Table 1,

Effect of Acid Solutionon Leachability of Foliar Plutonium at Seven Days Following Exposure
of Bushbean Plants to Fresh and Hydrated Plutonium Dioxide
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|

Leaching Solutions
Leached
Component

Compound

Synthecic
Rainwater
corerrns acn 4 leached”

238

gee

238

Pu-Dioxide

Soluble

0.5 40.1

Total

2.41.1

Insoluble

Pu-Dioxide

Soluble

(Hydrated)

Insoluble
Total

L

0.1% HNO
3
in
Synthetic
Rainwater

3

+---~-+<---—-

1.0 + 0.1

1.6 +1.0

2,5 + 0.6

0.6 + 0.1

4.5 4+ 0.2

3.5 + 0.7

2.0+ 1.3
2.54 1.4

5,340.5
9.8 + 0.2

l.

Piants leached with 200 ml of solution (equivalent to a 7 min rainfall of 0.4cm)

2.

Plant foliage exposed to polydispersed aerosois.
Freshly prepared oxide had an AMAD of 1.27 um
and GSD of 1.63, while the hydrated oxide had an AMAD of 0.73 um and GSD of 2.16.
Count
modes for the aerosols were 0.140 and 0.018 ym for the fresh and hydrated oxides, respectively.

3.

Leachability expressed as wCi leachate/ (uCi leached + wCi remaining on leaves) x 100; 4
Teplicates ® + SEM

Table 2.

Effect of Continuous Leaching Regimes on Removal of Plutonium Particles From Leaves of
Bushbean and Sugar Beetl,2

Plutonium Retained on Leaves
After Leaching.
Plant Species

Leaf
Roughness

Plutonium Form

Moderate

Fresh

Synthetic

Synthetic
Rainwater

Rainwater
+ 0.1% HNOy
a

.

Phaesolus Vulgaris
(Bushbean)
.

6tf

Beta Vulgaris
(Sugar Beet)

Smooth

238

Pud.,
238
Hydrated
Pud,,
Fresh

238

Hydrated

Pud,
238

Pud,

'

97.6 + 0.9

97.0 + 0.4

95.5 + 1.2

71.6 + 6.7

82.0 + 4.9

64.7 + 9.8

95.7 + 1.1

83.0 + 3.5

1.

Plants leached with 800 ml of solution (equivalent to a 28 min rainfall of 1.7 cm), 7? days following
exposure.

2.

Plant foliage exposed to polydispersed aerosols.
Particle size data for bushbean reported in Table l.
For sugar beet, fresh oxide had an AMAD of 1.59 ym and GSD of 1.76, while the hydrated oxide had an
AMAD of 0.75 wm and GSD of 1.84.
Count mode for the aerosols were 0.130 and 0.048 um for the fresh
and hydrated oxides, respectively.

3.

4 replicate samples, = + SEM

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