perspective presents and discusses the methodological evolution of the work performed in the radiochemistry laboratory that is part of the Institut de Chimie de Nice (France). Most studies in radioecology and environmental radiochemistry have intended to assess the impact and inventory of very low levels of radionuclides in specific environmental compartments. But chemical mechanisms at the molecular level remain a mystery because it is technically impossible (due to large dilution factors) to assess speciation in those systems. Ultra‐trace levels of contamination and heterogeneity often preclude the use of spectroscopic techniques and the determination of direct speciation data, thus forming the bottleneck of speciation studies. The work performed in the Nice radiochemistry laboratory underlines this effort to input speciation data (using spectroscopic techniques like X ray Absorption Spectroscopy) in environmental and radioecological metrics. Environmental radiochemistry and radioecology have intended to assess the impact and inventory of very low levels of radionuclide in specific ecosystems. But ultra‐trace environmental levels of metallic radionuclides on the one hand, and heterogeneity on the other have up until now formed the bottleneck in our efforts to input speciation data in environmental and radioecological metrics.