Isotopic composition and source of plutonium in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau frozen soils

The (239+240)Pu activities and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios in the frozen soils of the Yellow River Source Area (YRSA) were determined to examine the Pu source and evaluate its environmental risk. The (239+240)Pu activities of surface frozen soils in the YRSA, ranging from 0.053 to 0.836 mBq g(−1), are comparable to those observed in China elsewhere (0.005–1.990 mBq g(−1)). The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios of surface soils in the YRSA are in the range of 0.168–0.201 (average = 0.187 ± 0.012, n = 6), comparable to the global fallout of 0.180 ± 0.014. Based on the latitudinal and spatial distribution of Pu isotopic composition, I clarified that the Pu source is mainly from global fallout at present. The activity levels of Pu in the YRSA do far not cause a Pu toxicity to the downstream drinking water even the frozen soil begins to melt and release Pu to the Yellow River. However, since close-in fallout from Lop Nor where the Chinese nuclear tests were carried out during 1964–1980, high deposition and accumulation of Pu was observed in the Chinese soil cores through synthesizing an expanded Pu dataset, which alerts us it is necessary to further monitor the Pu activity levels in the YRSA soil cores to ensure the safety of downstream drinking water. Finally, I point out that information on Pu isotopes would help in establishing a baseline for future environmental risk assessment.