Naturally Occurring Radionuclides of Uranium and Thorium Series in Nonnuclear Industrial Processes.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Grashchenko, S. M.
- Source
- Radiochemistry. Nov2005, Vol. 47 Issue 6, p614-618. 5p.
- Subject
- *RADIOISOTOPES
*THORIUM isotopes
*URANIUM isotopes
*RADIOACTIVE substances
*RADIOCHEMISTRY
*MANUFACTURING processes
- Language
- ISSN
- 1066-3622
Distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides of the Th and U series in nonnuclear industrial processes is discussed. Some parallelism is found between the migration of naturally occurring radionuclides in the geological environment and their fate in industrial processes. In both cases, the behavior is governed by well-known laws for phase distribution of microcomponents. Differences in the behavior of particular members of the radioactive series in processing of natural raw materials are caused by specific chemical properties of parent and daughter nuclides. It was demonstrated with a number of examples that, in non-nuclear industrial processes, radionuclides can concentrate to a level requiring special protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]