The Yenisei River, one of the largest rivers
in the world, is contaminated with artificial radionuclides released by a
Russian nuclear facility producing weapon-grade plutonium, which has been in
operation for many years. Examination of Yenisei River sediment samples
revealed the presence of artificial radionuclides typical of radioactive
discharge from the Mining-and-Chemical- Combine (MCC)
nuclear facility: isotopes of europium (152Eu, 154Eu, and 155Eu), cesium (137Cs
and 134Cs), 60Co, 90Sr, and transuranium elements. The MCC is also a source of
radioactive particles in the Yenisei. New data on radionuclide concentrations
in sediments and radioactive particles in the Yenisei River were obtained using
a wide range of analytical methods. Sequential extraction performed on samples
of sediment cores showed different degrees of potential environmental
availability of artificial radionuclides and uranium. In a few samples, 241Am
was present in the unextractable form, which may be accounted for by the
presence of microparticles of the reactor fuel. These microparticles were
investigated using scanning electron microscopy, and their reactor origin was
confirmed.
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