The Presence of 237Np in the Irish Sea

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Abstract
Concentrations of 237Np, a long-lived radionuclide discharged under authorization from the British Nuclear Fuels Limited reprocessing plant at Windscale, UK, were measured in samples of sea water, sediment and biological materials collected from the Irish Sea. This nuclide was concentrated by sedimentary materials in suspension to give a Kd in the region of 103-104, lower than those of the other transuranium nuclides previously recorded in the area. It was also accumulated by marine biological materials, occurring in internal organs such as the gonad of echinoderms but the concentrations were relatively low compared to those of 239/240Pu and the 239/240Pu/237Np quotients were higher than those of recent discharges from Windscale. From the radiological aspect, initial calculations suggested that the presence of 237Np in fish and shellfish of the Irish Sea was of little significance but further data are required to estimate its long-term impact.